The interplay of motivated behaviour, self-concept, self-efficacy, and language use on ease of academic study in English medium education

Journal article

This paper reports on a mixed-methods study investigating the factors that predict the severity of language challenges in EMI contexts. Data were collected through questionnaires, interviews, and focus groups at a private university in Istanbul. Questionnaire data were collected from EMI students (n = 544) across a variety of disciplines, and interviews (n = 11) and focus groups (n = 6) were conducted with teachers with students, respectively, from a social sciences faculty of the university. Quantitative data were analyzed using multiple regression analysis, and a significant relationship was found between students' motivation, perceived competence, self-efficacy, the amount of L2 used in the classroom and students' challenges. Among these four factors, self-efficacy and motivation had the greatest predictive power in determining students' challenges in EMI courses. The analysis of qualitative data revealed complexities related to students' language learning and academic self-efficacy, as well as their motivation on EMI courses, and the findings highlight the importance of building students’ self-beliefs in EMI. Implications are discussed with respect to EMI pedagogy, language support, and future directions for research.

Authors: Sahan, K; Kamaşak, R; Rose, H

• Publication status: Published
• Peer review status: Peer reviewed
• Publisher: Elsevier BV
• Journal: System
• Volume: 114
• Article number: 103016
• Publication date: 2023-02-27
• Acceptance date: 2023-02-21
• DOI: 10.1016/j.system.2023.103016
• ISSN: 0346-251X
• Language: English
• Keywords: language use; motivation; English medium instruction (EMI); self-concept; FFR; self-efficacy