Multiple layers of marginalisation in class: English-medium instruction in Korean higher education

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this study is to understand marginalisation in class because of language use in English-medium instruction (EMI) in Korean higher education and how students experience this marginalisation. The general EMI setting in this study is Korean faculty teaching Korean undergraduate students and some international students in English. The Korean students in this study took EMI classes as a requirement for graduation at two elite private universities in Seoul, Korea. The findings from the analysis of qualitative data collected through individual interviews show that the adoption of EMI creates multiple layers of marginalisation. These layers include the marginalisation of students, languages (both Korean and English), and learning. On the basis of these findings, the article raises questions about the normalisation of marginalisation caused by EMI in higher education systems in non-English-speaking countries.

KEYWORDS:

• English-medium instruction
• marginalisation
• language policy
• internationalisation of higher education
• Korea

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by Hankuk University of Foreign Studies Research Fund (20221420001). Data collection of this study was supported by Higher Education Policy Research Institute, Korea University (RR2012-03).