title: Incorporating culture into English as a medium of instruction (EMI) teaching:  An exploration of EMI teachers in Chinese higher education

authors: Zhou, Xi

abstract: The increasing internationalisation of higher education in China has led to the widespread adoption of English as a Medium of Instruction (EMI) across various disciplines. However, the integration of cultural elements into EMI teaching remains underexplored, particularly in the Chinese context. This study investigates the perceptions and practices of EMI instructors in Chinese higher education regarding the incorporation of culture into their teaching. The research aims to address the following questions: (1) In EMI programmes in Chinese higher education, what are the EMI instructors’ understandings of culture? (2) What do they think of the roles of culture in EMI? and (3) To what extent and in what ways are their understandings reflected in their teaching practices?

The study uses a qualitative research design, involving online questionnaires completed by 56 EMI instructors from various disciplines, and in-depth data collection (semi-structured interviews, classroom observations, and stimulated recall interviews) conducted with a subset of 10 instructors. Findings show that teachers view culture as being multifaceted, comprising material (language, artefacts) and nonmaterial (social norms, values, high culture) aspects. They also support different integration strategies: some favour embedding culture through interactive tasks like role-plays and cultural debates in a bid to foster intercultural communicative competence, while others endorse content-based integration on the basis of a lack of time and curriculum pressure. Their practice also mirrors such perceptions to some extent, as competency-oriented instructors actively engage with cultural narratives and guest speakers; however, time pressure demands superficiality, and instructors skirt culture with indirect exposure through textbooks.

The study also suggests some of the difficulties that teachers of EMI face, such as coping with various cultural expectations, linguistic differences, and the necessity of providing a broad curriculum content while incorporating culture in their teaching. Despite these difficulties, teachers apply a number of strategies to incorporate cultural elements, such as role-plays, discussions of cultural festivals, and invitations to cultural experts to provide information. Such activities are aimed at developing intercultural communicative competence and providing students with proper preparation for international interactions.

The findings contribute to the growing body of literature on EMI and cultural integration with practical recommendations for improving EMI practice in China and beyond. The study emphasises the critical need for a variety of professional development activities—beyond usual workshops—to give EMI instructors the capacity to incorporate elements of culture organically into instruction. This research effectively makes the case for an EMI model of change on the basis that by overcoming barriers in the shape of poor training, curricular constraints, and lack of university support, EMI programmes can actually equip students for competitiveness in the new globalising world—not just linguistic competence but also intercultural communicative competence.

text: Incorporating culture into English as a medium of instruction (EMI) teaching:  An exploration of EMI teachers in Chinese higher education The increasing internationalisation of higher education in China has led to the widespread adoption of English as a Medium of Instruction (EMI) across various disciplines. However, the integration of cultural elements into EMI teaching remains underexplored, particularly in the Chinese context. This study investigates the perceptions and practices of EMI instructors in Chinese higher education regarding the incorporation of culture into their teaching. The research aims to address the following questions: (1) In EMI programmes in Chinese higher education, what are the EMI instructors’ understandings of culture? (2) What do they think of the roles of culture in EMI? and (3) To what extent and in what ways are their understandings reflected in their teaching practices?

The study uses a qualitative research design, involving online questionnaires completed by 56 EMI instructors from various disciplines, and in-depth data collection (semi-structured interviews, classroom observations, and stimulated recall interviews) conducted with a subset of 10 instructors. Findings show that teachers view culture as being multifaceted, comprising material (language, artefacts) and nonmaterial (social norms, values, high culture) aspects. They also support different integration strategies: some favour embedding culture through interactive tasks like role-plays and cultural debates in a bid to foster intercultural communicative competence, while others endorse content-based integration on the basis of a lack of time and curriculum pressure. Their practice also mirrors such perceptions to some extent, as competency-oriented instructors actively engage with cultural narratives and guest speakers; however, time pressure demands superficiality, and instructors skirt culture with indirect exposure through textbooks.

The study also suggests some of the difficulties that teachers of EMI face, such as coping with various cultural expectations, linguistic differences, and the necessity of providing a broad curriculum content while incorporating culture in their teaching. Despite these difficulties, teachers apply a number of strategies to incorporate cultural elements, such as role-plays, discussions of cultural festivals, and invitations to cultural experts to provide information. Such activities are aimed at developing intercultural communicative competence and providing students with proper preparation for international interactions.

