Job Prospects of Different EMI Engineering Programmes’ Graduates

Yıl 2021, Cilt: 8 Sayı: 2, 460 - 475, 01.04.2021

Mehmet Altay Doğan Yüksel

https://doi.org/10.17275/per.21.49.8.2

Cited By: 3

Öz

English medium instruction (EMI) in university-level engineering programmes is becoming the norm globally as well as in Turkey due to the internationalisation and job opportunities in this field. However, research about the job prospects among the engineering graduates who studied in EMI programmes are quite limited compared to the presence and dominance of EMI implementation in these programmes. To address this gap, this study with a causal-comparative research design focused on the predictive power of studying in different EMI engineering subjects in terms of graduates’ job prospects. 139 engineering graduates took part in this study representing three academic subjects and two different EMI models (i.e., full vs. partial). All participants filled out an online survey that inquired into their job prospects. Proportional Odds Logistic Regression (POLR) analysis was used to determine the differences among academic subjects and EMI models. Findings of our study revealed that different EMI academic subjects in the field of engineering had different prospects in the job market. Moreover, differences in the same academic subject that employed a different EMI model were also observed. This study builds up on the limited scientific knowledge about the contribution of our higher education institutions to the career prospects of their graduates.

Anahtar Kelimeler

English medium instruction (EMI), engineering, higher education, job prospects, EMI models

Kaynakça

• Altay, M. (2020). The implications of EMI education for graduates’ employment conditions. Kocaeli Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi.
• Altay, M., & Ercin, N. (2020). Uncovering the reflections of English medium instruction in engineering graduates’ career. Sakarya University Journal of Education.
• Altay, M., Soruc, A., Yuksel, D., Curle, S. (under review). Investigating academic achievement of English Medium Instruction courses in Turkey: The influence of English proficiency, first language medium, academic subject. The Language Learning Journal.
• Björkman, B. (2008). ‘So where we are?’ Spoken lingua franca English at a technical university in Sweden. English Today, 24(2)., 35-41.
• Cohen, J. (1988). Statistical power analysis for the behavioral sciences (2nd ed.). Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Earlbaum Associates.
• Curle, S., Yuksel, D., Soruc, A., & Altay, M. (2020). Predictors of English medium instruction academic success: English proficiency versus first language medium. System., 95. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2020.102378
• Dafouz, E., (2018) English-medium instruction and teacher education programmes in higher education: ideological forces and imagined identities at work. International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism, 21(5). 540 552. Doiz, A., Lasagabaster, D., & Sierra, J. M. (2012). English-medium instruction at universities: Global challenges. https://doi.org/10.1093/elt/cct045
• Dörnyei, Z. (2007). Research methods in applied linguistics. New York: Oxford University Press.
• Fang, F. (2018). Review of English as a medium of instruction in Chinese universities today: Current trends and future directions: New language policies to promote multilingualism and language support for EMI will be needed in Chinese tertiary contexts. English Today, 34(1), 32-37. doi:10.1017/S0266078417000360
• Galloway, N. (2017). How effective is English as a medium of instruction (EMI)? Retrieved April 20, 2020 from British Council: https://www.britishcouncil.org/voices-magazine- how-effective-english-medium-instruction-emi.
• Galloway, N., J. Kriukow, and T. Numajiri. 2017. Internationalisation, Higher Education and the Growing Demand for English: an Investigation into the English Medium of Instruction (EMI) Movement in China and Japan. London: British Council.
• Graddol, D. (2006). English next. Oxford: British Council.
• Gil, J. (2010). The double danger of English as a global language. English Today, 26(1). 51- 56.
• Hu, G., Li, L., & Lei, J. (2014). English-medium instruction at a Chinese University: Rhetoric and reality. Language Policy. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10993-013-9298-3
• Huang, B. (2011). Economic development and the growing importance of the English language in Guangxi. In A. Feng (Ed.), English Language Education Across Greater China. London: Multilingual Matters Inc.
• Irvine, A., Pecorari, D., Shaw, P., & Malmström, H. (2011). English for Academic Purposes at Swedish universities: Teachers’ objectives and practices. Ibérica, 22. 55-78.
• Kırkgöz, Y. (2005). Motivation and student perception of studying in an English-medium university. Dil ve Dilbilimi Çalışmaları Dergisi, 1(1). 101–123.
• Kırkgöz, Y. (2014). Students’ perceptions of English language versus Turkish language used as the medium of instruction in higher education in Turkey. Turkish Studies, 9(12) 443–459.
• Macaro, E. (2018). English medium instruction. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
• Mok, K.H., Wen, Z., & Dale, R. (2016). Employability and mobility in the valorisation of higher education qualifications: the experiences and reflections of Chinese students and graduates. Journal of Higher Education Policy and Management, 38(3), 264-281.
• Mullisen, R.S. (1999). A mechanical engineering programme categorized into curricular threads. International Journal of Mechanical Engineering Education, 27(3), 230-234.
• O’Dowd, R. (2015). The Training and accreditation of teachers for English- medium instruction: a survey of European universities. Leon: Universidad de León.
• Oz, H. H. (2005). Accreditation processes in Turkish higher education. Higher Education in Europe, 30(3-4). 335-344.
• Nguyen H.T., Walkinshaw I., & Pham H.H. (2017). EMI programs in a Vietnamese university: language, pedagogy and policy issues. In: Fenton-Smith B., Humphreys P., Walkinshaw I. (Eds) English Medium Instruction in Higher Education in Asia-Pacific. Springer, Cham. Peng, C.-Y., J., Lee, K. L., & Ingersoll, G. M. (2002). An introduction to logistic regression analysis and reporting. The Journal of Educational Research, 96, 3-14.
• Sert, N. (2008). The language of instruction dilemma in the Turkish context. System 36, 156– 171.
• Soruç, A., Dinler, A., & Griffiths, C. (2018). Listening comprehension strategies of EMI students in Turkey. In Y. Kırkgöz & K. Dikilitaş (Eds.), Key issues in English for specific purposes in higher education (pp. 265–287). Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-70214-8_15
• Soruç, A., & Griffiths, C. (2018). English as a medium of instruction: students’ strategies. ELT Journal, 72(1), 38-48. https://doi.org/10.1093/elt/ccx017
• Tantekin-Ersolmaz, S. B., Ekinci, E. & Saglamer, G. (2006). Engineering education and practice in Turkey. IEEE Technology and Society Magazine, 25 (2), 26-35.
• Taylor, D. (2007). Employment preferences and salary expectations of students in science and engineering. BioScience, 57(2), 175–185.
• Wächter, B., & Maiworm, F. (2014). English-taught programmes in European higher education: the state of play in 2014. Bonn: Lemmens Medien.
• Yang, J. (2006). Learners and users of English in China. English Today, 22(2). 3-10.
• Zhang, Z. (2017). English-medium instruction policies in China: internationalisation of higher education. Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, 39(6), 542- 555.