ERIC Number: EJ1468626
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2025
Pages: 13
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0143-4632
EISSN: EISSN-1747-7557
Available Date: 0000-00-00
A Comparative Study of Japanese and English Medium Instruction: The Driving Factors behind Academic Success
Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, v46 n2 p379-391 2025
This paper compares direct measures of content knowledge for students studying Chemistry through English Medium Instruction (EMI) and Japanese Medium Instruction (JMI). It also examines a range of contextual differences between the two mediums of instruction. A total of 53 undergraduate students undertook pre-post course content tests at a university in Japan. These measurable test outcomes were triangulated with data from semi-structured interviews with eight EMI and five JMI students and two content teachers as well as field notes from ten EMI and ten JMI lecture observations. While the quantitative results revealed no statistically significant differences in the post-test scores between the two courses, the qualitative data illuminated a huge range of context-dependent differences which shed light on possible explanations of this non-significant result. Findings revealed that while there were unique challenges only experienced by EMI students, many of the students navigated their EMI studies successfully through a combination of effective institutional and academic language support, teacher support and -- not least -- collaborative peer networks. This comparative study of an EMI and non-EMI course contributes to the currently limited research evidence on medium of instruction differences on content learning outcomes.
Descriptors: Japanese, English (Second Language), Second Language Learning, Language of Instruction, Academic Support Services, Chemistry, Course Content, Comparative Analysis, Undergraduate Students, Science Tests, Student Attitudes, Scores, Pretests Posttests, Context Effect, Cooperative Learning, Peer Groups, Social Networks, Outcomes of Education, Foreign Countries
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Japan
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: 1School of English, The University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK