The Changing Roles of EMI Academics and English Language Specialists

Abstract

In recent years we have witnessed a rapid growth in the number of academic subjects in universities being taught through the medium of English rather than through the language of the majority of people of the home country. The growth is attributed primarily to a desire for universities to “internationalise” both by attracting international students and by ensuring that home students are advantaged on the global job market. In this growth there are a number of assumptions that are not necessarily supported by research evidence for example that students’ proficiency in English will improve as a result of immersion through English Medium Instruction (EMI) and that the transition for EMI academics from teaching their academic discipline in their first language to teaching through their second language (English) will be smooth and problem-free. Most importantly, there has been little consideration as to what will become of the many English language specialists in universities who have hitherto been teaching general English as a Foreign Language (EFL), English for Academic Purposes (EAP) or English for Specific Purposes (ESP) and how their roles might develop.