Understanding the Current State of English-Medium Instruction in Japan (original) (raw)

The number of institutions offering English-medium instruction of content classes (EMI) is growing in Japan. Along with high profile programs at elite universities, innovations in EMI are developing across the country. According to government sources, at least 194 universities currently offer some undergraduate EMI courses, often in humanities and social sciences. However, individual EMI programs are developing to suit local needs and contexts. Some are fully-developed, degree-granting programs while others have much less coherence. Currently there is no overall picture of the growth of EMI and no clear indication of what the future implications for Japanese higher education might be. This presentation focuses on the initial results of a study attempting to develop just such a picture. Based on a review of published documents, interviews with EMI program stakeholders and a survey sent to all universities known to offer EMI, results show that EMI programs in Japan exist along a continuum from ad hoc collections of EMI classes scattered across faculties, based on individual teachers' decisions to teach in English, to entire campuses running in English. A tentative typology of undergraduate EMI in Japan can now be proposed to outline the motivations, goals, makeup and pedagogies of programs. This allows a discussion of possible implications of this new trend to proceed on a solid foundation: a real understanding of the current state of EMI in Japan.