Investigating academic achievement of English medium instruction courses in Turkey

• Published in: Studies in second language learning and teaching Vol. 12; no. 1; pp. 117 - 141
• Main Authors: Altay, Mehmet, Curle, Samantha, Yuksel, Dogan, Soruç, Adem
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Kalisz Wojskowe Biuro Historyczne im. gen. broni Kazimierza Sosnkowskiego 01.03.2022; Military Historical Bureau of Lieutenant-General Kazimierz Sosnkowski; Adam Mickiewicz University; Adam Mickiewicz University Faculty of Pedagogy and Fine Arts; Adam Mickiewicz University Department of English Studies; Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań
• Subjects: Academic Achievement; academic success; African Languages; Analysis; College Students; Education, Higher; English (Second Language); English for academic purposes; english medium instruction; English proficiency; Foreign Countries; general english proficiency; Grade Point Average; Higher education; Intellectual Disciplines; Investigations; Language and Literature Studies; Language of Instruction; Language Proficiency; Learning outcomes; Learning strategies; Predictor Variables; Public Colleges; Quantitative analysis; Sciences education; Social aspects; Social sciences; Study and teaching; Teaching; Turkish; turkish medium instruction; United Kingdom; Turkey; higher education; general English proficiency; academic success; Turkish medium instruction; English medium instruction
• ISSN: 2083-5205; 2084-1965
• DOI: 10.14746/ssllt.2022.12.1.6

This article reports a quantitative study that investigated academic achievement in English medium instruction (EMI) courses at a public university in Turkey. Student test score data on EMI and Turkish medium instruction (TMI) courses as well as general English proficiency scores were collected in two academic divisions: the mathematical, physical, and life sciences (MPLS, N = 357); and the social sciences (N = 359). Analysis conducted at the macro (academic division), meso (academic department), and micro levels (academic program) showed subtle differences at each level. Overall, results were consistent: English language proficiency was a strong predictor of academic achievement of social science participants, whereas success in TMI courses predicted EMI success of MPLS participants. These results reinforce the notion that more language support should be given to social science students, whereas learning some content through TMI should be prioritized for MPLS students. Implications for language professionals and EMI practitioners are discussed, and suggestions are made for further research.