Search

This study investigated multilingual students' linguistic challenges at English-medium instruction (EMI) universities in Kazakhstan. Using language policy and planning as a theoretical lens, this study looked at EMI policy in general, particularly the academic English challenges of students due to a haphazard implementation of the EMI policy in Kazakhstani universities. The data were collected through an online survey and semi-structured interviews held with students and instructors at eight purposefully selected EMI universities in Kazakhstan. The data analysis revealed that over 70% of students had no prior exposure to EMI, 66.9% were dissatisfied with their English proficiency, 65.3% were dissatisfied with their literacy skills, and 72.6% did not enjoy reading and writing in English. Therefore, their transition to the EMI environment was chaotic and stressful. The EMI policy and practice seem to have failed because the macro-level policy from the top is not in sync with the resources and preparation at the micro-level (teachers and students). The ambitious goals of internationalization, global competitiveness, and human capital development through EMI cannot be achieved without careful planning, systematic implementation, and appropriate support mechanisms for students and instructors.

Since its independence in 1991, Kazakhstan has initiated major reforms to upgrade its education system. However, significant disparities exist in the quality of educational provision in rural and urban schools. This study presents the stakeholders' -- school leaders, teachers, students, parents, and education managers -- vision, priorities, and aspirations of quality of education, as well as the opportunities, resources, and support available to them, and the disparities and challenges they face in achieving the quality of education they aspire for.

This study investigated multilingual students' linguistic challenges at English-medium instruction (EMI) universities in Kazakhstan. Using language policy and planning as a theoretical lens, this study looked at EMI policy in general, particularly the academic English challenges of students due to a haphazard implementation of the EMI policy in Kazakhstani universities. The data were collected through an online survey and semi-structured interviews held with students and instructors at eight purposefully selected EMI universities in Kazakhstan. The data analysis revealed that over 70% of students had no prior exposure to EMI, 66.9% were dissatisfied with their English proficiency, 65.3% were dissatisfied with their literacy skills, and 72.6% did not enjoy reading and writing in English. Therefore, their transition to the EMI environment was chaotic and stressful. The EMI policy and practice seem to have failed because the macro-level policy from the top is not in sync with the resources and preparation at the micro-level (teachers and students). The ambitious goals of internationalization, global competitiveness, and human capital development through EMI cannot be achieved without careful planning, systematic implementation, and appropriate support mechanisms for students and instructors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Following the government's trilingual education reforms in Kazakhstan, STEM subjects such as sciences, mathematics, and computer science were to be taught through English Medium Instruction (EMI) in mainstream schools. Policy observers thought that it was bound to challenge concerned teachers because they were not yet sufficiently prepared to teach these subjects through EMI. The present study seeks to examine the EMI policy and explore how STEM teachers in different parts of Kazakhstan understand the processes of policy-making and implementation. The study employs the public sphere paradigm as a conceptual frame, which emphasizes that language policy and planning (LPP) should be studied from the complex practices of the local stakeholders/communities. The study draws on qualitative interviews with 58 STEM teachers from six regions of Kazakhstan. Data show that the policy was made rather abruptly without any systematic piloting, or a careful analysis of teachers' English language needs, and their pedagogical concerns. However, notwithstanding the lack of appropriate support, teachers still demonstrate some signs of self-reliance and responsive agency, where they creatively negotiate/appropriate the policy. We conclude that a well-meaning policy may face an implementational crisis when the onus falls only on teachers, without supplying them with the necessary support they need. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the increasing growth of English as a medium of instruction (EMI) programs around the globe, there is a need for systematic research situated within the multilingual nature of EMI settings. Drawing upon the theory of Pavlenko and Blackledge's (2004) identities in multilingual contexts, this study investigated the construction of students' identities in EMI universities in Kazakhstan. The data analysis revealed how multilingual students' identity can be affected by language ideologies and power relations of the wider sociolinguistic and socio-political context in Kazakhstan. The empirical evidence indicated that identity may consist of multiple domains, which can be reshaped depending on the contextual features. Multilingual students in EMI programs can construct a variety of identities due to the existing macro discourses shaping language ideologies in Kazakhstan and resist the imposed identities by exerting their agency. The findings of this research contribute geographically and theoretically to the existing EMI scholarship with nuanced insights on the sociolinguistic role of multilingualism in students' identity, which can be used to inform EMI policies and practices based on a bottom-up approach. • Multilingual students' identities can be affected by language ideologies and power relations. • Multilingual students can construct a variety of identities due to the existing macro discourses shaping language ideologies. • Over-emphasis on English-medium instruction (EMI) in non-native English-speaking countries can pose a threat to students' identity. • University leadership, faculty, and policymakers may take a proactive step towards promoting students' agency to resist hegemonic and imposed identities. • A context-oriented analysis of multilingual students' experiences of studying in EMI programs is critically important. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]