English Medium Instruction in Japanese Higher Education: Issues and Expectations for the "Dejima" Model of English-Taught Degree Programs

• In Event: Spotlight on International Students: Perspectives from East Asia

Proposal

- Background and Problem -
In recent years, the internationalization of higher education has become a common practice around the world (Marinori & deWit, 2019). Since the provision of programs and courses in English has become one of the priorities as part of the strategy, especially in non-English speaking countries (Dearden, 2014), it is not surprising that English Medium Instruction (EMI) has expanded rapidly in Japan in recent years (Aizawa & Rose, 2019; Galloway & Ruegg, 2022). The EMI courses have played a particularly important role in the internationalization of Japanese higher education institutions (HEIs) because one of the indicators set by the government to measure achievement is not only the actual "number of EMI courses" but also the "number of foreign students and faculty", making the provision of EMI courses essential for attracting them (Morizumi, 2015; Shimauchi, 2018).

With such motivations, the introduction of EMI in Japanese HEIs has been a top-down initiative rather than reflecting the needs of classroom practice (Horiuchi, 2021; Sugimoto, 2020). As a result, more than 40% of universities in Japan currently offer some kind of EMI courses; however, the number of universities offering English-taught degree programs (ETPs), in which students can earn a degree solely by taking courses in English, is still only 6.1% of the total (MEXT, 2021). Within this small proportion, three types of ETP models have been identified in Japan; 1) Global Citizen model, where the majority of students are Japanese and EMI is functioned as English language training to become a Global citizen ; 2) Crossroad model, in which Japanese and international students are mixed in one class, and aims to foster international mindset of Japanese students and also to admit excellent international students; and 3) “Dejima” model, in which most of the students are international, so there is a very little interaction with local Japanese students even though they are studying in Japan, and currently 80% of the ETPs in Japan operate under this “Dejima” model (Horiuchi, 2021; Shimauchi, 2016). Nevertheless, it is not clear how EMI courses in “Dejima” model ETP are conducted, as there are no public data available, because students in ETP are often bundled and reported as “international students” who could be in the regular program. Therefore, the research field of EMI courses in Japanese ETP, especially in the “Dejima” model, needs to be investigated through more case studies (Horiuchi, 2021). This study will contribute to this research gap with some empirical evidence.

- Theoretical Framework -
Constructivism explains the way of knowing as “learners actively construct knowledge and make meaning based on the experience, individually or society” (Narayan et al., 2013) (p.169). The theory asserts that the knowledge in the instructor’s mind cannot be directly transferred to the students, so the instructor’s role is more of a facilitator or recourse advisors. For that, it claims the importance of contextual learning method, i.e., inquiry or experiential learning (Narayan et al., 2013). The student-Centred learning method is based on the constructivism thinking, which claims that students learn better through the process of self-discovery (Tareilo, 2013). Through the participation in the learning process, knowledge is constructed better compared to transmission (Narayan et al., 2013)

EMI is a special teaching and learning contex t because a part of participants in the class often lack proficiency in the language of instruction. In such a case, pedagogical approach relying on the language may not achieve the desirable outcome. If this is the case, rather, communicative skills to develop their discourse knowledge by interacting with instructors and classmates plays an important role in knowledge construction (Richards & Pun, 2021). The student-cantered approach is proposed widely because it enables students to focus on the self-discovery of the knowledge, instead of relying on the instructor's linguistic competence (Dang et al., 2023). It also allows them to exercise their thinking processes which requires interactional learning activities (Prabjandee & Nilpirom, 2022; Richards & Pun, 2021). Moreover, it creates a better learning environment when instructors understand students’ identity such as cultural and linguistic background (Kayi-Aydar & Steadman, 2021).

In this sense, EMI instructors in Dejima model ETP may need extra effort to make classes more interactive to understand students better because classes are often composed of a Japanese instructor and international students who have little common in terms of linguistic and cultural background, compared to Global Citizen and Crossroad model. As mentioned above, the situation of ETFs in Japan has not been clear, so it is meaningful to look at the specific issues concerning the EMI classes within the Dejima model ETP. The purpose of this study is to investigate the experiences of the international students who participated in the “Dejima” model ETF at a national university in Japan, to find perceived issues and expectations of the EMI courses and instructors.

- Methodology and Findings -
The data was collected from open-ended questionaries' between the academic year of 2022-2023. The responses from 25 graduate students are analyzed as a small-scale base study. The study found that both English proficiency and pedagogical mismatch are identified by the students in Dejima model ETP. Specifically, the strong Japanese accents as well as the clarity of content explanation in English were problematic for the international students. In terms of pedagogical issues, non-interactive lecturers are identified as a major problem. Meanwhile, the study found that communication skills, especially interacting and engaging with students, is identified as an important competency for EMI instructors. In addition, clear delivery of messages, either course content or class instructions, is an important characteristic. Students also value instructors' expertise in academic content. Despite the fact that students perceived the instructor's English proficiency, including accent, as a problem, there are much more important competencies that they expect from EMI instructors, such as the ability to communicate with students. The study concludes that instructors in the "Dejima" model ETP should pay more attention to their own interactive skills so that it can lead to more student-cantered lesson, rather than paying attention to the English proficiency.

Authors

• Yukiko Yamamoto, University of Tsukuba

• Murod Ismailov, University of Tsukuba