Unpacking the English Medium Instruction (EMI) boom: exploring student enrolment and driving forces in China and Japan

In recent years, the internationalisation of higher education in non-Anglophone contexts has become intertwined with the Englishisation of higher education. English Medium Instruction (EMI) has experienced a dramatic boom, with China and Japan at the forefront of this change. There is widespread speculation about the growth in EMI and the reasons why students enrol in such programmes, yet research is lacking with key stakeholders. Using questionnaires with students (n = 702) and staff (n = 28), interviews with students (n = 29) and staff (n = 28), and 10 focus groups (students and staff), we respond to the need for research examining stakeholders’ perceptions on the key driving forces behind and students’ motivations for enrolling in, EMI programmes. Our ‘bottom-up’ exploration of the ideological underpinnings of EMI growth not only reveals a multitude of explanatory factors but also illuminates discrepancies between the perceptions of students and instructors. These findings aim to inform EMI policy implementation and programme development and delivery as well as student recruitment and retention. The paper also assists EMI developers in understanding both the needs and motivations of students, as well as the concerns of staff.