Students’ perception of English medium of instruction (EMI) in Indonesia: A case study in a Business Communication course in a private higher education institution (HEI)

Abstract

Recently, there has been wide interest in English medium of instruction (EMI) studies. The complexities of EMI at the tertiary level in Indonesia provide an opportunity for EMI exploration in higher education institutions since most studies on EMI in Indonesia are conducted in primary and secondary schools. Therefore, the present study attempts to address the issue of EMI in a private higher education institution in the Indonesian context from students’ perspectives in terms of English for learning, English for career, English for internationalisation, preservation of tradition, local and global identities, university life satisfaction, and intention to migration. This study, which was based on an online survey, adopted a qualitative approach with a total of 40 undergraduate students of the department of business management in a private higher education institution in Indonesia participating in this study. Following the data collection, the collected data were quantitatively analysed through descriptive statistics using SPSS 23 for Windows. The results indicate that the participants under investigation positively respond to EMI program in their institution. They perceive the importance of English for their learning and career at a global scale. They do not view English as a ‘threat’ to the Indonesian language and culture’s vitality. For more established living/employment, they are even thinking of going abroad to another country. Overall, they perceive the implementation of EMI policy in their institution as satisfying. The study’s implications, limitations, and recommendations for future research are also discussed.