Wed, May 27, 2026 page8

• Learning gap in EMI classrooms

  • By Huang Chia-yuan 黃佳媛
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  In a Taiwanese university classroom, a lecturer asks in English: “Can anyone give me an example from Taiwan?” Students look down. No one answers.

  After class, one student writes on the course platform in Mandarin: “I understood the concept, but I didn’t know how to answer in English.”

  That moment highlights a key issue in Taiwan’s English-medium instruction (EMI) reform: It is not just about more English-taught courses, but whether students can learn, participate and belong.

  EMI expansion is part of the Bilingual 2030 policy and the Ministry of Education’s BEST Program, aiming to improve English ability, support EMI teaching and cultivate bilingual talent. Policymakers hope to boost competitiveness and prepare graduates for global opportunities. However, there is a risk that EMI reform is measured by course counts and English benchmarks, rather than by whether access and participation are improved or whether benefits mainly students already strong in English.

  A major challenge is the uneven proficiency in English in EMI classrooms. One student might read journal articles easily, while another struggles to understand the abstract. If teachers speak at a normal pace, some students fall behind; if they go too slow, strong students find the course shallow. This gap is not just about effort. Research shows students’ willingness to engage is connected to their comprehension, learning difficulties and academic English support. Participation rises when students have the language tools they need.

  This also explains classroom silence. Taiwanese students are often called quiet, but in EMI classrooms, silence might mean they are translating, searching for words or avoiding embarrassment. In Mandarin-medium classes, students might explain concepts such as “social reproduction” with ease, but in EMI classes, they might remain silent due to linguistic risk.

  Participation is more than classroom behavior; it is about academic access. If EMI discourages questions or connecting theory to local experience, learning narrows. A policy that increases English exposure, but reduces participation is not a success. Teachers also face challenges. Most Taiwanese lecturers publish in English, but teaching complex ideas in English requires a different pedagogy.

  Teachers cannot just translate lectures; they must rethink pacing, examples, slides, interaction and assessment. Providing glossaries, diagrams, bilingual examples and sentence starters is often needed. Without support, EMI risks becoming a performance of English rather than real learning. Assessment raises equity concerns. If a student understands “cultural capital” in Mandarin, but writes weakly in English, should grades reflect knowledge or English ability?

  Assessment rubrics should distinguish content from language. Otherwise, EMI rewards those with English capital, not those who achieve learning goals. EMI intersects with educational inequality. Taiwan’s higher education system is already stratified; students enter with unequal linguistic, economic and cultural resources. Some have years of private English education; others are first-generation university students.

  Without support, EMI could widen gaps between elite and non-elite institutions, and between students with and without English capital. The solution is not to abandon EMI, but to reframe it as an issue of access and effective pedagogy, not just internationalization.

  Universities should look beyond counting EMI courses and focus on who succeeds. EMI courses should provide structured support, such as keyword lists, glossaries, guides, model sentences, comprehension checks and recaps, to help all students learn through English. EMI should not mean English-only teaching. Teachers can use Mandarin or other languages to clarify concepts or connect theory to local examples. Careful translanguaging makes EMI more effective and inclusive.

  Teachers also need institutional support. EMI training should go beyond language skills to include discussion design, assessment, student anxiety and classroom silence. Universities must recognize this additional pedagogical labor. Quiet EMI classrooms signal a core challenge for Taiwan’s bilingual policy: The real task is to ensure that all students can access, participate in and benefit from EMI. For EMI to succeed, it must focus on equity and learning, not just English exposure.

  Huang Chia-yuan is an assistant professor in the College of Education at Tamkang University.
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