Students’ Perceptions Of English Language Versus Turkish Language Used As The Medium Of Instruction In Higher Education In Turkey

The quality and effectiveness of English-as-a-foreign-language instruction versus native language instruction in higher education worldwide is an issue of concern for language policy and planning (LPP) scholars. This study investigates the perceptions of two comparable groups of final-year engineering students at a Turkish institution of higher education: one has received Turkish medium of instruction (TMI), and the other English medium of instruction (EMI). Final-year students responded to a questionnaire, which aimed to elicit their perceptions of benefits and any perceived challenges to learning disciplinary knowledge, what disciplinary knowledge meant to them, the impact of the language used as the medium of instruction on their learning, and their preference for the language used as the medium of instruction. Focus-group interviews were held with those students who volunteered to participate. An additional source of data was obtained from examination papers, and grades received in the two comparable courses. While several commonalities between the two groups were identified, EMI students’ detailed acquisition of disciplinary knowledge was found to be largely ineffective, while TMI students were largely successful. Implications of the findings for further LPP in-practice for teaching in institutions of higher education are discussed.

Keywords

acquisition of disciplinary knowledge, English as medium of instruction (EMI), Turkish as medium of