Students’ Experience of English Medium Instruction Classes in Medical School in Japan

Abstract

In the last few decades, the number of universities offering English medium instruction (EMI) in Japan has increased rapidly. Yet, studies on the EMI experiences of Japanese university students are limited in number. Few studies have examined the EMI experiences of students in medical school, who tend to have high English proficiency given the intense preparation required for the entrance exam. To fill this knowledge gap, I investigated medical students’ views on their experiences of elective medical and non-medical EMI courses that they were required to take. An analysis of 93 survey and 7 interview responses revealed that the majority of them found the level of their EMI classes to be reasonable, while approximately 30% found it to be difficult, especially in terms of speaking, listening, and vocabulary. Most of the students who experienced these problems did not do anything to solve them, revealing the presence of unmet support needs.