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ERIC Number: EJ1450454
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2024-Dec
Pages: 24
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1056-7941
EISSN: EISSN-1949-3533
Available Date: N/A
Understanding English Medium Instruction (EMI) Policy from the Perspectives of STEM Content Teachers in Kazakhstan
TESOL Journal, v15 n4 e847 2024
In this study, the authors address the case of STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) content teachers in an English medium instruction (EMI) environment in Kazakhstan to argue that the professional needs and identities of these teachers are considerably different than the specialist English teachers who teach English language skills and grammar. Therefore, STEM teachers require a different language policy response and diagnosis, and should be understood through a different analytical lens. The study draws on qualitative interviews with one EMI expert and 58 STEM content teachers from six cities or regions of Kazakhstan to present an account of the challenges they confront within mainstream schools. Findings suggest that policies force STEM content teachers to take the role of English teachers, although they are not prepared for that role. These teachers emphasize that their main responsibility is to teach course content, not the English language. As a result, they undergo several dilemmas such as professional [dis]investment and identity crisis, linguistic disadvantages, inferiority complexes, and pedagogical and theoretical limitations. Top-down policies render local teachers and practitioners voiceless and disconnected from policymaking. The authors propose a non-traditional, participatory, and non-hierarchical policy framework, where policy actors at different levels collaboratively engage to assess teachers' diverse needs and take contextually informed actions to address the afore-stated dilemmas and challenges.
Wiley. Available from: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030. Tel: 800-835-6770; e-mail: cs-journals@wiley.com; Web site: https://www.wiley.com/en-us
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Kazakhstan
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A