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Within the Asian region, Singapore has long been seen as a leader within the field of higher education, with an unmatched record of success in implementing English-medium instruction (EMI) at all levels of education, including colleges and universities. This present study reports on a large-scale survey carried out at one of Singapore's major universities on the use of English as a teaching medium at both undergraduate and postgraduate level. Key findings from the survey foreground the difficulties and needs of students coping with EMI instruction at undergraduate and postgraduate levels. One important result here highlights the specific problems of overseas postgraduate students (including many from mainland China), a finding that resonates with the sociolinguistics of higher education in many other international universities in an era of global education.

In this article we report on the dynamics of English‐medium instruction (EMI) in Singaporean higher education, where we describe the context of EMI with reference to the multilingual background and multilingual practices of university students in their educational as well as personal lives. Our study surveyed over one thousand students from Singapore's six main universities, where we investigated the multilingual backgrounds of students at these universities, their language practices, and their experience of EMI education. Whereas our previous research has focused on the language policies and practices in just one of Singapore's universities, this project surveyed language use in all six major universities. It is hoped that the report presented here will serve as a record of current practices, as well as a benchmark for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article provides an extensive review of previous research on English‐medium instruction (EMI) in South Korean higher education. It then goes on to discuss the findings of a 2017 survey at four elite universities in South Korea, which were Seoul National University, Korea University, Yonsei University, and Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST). While some of the results could be regarded as predictable, there were a number of findings which extended previous research. Despite the extensive complaint tradition about English in South Korea, many of the students in our sample rated their proficiency rather highly. Notwithstanding the extensive critiques of EMI in much of the previous literature, students typically displayed pragmatic and sometimes positive attitudes to dealing with EMI in their institutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article reports on the investigation of English‐medium instruction (EMI) in Indonesian higher education. Two separate but related studies were carried out. In Phase One, a mixed method approach using a questionnaire and interviews was used at a private university in Jakarta in order to gauge the responses of undergraduates studying a range of subjects through English. The results of Phase One suggested that the students at this university generally had high levels of proficiency in English and coped rather well with EMI. Phase Two of the study involved interviewing 17 educators across multiple institutions, and the results of this provided a nuanced picture of the implementation of EMI in higher education across this diverse multilingual nation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article is based on empirical research carried out at the Royal University of Phnom Penh (RUPP), Cambodia, between 2018 and 2019. The research involved both quantitative and qualitative approaches. In the case of the former, the researchers conducted a large‐scale survey of students involving 956 respondents, of whom 79 were postgraduate students, while the overwhelming majority were studying at the undergraduate level. The qualitative data collected in this project comprised detailed interviews with undergraduates studying at RUPP. The results of both types of data collection indicated that, although many students faced difficulties in studying through the medium of English, there was widespread support across the student body for the use of English in Cambodian higher education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article has two main aims. First, to describe the general background to English‐medium instruction (EMI) with reference to Outer Circle and Expanding Circle societies in South Asia, Southeast Asia, and East Asia. Second, it analyses data from each of the four case studies in the symposium in this issue in order to identify and explain the background to, and varying forms, of EMI in higher education in Cambodia, Indonesia, Singapore, and South Korea. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, universities across Europe have increasingly adopted the use of English as an academic lingua franca. Our article discusses current trends in Swedish higher education by presenting the results of a large-scale survey on the use of English conducted at Stockholm University. The survey involved 668 staff and 4524 students and focused on the use of English for academic purposes and students' and teachers' attitudes to English as a medium of instruction. The results indicate that complex patterns of academic English use emerge, which are related to the specific discipline studied, the level of instruction (undergraduate versus Master's) and the receptive versus productive use of English. They also indicate that in the sciences the use of English is a pragmatic reality for both teachers and students, whereas in the humanities and social sciences, English is typically used as an additional or auxiliary language in parallel with Swedish. (Contains 3 tables and 6 figures.)

Over the last three decades scholars promoting the world Englishes paradigm (WE) have worked towards establishing a more positive attitude towards international varieties of English. However, despite the best intentions of Western linguists working in this field, there is an obvious imbalance between the developed and developing world in many contexts of English language education. Educators and teachers in many Outer Circle and Expanding Circle contexts face difficulties in terms of conditions, facilities, and resources very different from those of Western institutions. Academics in developing societies have parallel difficulties in publishing research, both in journals and in books with international publishers, while local options for publishing are often restricted. This paper suggests a number of ways in which linguists and other scholars might begin to engage with a range of issues related to "developmental world Englishes".

This paper sets out to review current approaches to world Englishes from a range of perspectives, from English studies to sociolinguistics, applied linguistics, lexicography, popularizers and critical linguistics. It then proceeds to consider current debates on English worldwide and world Englishes, noting the recent criticisms of the world Englishes approach from a rhetoric of a critical linguistics ironically at odds with the realities of many educational settings.

Presents a research bibliography on English in China. Most of the citations refer to works in English, but where possible, references have been made to relevant Chinese language sources. (Author/VWL)

Argues that one approach to the notion of "Chinese Englishes" may involve the critical reexamination of a rich history of cultural and linguistic contact and language learning and teaching that runs from the early seventeenth century to the present. (Author/VWL)

Surveys the sociolinguistic background to the recognition of Hong Kong English and considers the arguments in favor of a paradigm shift in approaches to these issues. Reviews the history of English in Hong Kong and language planning and language policies in the late colonial period. Makes the case for recognition of Hong Kong English with reference to the creativity of the variety. (Author/VWL)

Presents a detailed account of many of the issues relating to Chinese "secret societies" and the use of triad language. The article emphasizes the pressing need to update and extend intelligent research in this area, particularly with regard to current practices of triad societies and their relationship to organized crime, in Hong Kong and overseas. (39 references) (CK)