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Article published In:
Journal of English-Medium Instruction
Vol. 1:1 (2022) ► pp.7–28

Language policy and planning for English-medium instruction in higher education

| University of Gothenburg
| University of Maryland, Baltimore County
| The Education University of Hong Kong

This article presents English-medium instruction (EMI) in higher education (HE) from a language policy and planning (LPP) perspective. Based on a review of EMI policy research in diverse higher education contexts, we address several key contemporary policy tensions in EMI such as English native-speakerism, English monolingualism, and language education with attention to corpus, status and acquisition planning as well as the role of individual policy actors. In light of this review, we argue for an orientation to policymaking for EMI-HE institutions that acknowledges the value of individuals as policy arbiters and aligns institutional goals with “on the ground” needs and practices. We also point to areas of future research that would benefit all EMI stakeholders, in particular critical engagement with the nature of language competence in EMI settings and the enhanced development of evidence-based EMI learning outcomes. Finally, we propose an ecological framework for EMI-HE policy development that could be employed as a heuristic to guide universities in designing concrete EMI policies for their local contexts. As an extension, we also offer an inventory of reflective questions to guide key university stakeholders in effectively engaging in EMI policy processes.

Keywords: English-medium instruction (EMI), language policy, language planning, higher education
Article outline
  • Introduction
  • Where are we now?
    • Language corpus planning
    • Language status planning
    • Language acquisition planning
    • Policy actors
  • Where should we go next?
  • What do we put into practice?
  • Acknowledgements
  • References


This article is currently available as a sample article.

Published online: 21 January 2022
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/jemi.21021.ou
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