English as a medium of instruction at a university in central Vietnam from lecturers’ perspectives

Abstract

There have been an increasing number of universities in Vietnam aiming to train their students into global citizens by implementing policies to develop English proficiency for teaching staff and expanding English as a Medium of Instruction (EMI) for specialized courses. To examine the current situation of EMI implementation in teaching economics courses at a university in central Vietnam, this study interviewed EMI lecturers in three areas: the purpose of EMI implementation at the institution, the effectiveness of the EMI program, and the challenges in implementing EMI. The qualitative results show that the university’s EMI training goal is to enhance its status in international integration, meet students' needs, and increase the enrollment. The implementation of EMI is also deemed effective due to the lecturers’ competency and the diversity of learning materials, bringing significant benefits for both teaching staff and students. Additionally, the interviewed lecturers mentioned challenges related to EMI teaching methods, students' language proficiency, and the heavy workload. The study’s findings are expected to help the university better develop and implement EMI in a more systematic and effective manner.