Challenges and expectations regarding business courses in which English is the medium of instruction: Crossing views from students and teachers in Taiwan and Spain

Abstract

Adopting English as a Medium of Instruction (EMI) has been a strategy employed by many universities in non-English speaking countries worldwide to attract international students. Spain and Taiwan are two of the countries in which universities offer most EMI courses. This research aims to understand whether there exist cultural differences between how both teachers and students in these two countries envisage EMI in higher education. To fulfil our goal, we conducted three small-scale case studies. In the first case, through the analysis of the results of an online survey, we examine the expectations of EMI students in Taiwan and Spain regarding programme design, teachers’ profile and expected learning outcomes. In the second case, we interviewed students and teachers from several universities in Taiwan to cross compare their views regarding good practice in EMI. Finally, in the third case, we replicate our second case with students and teachers from Spain. Our results allow us to understand the challenges and expectations of students and teachers in EMI courses in both countries and to determine which demands are culturally bound and which are shared. We expect this study will shed light on which elements are to be taken into consideration when designing EMI courses.

Date of Award	30 Mar 2023
Original language	English
Supervisor	Maria Dolors Masats Viladoms (Director) & Cristina Escobar Urmeneta (Director)