This paper analyses nine years of anonymized student and lecturer records and backgrounds to find that while English-Medium generally outperforms L1 instruction, excellence is rarer due to linguistic factors. Such negative effect is lessened in cases where lecturers promote active learning and show awareness of linguistic and pedagogical affordances.
The exponential growth of EMEMUS (English Medium Education in Multilingual University Settings) in most non-Anglophone countries has run parallel to the internationalization of HE institutions. There is a wealth of literature analysing such language policy, though not sufficiently backed by evidence in classroom-based studies. Largely the result of wider language-policy measures at macro and meso levels, these educational provisions have descended upon micro levels without enough grassroots data collection to actually confirm learner gains or illuminate on what best practices must be actively promoted. Being given unprecedented access to anonymized student and lecturer records at a Spanish university where EMI (English as a Medium of Instruction) and SMI (Spanish as a Medium of Instruction) itineraries mirror each other in design, content and evaluation, this paper tracks nine academic years in seventeen bilingual programmes through the analysis of students’ pre-tertiary academic and linguistic background and their actual outcomes after their first year as undergraduates. To better contextualize such learning, semi-structured interviews with lecturers are conducted in order to know about their training, classroom practices and professional beliefs. EMI and SMI outcomes are compared quantitatively (MANCOVA), showing a tendency towards a better pass rate in EMI cohorts, despite less students achieve academic excellence. A more in-depth statistical analysis of effect size (adjusted partial eta squared) in these EMI classrooms underpins the importance of language competence in explaining student results, but also highlight the fact that teacher beliefs about pedagogy and their role, and their assessment of learners needs heavily pre-empt student outcomes. Those pedagogical designs where students were more actively engaged in lessons and practice were significantly more successful, as well as those where attention to language factors was offered either in-class or through ICT. The latter was more common in settings where lecturers showed higher awareness of linguistic and pedagogical affordances.
