Investigating academic achievement of English medium instruction courses in Turkey

This article reports a quantitative study that investigated academic achievement in English medium instruction (EMI) courses at a public university in Turkey. Student test score data on EMI and Turkish medium instruction (TMI) courses as well as general English proficiency scores were collected in two academic divisions: the mathematical, physical, and life sciences (MPLS, N = 357); and the social sciences (N = 359). Analysis conducted at the macro (academic division), meso (academic department), and micro levels (academic program) showed subtle differences at each level. Overall, results were consistent: English language proficiency was a strong predictor of academic achievement of social science participants, whereas success in TMI courses predicted EMI success of MPLS participants. These results reinforce the notion that more language support should be given to social science students, whereas learning some content through TMI should be prioritized for MPLS students. Implications for language professionals and EMI practitioners are discussed, and suggestions are made for further research

English medium instruction in emerging contexts: An editorial introduction to the special issue

The burgeoning field of English Medium Instruction (EMI) has witnessed a significant increase in empirical studies yet remains largely insular and under-theorised. This special issue aims to address these gaps by spotlighting EMI in emerging contexts and interrogating its theoretical underpinnings. Comprising 10 empirical studies across diverse geographical and educational settings, this special issue, edited by Heath Rose, Samantha Curle, and Dogan Yuksel, offers a multifaceted examination of EMI's impact on language proficiency, academic achievement, and pedagogical practices. These studies contribute valuable insights into the complexities of implementing EMI. They also reveal a predominant focus on applied linguistics, often to the exclusion of other disciplinary perspectives. This editorial introduction critiques the current state of EMI research, calling for greater interdisciplinary collaboration and theorisation. It concludes with an urgent call for future research that is not only geographically diverse but also critically and theoretically robust. The overarching aim is to broaden the scope of EMI research, particularly in the face of the unrestricted Englishisation of global education systems

Discipline-specific attitudinal differences of EMI students towards translanguaging

This study examines discipline-specific attitudinal differences in translanguaging when studying through English Medium Instruction following a mixed methods research design. The quantitative data for this study came from the Mathematics, Physical and Life Sciences (n = 173) and Social Sciences (n = 172) divisions of a major public university in Turkey. Semi-structured interviews were also conducted (n = 20). After conducting exploratory factor analysis to validate the questionnaire, we ran two independent samples t-tests to investigate the differences in the attitudes of the participants. Results revealed a statistically significant difference in the general attitudes towards translanguaging in the two divisions but not regarding their attitudes towards teachers’ and their own use of translanguaging in class. The qualitative analysis provided partial support for the quantitative analysis. The research suggests important implications by validating the translanguaging questionnaire in the Turkish setting and by highlighting discipline-specific differences observed towards translanguaging practices

The Effects of Growth Mindset and Resilience on Immigrant Students’ PISA Science Achievement: The Mediating Role of Attitudes Toward School

In recent years, self-theories such as growth mindset and resilience have gained interest as they have a sizable influence on achievement and school-related motivation. The aim of this study is to investigate the relationship between immigrant students’ growth mindset, resilience, and science achievement in PISA 2018 by considering the mediating effect of attitudes toward school. Using secondary data for Australia, the UK, and the USA obtained from PISA 2018, we conducted a series of Structural Equation Modeling analyses to unravel the relationship between self-theories and science achievement. The growth mindset had the strongest effect on science achievement for both immigrants and non-immigrants in all three countries; resilience was positively related to science achievement for immigrants in the US, and attitudes toward school were positively related to science achievement for immigrants in Australia. The mediating role of attitudes toward school between growth mindset, resilience and science achievement could not have been confirmed. We speculate that self-theories might be affecting immigrant groups differently in different countries. Implications regarding these findings are discussed

Factors influencing EFL teachers’ provision of oral corrective feedback: the role of teaching experience

