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Volume 11 Number 2, Summer 2014, Pages 1-148   


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Students' Perceptions of EMI in Higher Education in Korea

    Inyoung Kym and Moon Hyun Kym


This paper examines students' perceptions of English as a Medium of Instruction (EMI) in a Korean university. Using questionnaire methods, we explore how students perceive EMI courses they are currently taking, from a knowledge perspective and a language skills perspective respectively. The participants were 364 students enrolled in 11 different EMI courses. The courses were all related to business, taught by seven different instructors (two Americans, two Chinese, and three Koreans). Based on the collected data, students' level of satisfaction and ability to comprehend were measured, and compared according to their English proficiency along with instructor's native language and student profiles. Aspects of student profiles investigated included students' majors and years of study, prior EMI experiences, background knowledge, study-abroad experiences, etc. The results of the analyses showed that students' overall level of satisfaction and ability to comprehend were significantly different according to the instructor's native language (native English speaker or non-native English speaker), background knowledge, and study-abroad experiences, but not related to any of the other factors. From these findings, pedagogical implications are briefly discussed and ways of maximizing the effects of EMI courses are suggested.

Keywords: English as a Medium of Instruction (EMI), Native English Speaker (NES), Non-Native English Speaker (NNES), English proficiency, background knowledge