Exploring the effects of English as a medium of instruction in higher education : the impact on lecturers' habitus

Using the sociological lens of the Bourdieusian thinking tools of habitus, field and capital, the aim of this thesis is to identify and view the personal and professional issues lecturers with English as an additional language encounter when moving into an English Medium of Instruction (EMI) context. With much research focussing on the language level needed to engage in EMI or on the comparability of the achievement of learning outcomes of EMI and non-EMI courses, there has been little attention given to the sociological effect of a change of language of instruction on lecturers, specifically in relation to their dispositions, or habitus, as educational professionals. To establish the effect of a change to EMI on lecturers' habitus, I initially look at the relationship between lecturers and their sense of habitus and then investigate how the use of EMI affects that habitus. Adopting Bourdieu's 'constructivist structuralism' and using interviews with lecturers across five first language groups, I show how language is only one element that needs to be considered alongside resourcing, pedagogical training, professional expectations, and a lecturer's general working conditions. I also suggest potential issues of symbolic violence that arise when English is accepted as a legitimate language in HE, as well as areas where issues could be turned into professional and pedagogical opportunity. The significance of this study is that it informs our understanding of the sociological difficulties of adopting a new medium of instruction, beyond problems relating to language level. This thesis also raises concerns about the unquestioned growth of EMI and, where it is implemented, suggests possible changes to micro-level policy that may enable EMI strategy to be implemented in a way that supports lecturers and reduces discord between habitus and altered forms of capital.