International Politics in EMI: A Two-Stage L1–L2 Approach in Japan

This article evaluates a two-stage instructional model in which International Politics was taught first in Japanese and later in English to the same cohort of students. While the benefits of first language (L1) use have been discussed in prior English-medium instruction (EMI) research, little research has empirically examined the L1 effect in political science courses taught in a second language (L2), especially in active-learning classrooms in Japan. Drawing upon survey data from a small group of students, the paper empirically examines whether learning the same content in Japanese helps learners navigate the subsequent English-medium version of the course. The analysis not only shows the positive relationship between students’ comprehension in L1 and L2 but also demonstrates a prominent role played by L1-based content preparation, even after accounting for key factors discussed in previous literature, such as students’ stress and their English proficiency. In other words, the results indicate that although students may feel more pressure during demanding activities, their understanding of course content appears to be more closely related to prior content knowledge than to emotional responses or language proficiency in this sample.