Chinese EMI Lecturers’ Engagement Strategies

Abstract

In Chap. 3, the pedagogical positions and instructional practices of the EMI lecturers were analyzed. This Chapter continues the examination of actual teaching practice in EMI classes by focusing on the Chinese EMI lecturers’ specific engagement strategies. Examining engagement allows this research to respond to two concerns raised in current literature: (i) that expository pedagogy and its aligned instruction will generate less classroom engagement compared to constructivist teaching; and (ii) there is less engagement and interaction in a class when teaching is conducted in EMI. The aim of this Chapter is not to measure the effectiveness of learning in relation to engagement, but rather to capture the characteristics of the engagement strategies implemented by the participants. Data reveal a general pattern in the EMI lecturers’ implementation of engagement strategies: cognitive engagement was the dominant, most frequently used engagement strategy, and conversely, emotional, managerial and behavioral engagement was observed with very limited frequency. The arguments being proposed are that the characteristics of these Chinese EMI lecturers’ engagement strategies are shaped by their pedagogical, educational and cultural ideologies; and that English as the medium plays a secondary role in patterns of engagement observed in this research.