The Evolution of EMI Research in European Higher Education

This book presents state-of-the-art research into English-medium instruction (EMI) in European higher education over the last 20 years, offering a comprehensive comparative analysis toward identifying gaps in our understanding of relevant theories, research, and practice.

Molino, Dimova, Kling, and Larsen argue for the need to take stock of the progression of EMI research in European higher education in order to consolidate scholarship and better inform EMI implementation in new contexts. Each chapter focuses on a different aspect of EMI implementation, including policies, attitudes, language use, assessment, training, learning outcomes, identity, and intercultural communication across five different countries: Denmark, Croatia, Italy, the Netherlands, and Spain. The book brings together the authors’ collective work on an annotated database of over 200 resources, featuring a range of publications of varying format, type, and language, as well as information on relevant research questions, methodologies, and findings. This detailed approach allows in-depth discussions on the most widely researched areas in EMI as well as those under-explored toward outlining a way forward for future research in both the European higher education context and on a global scale.

This book will be key reading for scholars working in English-medium instruction, world Englishes, English as an international language, English as a lingua franca, and applied linguistics.

Alessandra Molino is an associate professor at the University of Torino. Her research interests include English-medium instruction (EMI), academic discourse, and sustainability discourse, three areas that she explores focusing on the use of language and combining the tools of corpus linguistics and discourse analysis. She has published in various edited volumes and in journals such as the Journal of English for Academic Purposes and Languages in Contrast. She has also edited the volume Observing Norms, Observing Usage: Lexis in Dictionaries and the Media, together with Serenella Zanotti, and English in Italy: Linguistic, Educational and Professional Challenges with Cecilia Boggio.

Slobodanka Dimova is an associate professor at the University of Copenhagen. Her research interests include language testing, EMI, and L2 speaking production. Her work appears in Language Testing, English for Specific Purposes, and World Englishes. She has also published the volume English-Medium Instruction in European Higher Education, together with Anna Kristina Hultgren and Christian Jensen, and the volume on Integrating Content and Language in Multilingual Higher Education with Joyce Kling.

Joyce Kling is an associate Pprofessor at the University of Copenhagen. Her research interests include EMI, teacher cognition, and language testing. She has published in several edited volumes and journals in these areas. She has published the monograph English Medium Instruction in Multilingual and Multicultural Universities: Academics’ Voices from the Northern European Context, together with Birgit Henriksen and Anne Holmen, and the volume IntegratingContent and Language in Multilingual Higher Education with Slobodanka Dimova.

Sanne Larsen is an assistant professor at the University of Copenhagen. Her research interests include EMI, integrating content and language, and second-language writing. She has published in various journals and edited volumes including Studies and Essays on Learning, Teaching and Assessing L2 Writing in Honour of Alister Cumming.