A Case Study of Assessment in English Medium Instruction in Cambodia

Abstract

Assessment practices in EMI programs have been relatively under-researched in the EMI literature. This chapter reports one long-established EMI program in Cambodia, and investigates its language testing policies and practices. The EMI courses at the university investigated are a blend of content and language integrated learning (CLIL) and content-based teaching (CBT) in a B(Ed) program that graduates hundreds of qualified high school English teachers annually. The research focused on how learning was evaluated in three key subjects, one with a language-only focus (‘Core English’), and two with an additional content focus (‘Literature Studies’ and ‘Global Studies’), with a view to seeing how practices varied according to content focus. Using interviews, a focus group and document analysis, the study found that evidence for the Year 2 and 3 subjects LS and GS being content-based was only partly accurate: content was construed by the leading teachers as primarily “life skills” (Literature Studies) and “language for social life” (Global Studies). Despite the differences amongst the various subjects in the EMI curriculum, their assessment practices conformed strongly to the institutional norm for all subjects. It seems that understanding current assessment practices requires deeper consideration of a complex ecology of cultural and linguistic practices.