Prof. HU Guangwei, Department of English and Communication

Research on English-medium instruction in Asian contexts: The state of the art. The International Symposium on “Second Language Studies: Expanding Perspectives”, Nanchang University, Jiangxi, China, 1-2 June 2024.

Abstract
Asia has seen an exponential spread of English-medium instruction (EMI) in its educational systems over the past two decades. This unprecedented expansion of EMI has attracted growing research attention. In this presentation, I explore the trends and foci of research on EMI in Asian contexts with a view to offering useful implications for dealing with the multitude of challenges in EMI and identifying topical areas where further research is urgently needed. Drawing on publications identified by a systematic search of the Web of Science, I show that the literature on EMI in Asian contexts has grown dramatically over the past decade, covering a wide range of issues and concerns, including both well-trodden and emerging ones. I identify three major challenges reported in the literature, namely, misalignments between monolingual ideologies in EMI policies and multilingual realities in EMI practices, non-EMI/EMI transition either from high school to university contexts or in cross-border/transnational contexts, and the professional development of EMI instructors. I conclude by summarizing insights derived from the extant research and outlining directions for future research.