What about studying in English?

Today, globalization and technology are increasing the percentage of people speaking multiple languages, affecting the way we learn languages and the way we encounter cultures. 

At a time when most Europeans speak at least one foreign language, the move towards teaching in English in higher education is growing significantly. There are many reasons for universities to choose English as Medium of Instruction (EMI). Besides educational purposes, other motives entail the attraction of qualified international students, for universities to be able to compete with other high ranked universities and the creation of students that fit global markets.

I personally made the choice to attend a university that uses EMI. Having done my secondary education in the south of Belgium in French, I have now been studying for three years at Maastricht University, following a program entirely in English. I will therefore reflect on what I have learned about EMI, what it has brought me, and the problems that came with it.

Positives sides

There are many advantages to studying in English. The main reason for which I chose to study at Maastricht University was the opportunity to kill two birds with one stone. On the one hand learning the content of the program I chose and on the other, becoming fluent in another language. Now, being in my third year of European Studies I can definitely say that my English has drastically improved since I started the program in 2016.

Other advantages include an increase in social and economic mobility. EMI prepares for an increasingly international and global market and improves one’s job prospects. Due to EMI, graduates are going to be prepared for a more international career and working in different countries, which is increasingly happening with globalization. Growing up in Germany and Belgium, as well as having family that lives all across Europe, the idea of being prepared to work and travel to different countries was very appealing to me. That is another reason for which I made the choice to study in English.

Moreover, one advantage that I noticed right at the beginning of my studies, is that most of the research published by universities, scholars and researchers is actually in English. Hence, EMI enables students to read and research much more about their subject of interest and are able to stay current with their studied field.

woman reading book while sitting on chair

Problems encountered

There are, however, also less positive sides to English as Medium of Instruction which I made the experience of. In my first year at university, I often felt frustrated during exams because I could not express my thoughts as well as I could have in my mother tongue. I told myself many times that I could have done much better at an exam if I was writing in French. Students are not always able to answer in the way they would have wanted even if their knowledge of the subject assessed was good. This especially happens at the beginning, when students start an English-taught program and need to adapt. Hence, assessment biases can come up when a university uses EMI.

As I have mentioned before I noticed that in the first year my English improved remarkably. It used to take me hours to read a few pages in academic English, highlighting and looking up every word that was unfamiliar to me. Now, I am able to read much faster and look up words only every now and then. However, I must say that once I reached the level of English I needed to express myself as I wished in papers or exams, my improvement in vocabulary and use of language stopped. Not needing to keep spending time on polishing my English, my second language level stagnated at some point.

In addition to this, another consequence of being taught and assessed in English is a loss of mother tongue as explained by Wilkinson (2011):

“there are concerns that domain loss in higher education would spread to other social spheres through loss of functionality in the L1, that an English-only higher education may lead to the reduced creativity as the L1 ceases to be used” (p.11).

This is something that I did not expect at all when starting at Maastricht University. It is only recently, that I noticed that my academic vocabulary and syntax in French has declined. When talking about my classes and subjects to my friends and family I directly use English terms for the purpose of facilitation, not knowing the French translation right away, and maybe a bit of laziness. I can say that my French skills have been neglected as a result of EMI. 

pile of assorted-color books

Personal Opinion

Nevertheless, EMI programs are still very much increasing in Europe. I would argue that EMI is very enriching, but I still consider that being able to write in one’s mother tongue academically is of major importance and should be supported. Opportunities should be given to be assessed in one’s mother tong in order to avoid losses in that domain. In addition, as mentioned above, a lot of non-natives face the problem of not being able express oneself as wished when examined. Hence, guidance is very important in the first year of students starting a program in English as well as content teachers and English teachers working together in order to produce classes that are focusing on the development of both.

In conclusion, in my experience EMI has brought me a lot and was very enriching, however not without a loss in my mother tongue, French. As said, improvement can be done in relation to the guidance of students as well as to letting students use their mother tongue every now and then.

What do you think about EMI?

Caroline

10 thoughts on “What about studying in English?

  1. Hello Caro! I really liked your first post, I think it is very well written and that you cover a lot of different aspects on the topic, and I can relate to most of what you say. I am looking forward to read you further!

  2. Hi Caroline! I really enjoyed reading this post. I think it is very well structure which made it really easy to follow, and I really like the fact that you added your personal opinion in a separate paragraph!

  3. Hey Caro! I found your blog very interesting. Keep up the good work!
    I agree with the idea that EMI is great to develop English but we should also focus in other languages (like maintaining our mother tongue).

  4. Hey Caroline, your blog looks so good and creatively designed! Your article about EMI is so well structured and easy to read yet not overly academic. Keep it up 🙂

  5. A very rich and thoughtful argumentation on EMI. Especially your opinion shows that you favor a solution which includes both, L1 and L2, in order to maintain a decent level of academics in your native and foreign language. Well done!

  6. I really enjoyed reading this post, Caroline! I could recognise many of the problems you encountered with EMI in myself, especially when your talked about the decline of your mother tongue.

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