Challenges and possibilities of English as medium of instruction: lecturers’ attitudes and practices

Prof. dr. Jolita Horbacauskiene, Kaunas University of Technology in Kaunas, Lithuania;          Abstract: Study programs and modules conducted in English as medium of instruction (EMI) becoming one of the most important aspects of higher education internalization in non-English speaking European countries. The main reasons behind this are to attract foreign students, to improve the intercultural competence and skills of domestic students, and to promote the international profile of the institution fostering networking and partnerships in research and education (Westerholm and Räsänen,2015). Recently, a number of studies explore EMI policies and practices as well as challenges for students and educators (Dioz, Lasagabaster et al., 2012; Galloway et al., 2017). The current study seeks to answer the research questions of how the practicing of EMI helps university lecturers to further develop language skills and other competences related to action-oriented approach. The analysis presents the results of the semi-structured interviews with the lecturers employed in one of the largest technological universities in the Baltic states.

Key words: English as medium of instruction, technological university, lecturers’ attitudes and practices, language competences.