Views: 2,042
Arab World English Journal (AWEJ) Volume 15. Number 4, December 2024 Pp. 189-204
Department of English Language Teaching,
Tishk International University, Erbil-KRI, Iraq
The educational system encounters a massive shift regarding the medium of instruction, as there is an excellent focus on employing the English language in various disciplines in higher education institutions. Hence, it is crucial to investigate the benefits and challenges that stakeholders, including teachers and students, might encounter. Although researchers conducted many studies investigating EMI, no previous study has been employed to investigate the first-year students’ attitudes toward its’ implementing in private universities in the Kurdistan region of Iraq. This study aimed to investigate first-year students’ attitudes towards English as the medium of instruction and the challenges they encountered. The data collection was via a questionnaire and analyzed through SPSS. The research adopted a convenience sampling method. The research included 87 students in the second semester of the academic year 2023-2024 within two months. The questionnaire indicated different parts focusing on various aspects, such as students’ attitudes towards the English language, the challenges they encounter during the implementation of EMI, the improved skills, and the benefits. The results displayed the courses’ positive impact on students, including improving their skills, content knowledge, and vocabulary. This eventually reflected the optimistic attitude of the first-year students towards these courses. The results have some implications for the Ministry of Higher Education, such as providing intensive language courses for learners to support linguistic ability and high-quality learning
Karam, Z. N. (2024). First-year Students’ Attitude Towards English as a Medium of Instruction: A Study on Tishk International University, Erbil, Iraq. Arab World English Journal, 15(4):189-204
Albalawi, A. (2024). The role of individual differences in L2 vocabulary learning: A review of out-of-class exposure, strategic learning and motivation. Australian Journal of Applied Linguistics, 7(2), 1641. https://doi.org/10.29140/ajal.v7n2.1641
Aldawsari, M. (2022). Deciphering Students and Teachers’ Perceptions Towards English as a Medium of Instruction: A Case Study of Prince Sattam Bin Abdulaziz University. Theory and Practice in Language Studies, 12(12), 2687-2694. https://doi.org/10.17507/tpls.1212.27
Blommaert, J. (2012). Look alike language. English Today, 28(02), 62-64. https://doi.org/10.1017/s0266078412000193
Bolton, K., & Kuteeva, M. (2012). English as an academic language at a Swedish university: Parallel language use and the ‘threat’ of English. Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, 33(5), 429-447. https://doi.org/10.1080/01434632.2012.670241
Borg, S. (2016). English Medium Instruction in Iraqi Kurdistan: Perspectives from lecturers at State Universities. British Council.
Celik, B., & Yıldız, Y. (2019). The role of foreign language culture on teaching the language and learner motivation. International Journal of Social Sciences & Educational Studies, 5(4), 150-161.https://doi.org/10.23918/ijsses.v5i4p150
Celik, B., & Kara, S. (2024). Reaping the Fruits of Technology-Integrated Grammar Instruction in EFL Classes at the Tertiary Level through Web 2.0 Tools. Novitas-ROYAL (Research on Youth and Language), 18(1), 18-36. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.10973103
Chen, H., Han, J., & Wright, D. (2020). An investigation of lecturers’ teaching through English medium of instruction—A case of higher education in China. Sustainability, 12(10), 4046. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12104046
Corrales, K. A., Rey, L. A. P., & Escamilla, N. S. (2016). Is EMI enough? Perceptions from university professors and students. Latin American Journal of Content & Language Integrated Learning, 9(2): 318-344. https://doi.org/10.5294/7094
Costa, F., & Coleman, J. A. (2013). A survey of English-medium instruction in Italian higher education. International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism, 16(1), 3-19. https://doi.org/10.1080/13670050.2012.676621
Dearden, J. (2014). English as a medium of instruction-a growing global phenomenon. British Council.
