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Article In: Journal of Immersion and Content-Based Language Education: Online-First Articles

Students’ perceptions of co-teaching in English-medium instruction

ORCiD logo with link | Comillas Pontifical UniversityMadrid
ORCiD logo with link | Open University of Catalonia (UOC)
ORCiD logo with link | Comillas Pontifical UniversityMadrid
ORCiD logo with link | Comillas Pontifical UniversityMadrid
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Abstract
The internationalisation of higher education has led to the widespread adoption of English-medium instruction (EMI) programs worldwide, sparking discussions on various issues such as benefits and challenges, quality assurance, teacher training, or the respective learning outcomes for language and content. This study explores the role of co-teaching in EMI at a medium-sized, internationalised Spanish university, using a descriptive exploratory approach with student questionnaires. Findings suggest that while co-teaching introduces additional complexities, it can be effective and beneficial in EMI settings. Notably, our results indicate that the EMI context does not present unique challenges or advantages for co-teaching. Student concerns include potential confusion, while benefits include enhanced attention to diversity and more comprehensive feedback. Recommendations for effective co-teaching in EMI include clear explanations of the rationale for language-content co-teaching, student involvement in the design, and prioritising the quality of feedback.
Resumen
La internacionalización de la educación superior ha impulsado la adopción de programas de enseñanza en inglés (EMI) en todo el mundo, lo que ha suscitado debates sobre los beneficios, los retos, la calidad, la formación docente y los resultados de aprendizaje. Este estudio explora el papel de la codocencia en EMI en una universidad española con un enfoque exploratorio-descriptivo, a partir de cuestionarios aplicados al alumnado. Los resultados sugieren que, aunque la codocencia añade complejidad, puede ser eficaz y beneficiosa. El contexto EMI no presenta desafíos ni ventajas exclusivas para la codocencia. Las preocupaciones de los estudiantes incluyen la confusión potencial, mientras que los beneficios incluyen una mayor atención a la diversidad y una retroalimentación más completa. Las recomendaciones para una enseñanza conjunta eficaz en EMI incluyen explicaciones claras de los fundamentos de la enseñanza conjunta de lengua y contenido, la participación de los estudiantes en el diseño y la priorización de la calidad de la retroalimentación.
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
    • 1.1Internationalisation of higher education
    • 1.2Co-teaching in EMI classrooms
  • 2.Conceptual framework
  • 3.The study
    • 3.1Aims and research questions
    • 3.2Context
    • 3.3Methods
  • 4.Findings
    • 4.1How do students perceive their learning experience and outcomes in co-taught EMI settings (General RQ)?
    • 4.2In co-taught EMI contexts, do students perceive increased attention to diversity (RQ1)?
    • 4.3To what extent do students consider co-teaching contributes to formative assessment/feedback (RQ2) and to summative assessment, particularly in terms of grades (RQ3)?
  • 5.Discussion and conclusions
  • Acknowledgements
  • Author contributions statement
  • Ethics approvals
  • Note
  • References
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