Individual differences in English-medium education

Abstract The rise of English as an international language has led to the widespread implementation of English-medium education (EME) programs in higher education institutions around the world. Due to the relationship between EME and access to opportunities, knowledge and valuable capital it is unclear if the practice enables or hinders diversity, inclusion and equity. This study examines the beliefs, motivations and perceptions of 107 Spanish and Chinese EME students with an aim to shed light on the relationship between these variables and multilingual identity and context. The participants completed four questionnaires, and the results show significant effects for context as well as for multilingual identity. Participants who self-identify as multilinguals felt more confident, were more open-minded and enjoyed their EME classes more than those who did not. Regarding context, findings revealed that the Chinese students felt less confident, suffered from higher anxiety and perceive less use for English in both the present and future than the Spanish students. These findings suggest that empowering EME students to feel like multilingual users of English rather than learners of the language could have a positive impact on their EME experiences and long-term outcomes, as well as foster diversity, inclusion and equity in this context.