ENGLISH AS A MEDIUM OF INSTRUCTION IN AN INDONESIAN ISLAMIC UNIVERSITY: LECTURER’S, STUDENT’S, AND ALUMNUS’ VOICES

Abstract

This study investigates voices of a teacher, student, and alumnus of an International Class (ICP) which employs English as a medium of instruction (EMI). Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with three participants focusing on their positioning towards English and EMI, followed by document studies including teaching materials and course outlines. The inclusion of alumni is important to understand the extent that they might support, negotiate, or resist EMI in ICP and to uncover key issues such as beliefs and promise of EMI and its workplace realities. Besides, the graduate has a prominent role in this study to see the possible role of EMI in the university as to whether EMI does warrant promised linguistic capital. Our study suggests that EMI in ICP is often valorised and commoditised as a marketing strategy to attract more students. However, inadequate preparation and planning results in insufficient development of either English proficiency or content subject comprehension. We recommend that the adoption of EMI along with desirable internationalisation of Higher Education (HE) be critically (re)envisioned and appropriated to advantage multilingual speakers with English. Pedagogical and professional supports need to be explicitly provisioned to help teachers and students navigate and respond to linguistic and pedagogical challenges in EMI.

Keywords

• Indonesian Islamic university
• EMI
• linguistic capital
• linguistic imperialism