Navigating Academic Language in English Medium Instruction (EMI) Science Classrooms in Hong Kong

The use of English to teach content subjects is a growing phenomenon in schools around the world. However, many content teachers in English medium instruction (EMI) classrooms are unsure of the extent to which they should focus on academic language while teaching their subject matters. Should they focus on content and not be overly concerned about language or should they put more emphasis on fostering students’ academic language skills? This study explored the role of academic language in EMI science classrooms from the perspective of secondary teachers and students in Hong Kong through the lens of Systematic Functional Linguistics theory and a sociocultural approach to academic language. Interviews and focus group discussions were conducted with 10 teachers and 50 students, respectively. The results reveal the participants’ attitudes toward academic language in science learning, reported relevant practices, and highlight the challenges and coping strategies for teaching and learning academic language in science classrooms. The data show that the participating teachers and students all showed a preference for teaching and learning science content over language. The teachers expressed concerns regarding their students’ limited academic English proficiency for effective communication during science lessons. However, the students focused overwhelmingly on their lacked vocabulary knowledge. Both groups also demonstrated a lack of effective strategies to improve academic English abilities necessary for authentic communication during science learning. The implications of the value of using different registers of English to facilitate EMI science learning are discussed.

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