The findings contribute to the growing body of literature on EMI and cultural integration with practical recommendations for improving EMI practice in China and beyond. The study emphasises the critical need for a variety of professional development activities—beyond usual workshops—to give EMI instructors the capacity to incorporate elements of culture organically into instruction. This research effectively makes the case for an EMI model of change on the basis that by overcoming barriers in the shape of poor training, curricular constraints, and lack of university support, EMI programmes can actually equip students for competitiveness in the new globalising world—not just linguistic competence but also intercultural communicative competence.

year: 2025

title: Coverpage and Contents

authors: Waikato Geological Society

abstract: Coverpage and Contents from Volume 3, Number 1, 1969 of Earth Science Journal.

text: Coverpage and Contents Coverpage and Contents from Volume 3, Number 1, 1969 of Earth Science Journal.

year: 1969

title: Examining Culturally Responsive Leadership: An investigation into how one school leader, in a primary school setting, provides culturally responsive leadership that ensures Maori students achieve

authors: Ford, Therese

subjects: Culture

abstract: Addressing the achievement disparities that exist within New Zealand education between Maori and non-Maori is a major government priority and is identified by the Ministry of Education as being a critical challenge for school leadership (Ministry of Education, 2008a). Therefore, an important question for school leaders to contemplate is: How do we raise Maori student achievement and eliminate the ‘gap’, or more specifically, what are the teaching and leadership practices that will make a difference? The research project presented in this thesis examines how one school leader, in a mainstream primary school setting, provides culturally responsive leadership practice that ensures Maori students achieve. This case study was conducted within a kaupapa Maori theoretical framework and used a mixed methods approach that incorporated the triangulation of quantitative and qualitative data. Quantitative data included student achievement data in reading, while qualitative data collection and analysis included school documents, participant observations of the principal, a series of semi-structured interviews and a stimulated recall interview with the principal and focus group interviews with the school leadership team and a group of teachers. The literature reviewed highlighted the centrality of culture in education, the implications for relationships and interactions between teachers and students that are born out of cultural deficit theorising and the potential culturally responsive teaching practices hold for students from minority groups. It also identified a series of effective leadership practices that enable school leaders to influence classroom teaching and have a subsequent impact on student outcomes. The case study school reflects a mainstream primary school context where the majority of Maori students are achieving at or above national expectations in reading. The findings indicate that the principal is implementing many of the practices that characterise effective leadership in successful schools. The principal’s leadership practice is guided by her understandings of culturally responsive leadership, which emphasises the importance of developing quality relationships and quality teaching and learning. Consequently, she has focused her leadership practice on three interrelated strategies that reflect this theorising. The strategies include: prioritising the development of relationships with and between school stakeholders, establishing systems and structures to support the development of relationships and creating a school culture of learning where teachers reject deficit theorising, accept ownership for the performance of students, implement culturally responsive teaching practices and are critically reflective about their practice. This study suggests that further research examining culturally responsive leadership in mainstream education is needed to provide a more comprehensive profile of a culturally responsive leader in the New Zealand context. However, this report does provide an interesting point for reflection and discussion amongst school leaders who want to raise Maori student achievement and reduce disparities.

text: Examining Culturally Responsive Leadership: An investigation into how one school leader, in a primary school setting, provides culturally responsive leadership that ensures Maori students achieve Addressing the achievement disparities that exist within New Zealand education between Maori and non-Maori is a major government priority and is identified by the Ministry of Education as being a critical challenge for school leadership (Ministry of Education, 2008a). Therefore, an important question for school leaders to contemplate is: How do we raise Maori student achievement and eliminate the ‘gap’, or more specifically, what are the teaching and leadership practices that will make a difference? The research project presented in this thesis examines how one school leader, in a mainstream primary school setting, provides culturally responsive leadership practice that ensures Maori students achieve. This case study was conducted within a kaupapa Maori theoretical framework and used a mixed methods approach that incorporated the triangulation of quantitative and qualitative data. Quantitative data included student achievement data in reading, while qualitative data collection and analysis included school documents, participant observations of the principal, a series of semi-structured interviews and a stimulated recall interview with the principal and focus group interviews with the school leadership team and a group of teachers. The literature reviewed highlighted the centrality of culture in education, the implications for relationships and interactions between teachers and students that are born out of cultural deficit theorising and the potential culturally responsive teaching practices hold for students from minority groups. It also identified a series of effective leadership practices that enable school leaders to influence classroom teaching and have a subsequent impact on student outcomes. The case study school reflects a mainstream primary school context where the majority of Maori students are achieving at or above national expectations in reading. The findings indicate that the principal is implementing many of the practices that characterise effective leadership in successful schools. The principal’s leadership practice is guided by her understandings of culturally responsive leadership, which emphasises the importance of developing quality relationships and quality teaching and learning. Consequently, she has focused her leadership practice on three interrelated strategies that reflect this theorising. The strategies include: prioritising the development of relationships with and between school stakeholders, establishing systems and structures to support the development of relationships and creating a school culture of learning where teachers reject deficit theorising, accept ownership for the performance of students, implement culturally responsive teaching practices and are critically reflective about their practice. This study suggests that further research examining culturally responsive leadership in mainstream education is needed to provide a more comprehensive profile of a culturally responsive leader in the New Zealand context. However, this report does provide an interesting point for reflection and discussion amongst school leaders who want to raise Maori student achievement and reduce disparities.

year: 2010