Challenge or Opportunity? A case study of teachers and students in coping with their language challenges in an English Across the Curriculum (EAC) setting

Teaching science through English is a growing phenomenon around the world. In this presentation, I will discuss the latest research into English for academic purposes (EAP), English across Curriculum (EAC) and English medium of instruction (EMI) and the challenges that teachers and students face when learning science through English in many cultural contexts. In particular, I will report on a study in Hong Kong which explores the teaching and learning process in EMI science classrooms (Physics, Chemistry, Biology) from 8 secondary schools. Drawing on multiple sources of data from semi-structured interviews, questionnaires and 34 hours of video-recorded classroom observations of 19 teachers and 545 students, we explore the patterns of classroom interactions (turn-taking, ratio of talk, language choices, question types) in both traditional (or early-full) EMI vs MOI-switching (or late-partial) schools (switching from L1 Cantonese to L2 English), between Grades 10 and 11 in both schools. The teachers' and students' perceptions of the EMI teaching and learning process, including their views on EMI, choices of classroom language, language challenges and coping strategies will also be investigated. By providing evidence-based, detailed analysis of authentic classroom interactions, this research hopefully sheds light on ways to improve the quality of instructional practices in different EMI classrooms worldwide.