Learners’ motivation caught between the interplay of policy and practice: a case study of an EMI medical program in China

ABSTRACT

The past few decades have seen a boom in English-medium instruction (EMI) in Chinese universities. Despite growing research interest in EMI policy and practices in China, little is known about how students’ motivation to study in the EMI programs is influenced by EMI policy and its implementation at the meso and micro levels. This study addresses this gap by examining an EMI program at a Chinese medical college. Through a survey of 118 students and interviews with 10 students and 6 teachers, we investigated students' EMI learning motivation, how and why it changed over time, and different stakeholders’ perceptions of the EMI implementation. The questionnaire and interview data were triangulated with textual analysis results of institutional EMI policy documents. It was found that students’ motivation generally declined over the course of EMI study and was often influenced by implementation factors such as pedagogical practices, assessment-related policies, and incentive strategies. Interactions and contradictions between the EMI policy goals, EMI implementation at different levels and students’ motivation change were also analyzed through the Activity Theory lens to shed light on how higher education institutions could better sustain students’ EMI motivation and enhance the quality of EMI programs.

KEYWORDS:

• Tertiary EMI
• motivation
• language policy
• sustainability of EMI programs
• activity theory

Disclosure statement

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

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported financially by the research project titled ‘Learners’ Motivation in the EMI Medical Program’ funded by Shantou University Medical College.

Notes on contributors

Heng Cai

Heng Cai received her M.A. in language teaching and education at the University of York, UK. She is currently a lecturer teaching English for academic purposes courses at Shantou University Medical College, China. Her research interests include language education, English as a medium of instruction, translanguaging, and intercultural communication.

Miao Yang

Miao Yang, Master (Leeds University), PhD (The Chinese University of Hong Kong), is a Professor of English at Shantou University Medical College, China. She has published research articles and books/chapters on second language writing, content-based learning, and ESP/EAP curriculum development.

Danping Wen

Danping Wen received her M.A. in Applied Linguistics from the University of Hong Kong. She currently teaches English language courses at Shantou University Medical College, China. Her research areas include EMI, English language education, technology-enhanced language learning, English for academic and specific purposes, systemic functional linguistics, and translation studies.