Education in focus 5: English Medium Instruction (EMI)

This episode explores the factors behind the push for EMI in South Asia and worldwide, whether it is beneficial for children’s education and when and how to introduce English as a second language. 

We hear from Jeanine Treffers-Daller, Professor of Multilingualism, University of Reading; Ernesto Macaro, Emeritus Professor of Applied Linguistics, University of Oxford and Kathleen Heugh, Associate Professor at the University of South Australia. 

This episode on EMI includes discussion of the following research and initiatives:

• The research project Multilingualism and multiliteracy: raising learning outcomes in challenging contexts in primary schools across India
• Multilingualism and multiliteracy in primary education in India: a discussion of some methodological challenges of an interdisciplinary research project

You can also read these recent British Council publications investigating different aspects of EMI and multilingual education:

• English as a medium of instruction – a global phenomenon
• English language and medium of instruction in basic education in low- and middle-income countries: a British Council perspective
• Using multilingual approaches – moving from theory to practice