English-Medium Instruction in Higher EducationThe Evolution of EMI Research in European Higher Education

Abstract

Routledge, 2022. English-medium Instruction (EMI) represents one of the key discussion points in contemporary research in Applied Linguistics. Its pedagogical challenges and sociolinguistic complexities, in its different implementations at universities around the world, have fuelled intense research activity in the last couple of decades. This has resulted in a vast portfolio of empirical, and, to a lesser degree, conceptual studies, all seeking to further the collective understanding of EMI. Nevertheless, a bird's eye view of the literature reveals gaps not yet adequately addressed and a lack of sys-tematization within-and across-different areas of EMI research. Both volumes in this review aim to raise awareness of these gaps, albeit in different ways. English-Medium Instruction in Higher Education, as part of the Cambridge Elements series, offers a compact overview of some of the core issues around teaching and learning through EMI as discussed in the literature. Conversely, The Evolution of EMI Research in European Higher Education, a contribution to the Routledge Studies in English-medium Instruction series, systematically traces the development of EMI research to identify potential gaps and necessary improvements. The book draws on research undertaken as part of the Transnational Alignment of English Competences for University Lecturers (TAEC) project. Funded by ERASMUS+, the TAEC project developed a Literature Database on EMI research produced over the course of 20 years about five partner European countries (Croatia, Denmark, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain), which is used as a data source for the literature review in the book. Both volumes testify to the initial steps of EMI research towards an increasingly self-reflexive maturity. In English-Medium Instruction in Higher Education, David Lasagabaster tackles the main areas of discussion around EMI over the course of nine chapters. Chapters 1-3 describe EMI as a strategic tool for the achievement of internationalization objectives, a response to a race