Decorte, R., Colognesi, S., Dachet, D., & Meunier, F. (2024). Perceptions and practices of L2 teachers in metacognitive oracy instruction: A longitudinal case study. Australian Journal of Applied Linguistics, 7(3), 1531. https://doi.org/10.29140/ajal.v7n3.1531
Despitasari, N. W. P. (2021). Students’ perception of English medium of instruction (EMI) in Indonesia: A case study in a Business Communication course in a private higher education institution (HEI). Journal of Arts and Humanities, 10(4), 28-38.
Doiz, A., & Lasagabaster, D. (2018). Teachers’ and students’ second language motivational self-system in English‐Medium Instruction: A qualitative approach. Tesol Quarterly, 52(3), 657-679. https://doi.org/10.1002/tesq.452
Gröblinger, K. (2017). What are the benefits and challenges of EMI in (international) study programs at UAS in Austria? Research innovation value.
Huang, D. F. (2015). Exploring and assessing effectiveness of English medium instruction courses: The students’ perspectives. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 173(2015), 71-78.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2015.02.033
Iwaniec, J., & Wang, W. (2023). Motivations to enrol in EMI programmes in China: An exploratory study. Applied Linguistics Review, 14(6), 1563-1587. https://doi.org/10.1515/applirev-2021-0180
Kara, S., & Kucuk, T. (2023). The Effects of Picture Dictionaries in Promoting Vocabulary Development of EFL Learners at Tertiary Level. Novitas-ROYAL (Research on Youth and Language), 17(2), 80-94. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.10015826
Karam, Z. N. (2023). Describing Lexico-Grammatical Features of English as A Lingua Franca in Kurdistan and The Issue of Intelligibility. International Journal of Social Sciences & Educational Studies, 10(2), 64-76. 10.23918/ijsses.v10i2p64
Kim, E. G., Kweon, S. O., & Kim, J. (2017). Korean engineering students’ perceptions of English-medium instruction (EMI) and L1 use in EMI classes. Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, 38(2), 130-145. https://doi.org/10.1080/01434632.2016.1177061
Kırkgöz, Y. (2014). Students’ perceptions of English language versus Turkish language used as the medium of instruction in higher education in Turkey. Turkish Studies, 9(12), 443-459.
Kucuk, T. (2023). Students’ Perceptions of The Use of ICT Tools in Language Preparatory School. Arab World English Journal, 14 (4). 197-212. https://dx.doi.org/10.24093/awej/vol14no4.12
Mekheimer, M. A. (2024). Working memory as a predictor of reading and listening comprehension in EFL college students: A reinvestigation. Australian Journal of Applied Linguistics, 7(3), 2076. https://doi.org/10.29140/ajal.v7n3.2076
Moncada Comas, B. (2022). What students have to say about EMI: exploring university students’ perspectives on changing the learning/teaching language to English. ESP Today, 10(2), 263-285. 10.18485/esptoday.2022.10.2.4
Yeh, C. C. (2014). Taiwanese students’ experiences and attitudes towards English-medium courses in tertiary education. RELC Journal, 45(3), 305-319. https://doi.org/10.1177/0033688214555358
Yucedal, H. M., Abdulrahman, S. A., & Kara, S. (2022). Process-genre approach in teaching writing to language preparatory school students at a private university in Iraq. Canadian Journal of Educational and Social Studies, 2(5), 28-46. https://doi.org/10.53103/cjess.v2i5.64
Zhang, M., & Pladevall-Ballester, E. (2022). Students’ attitudes and perceptions towards three EMI courses in mainland China. Language, Culture and Curriculum, 35(2), 200-216. https://doi.org/10.1080/07908318.2021.1979576
Zainab Nizar Karam (MA) is an assistant lecturer at TISHK International University in Erbil, Iraq. She teaches at Language Preparatory School and covers various courses, including Foundation English, Advanced English, and Technical English. She specializes in Applied Linguistics and TESOL. She aims to investigate and publish studies related to applied linguistics to
contribute to the scientific community. ORCID ID: https://orcid.org/0009-0001-9505-679X