The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of formative feedback delivered via a social Q&A online platform on EFL writers' (n=120) performance and motivation, as well as to explore their perceptions towards the use of the platform in the English-Medium Instruction (EMI) classroom. The findings have several pedagogical implications for both the EFL and EMI contexts.
As English is becoming the global language of business, education, science, and scholarship and as internationalization is now a priority for universities, English-medium instruction (EMI) in higher education has become a rapidly growing, multi-dimensional global phenomenon. Previous research on EMI has predominantly highlighted the driving forces behind it, implementation challenges, and stakeholders' language proficiency and attitudes, while very few studies have addressed changes in pedagogical practices to improve the quality of EMI at the micro-level, particularly in the Asian context. This study embraced a technology-infused, student-centred, active learning approach to support the needs of EMI learners. Data sources include pre/post-tests, a questionnaire, and a focus group interview to investigate the effects of formative feedback delivered via a social Q&A online platform, Piazza, on learners' (n=120) performance and motivation, as well as to explore their perceptions of the use of the platform in a business course, at a science-and-technology, EMI university in South Korea. The findings reveal that the application of Piazza was viewed favourably by the students and that the technology-mediated feedback significantly enhanced their writing performance and motivation, increased their language and content knowledge, and enabled their active engagement. The findings have several pedagogical implications for both the English as a Foreign Language (EFL) and EMI contexts.
