A study of the perceptions of lecturers and students towards English-medium instruction in Pakistani Higher Education

Abstract

This study examines the perceptions of teachers and students towards the policy of English as a Medium of Instruction (EMI) in the context of Higher Education (HE) in Pakistan. The purpose of the study is twofold. First, it explores how content teachers and postgraduate students orient towards the policy of EMI. Second, it examines how EMI is actualized in content classrooms in universities. The study is informed by critical language policy and translanguaging in academic settings. The study is important as current empirical research in the field of language policy, from the standpoint of Global Englishes in HE context of Pakistan is almost non-existent. This investigation attempts to explore in depth the core issues in EMI against the background of larger medium of instruction debates in the country.

This study draws on qualitative data collected through twenty-one semi-structured interviews with teachers and twelve focus groups with students from three postgraduate institutes.

Findings from the interviews and focus groups suggest that a gap exists between stated and practised EMI policies, as the majority of students and teachers use EMF in practice. Moreover, both teachers and students exhibited ambivalent perceptions about EMI policy. On the one hand, at the theoretical level, the participants considered native English competence represented the required standard. On the other hand, they believed that the ability to communicate effectively took priority over native English competence in practice.

The findings of this study contribute to theorising and research in EMI and language policy. This study supports the idea that English language policy in Pakistan should consider the global and dynamic use of English and, therefore reconsider the traditional native-normative approach to English language. It also has implications for ELT and EAP practitioners regarding the teaching and testing of English.

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