A systematic review of effective pedagogy in English as medium of instruction in primary education
Keywords: pedagogy
content learning
systematic review
emi
l2
classroom
primary education

This systematic review aims to elucidate the scope and characteristics of existing studies on effective pedagogy in primary education within English Medium Instruction (EMI) settings, thereby highlighting the critical trends and gaps in this field. Through rigorous screening, seventeen studies were identified. These studies covered geographic regions, school contexts, L2 proficiency, participants, pedagogical approaches, content learning subjects, design types, data collection instruments, and EMI studies' research quality.
One significant finding is the variation of terminology used to describe EMI programs. The most popular term was CLIL (Content and Language Integrated Learning), followed by immersion and content-based instruction. The imbalance of geographical distribution worldwide was noted - Europe was the most popular region. This correlates with CLIL being the popular term as the programme was initially discovered in this region (Coyle, Hood, & Marsh, 2010). Furthermore, the studies employed research designs that included a similar number of quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods to facilitate a comprehensive analysis. Heavy reliance on tests as an instrument tool for measuring content learning outcomes was noted in many quantitative and mixed-method studies. Hence, it limited insights into pedagogical practises in the EMI classroom.
Additionally, students aged 11 to 12 were the age group most favoured by the researchers, which raises questions about the applicability of the findings to younger age groups. Moreover, subjects like science, which do not solely rely on language skills, were predominantly used in EMI research. Interestingly, nearly half of the studies did not report the L2 proficiency of participating students, and only three studies shared teachers' L2 proficiency. This suggests there is room for more research exploring the correlation between language proficiency and successful EMI content learning in primary classrooms.
The review also identified various pedagogical approaches (such as constructivist, sociocultural, and dialogic teaching) practised in different EMI contexts to facilitate positive content learning experiences for participants. Nevertheless, no study directly examined the role of a student's first language (L1) in classrooms with EMI. An increasing number of studies in code-switching and translanguaging represent the positive impact of L1 use in the EMI context to facilitate content learning. Despite the positive implications of EMI in content learning, limitations, such as small sample sizes, short intervention durations, and varying and often insufficient English proficiency, caution the efficacy of the results, as these affect the generalisability of findings to broader EMI contexts.
This review underscores the need for a universal 'EMI' umbrella term to develop research and pedagogical practices cumulatively under a consistent framework. There is a clear need to explore EMI in underrepresented regions and various educational settings, such as private, vocational, and international schools. Investigating the long-term outcomes of EMI on both content mastery and language proficiency of L1 and second language (L2) would also provide valuable insights. Furthermore, the practical application of different pedagogical approaches in diverse EMI classrooms can significantly contribute to the field.