University students’ attitudes towards English Medium Instruction and academic language support: A view from Indonesia

Abstract

Despite the rapid growth of English Medium Instruction (EMI) in Indonesian universities, studies have revealed students’ challenges in meeting the required English competence while tackling academic content. This study used both quantitative and qualitative approaches to investigate the attitudes of 136 students towards EMI through an online questionnaire in five Indonesian universities. It also examined the academic language support available through interviews with six students and three teaching staff of the language centers administered by the universities. The findings of this study revealed that the students mainly perceived EMI as a tool to access better employment and improve their English proficiency. They also had various expectations towards EMI teachers, which might be influenced by their views of EMI as a means of learning English. Despite the imposition of English-only instruction, the students had a positive attitude towards the use of language(s) other than English in EMI courses. This study also reported several models of language support offered by the universities, which mainly focused on English for Academic Purposes (EAP) and was deemed insufficient to address the students’ disciplinary needs. These findings suggest that the pedagogical practices of EMI should be critically adapted to cater the needs of local context. This study calls for the re-conceptualization of EMI and the systematic language support of English for Specific Academic Purposes (ESAP) embedded in the curriculum.