Prepping Students for EMI: Effects on Performance and Affect

Abstract

English medium instruction (EMI) has gained exponential increases in attention in higher education. However, as students reportedly encounter language-related challenges in an EMI setting, EMI preparatory programs have thus been offered to assist them in tackling such challenges. This research explored the effects of a custom-developed EMI preparatory program on learning performance and selected affective factors, i.e., motivation, grit, and second language (L2) willingness to communicate (WTC), and the interrelationships among these factors. The intensive online program advanced students’ academic English skills and subject content knowledge via administering synchronous and asynchronous courses. A total of 211 Taiwanese college freshmen first completed the pretest assessing their learning performance and preprogram levels of the three affective factors, then attended the 20-hour program, and took the posttest that similarly evaluated their learning performance and affective responses. The paired t tests and path analysis brought to light three major findings. First, students’ learning performance increased significantly after the program. Second, their L2 WTC improved significantly, whereas their grit and motivation changed in a negligible manner. Third, a direct effect of grit on L2 WTC and motivation, and of motivation on L2 WTC was observed; further, their learning performance changed as a function of the three affective factors. Implications are discussed based on these findings.