This study highlights critical factors influencing English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers’ decisions to provide in-class oral corrective feedback (OCF). It explores the interplay between teachers’ individual differences – namely educational background, teaching experience, and additional training – and their decisions regarding OCF. EFL teachers in three Turkish universities each had three hours of their speaking classes recorded. A thematic analysis of stimulated recall interview data revealed that teachers’ decisions were influenced by learner-related, contextual, and teacher-specific factors. The teachers stated that they provided OCF because they believed that learners expected it. Learner-related factors such as emotions and low proficiency served as deterrents to OCF. Regarding the contextual factors, institutional expectations motivated the provision of OCF, while the nature of activities dissuaded teachers from administering OCF. The teacher factor most commonly cited as a stimulus for providing OCF was the inclination to elicit the correct form from students. The teachers were reluctant to provide OCF because they favoured delayed feedback at the end of the activity or lesson. Regression analysis of the video data revealed that only teaching experience contributed significantly to teachers’ decision-making. The role of teaching experience is discussed, and suggestions are made regarding the provision of OCF

Linguistic and non-linguistic factors impacting EMI academic success: a longitudinal study

This study explored changes in English language proficiency and several non-linguistic factors during four years of English medium instruction (EMI) in two academic disciplines in a Turkish university setting. Moreover, it also investigated whether changes (if any) had a predictive impact on the academic success of EMI students. In addition, potential differences between disciplines were also investigated. The participants were 241 EMI students from Business Administration (n = 117) and Mechanical Engineering (n = 124) programmes. Our findings revealed that in addition to the language proficiency scores, various non-linguistic factors, including self-efficacy, ideal L2 self, motivation, self-regulation skills, and anxiety levels, changed throughout EMI education. However, only English proficiency and instrumental motivation emerged as positively significant predictors of EMI success. Our findings also revealed that the increase in participants’ intrinsic motivation scores was a significant negative predictor of EMI success. These results are discussed and implications are given regarding the impact of linguistic and non-linguistic factors in EMI contexts

New insights into the trend towards English as a medium of instruction in European higher education through transdisciplinary participation

The drive towards English as a Medium of Instruction (EMI) in universities in non-English-dominant countries can generate heated debates, yet the drivers of EMI are still not fully understood. This position paper argues for transdisciplinary participation in order to shed new light on the drivers of EMI. Transdisciplinary participation is conceptualized as engaging with theories, methodologies and practices in other disciplines in order to approach a topical issue in a new way. We exemplify transdisciplinary participation as bringing together applied linguists and those involved in academic governance to re-theorize the rise of EMI as linked to steering at a distance governance reforms that have swept across the European higher education sector since the 1980s. Showcasing three cases from across Europe, we argue that steering at a distance may shed new light on the drivers of EMI. At a more general level, we highlight how disciplinary positioning shapes the creation of knowledge

Rediscovery of penicillin of psychiatry: haloperidol decanoate

BACKGROUND: Haloperidol has been used as an effective antipsychotic for many years and continues to be one of the first options in difficult patients who require parenteral therapy in the acute phase. However, the depot form is less preferred in the treatment of patients with non-adherence among these patients whose clinical stabilization has been achieved by using parenteral haloperidol in the acute phase. Therefore, updating the information about the side effects of the depot form of haloperidol, which is still an effective treatment option, will be useful in reconsidering the position of this medicine among new and different options. METHODS: A total of 54 schizophrenic patients with severe symptoms and poor adherence to treatment who were hospitalized and treated with depot haloperidol following an acute stabilization period were included in this study. First, the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Axis I disorders (SCID-CV) was used to confirm the diagnosis, the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS), Scale for the Assessment of Positive Symptoms (SAPS) and Scale for the Assessment of Negative Symptoms (SANS) to assess the clinical severity and Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF) to assess the functionality. The Simpson-Angus Scale (SAS) was used to assess extrapyramidal side effects. With the exception of Visit 0, plasma haloperidol levels were measured at all visits. Also, measurements of waist circumference and weight, plasma fasting blood glucose, triglyceride, HDL, iron, haemoglobin (Hgb), prolactin (PRL) and HbA1c were also used for evaluation of the metabolic effects. RESULTS: Significant improvements were observed in the BPRS, SANS, SAPS scores in the long-term follow-up with the depot haloperidol treatment. While the dosage decreased over time, the plasma levels remained changed, and symptom improvement was maintained. No signs such as neuroleptic malignant syndrome or acute dystonia were observed and SAS scores were within acceptable limits during the treatment (mu = 1.40 +/- 2.55). There is no statistically significant difference between measurements of the weight even there was a significant difference between three of the waist circumference values (p = 0.987). The first measurement of the waist circumference is statistically significantly higher than both the mid-measurement and the final measurement, interestingly (p = 0.002). When fasting blood glucose, triglyceride, HDL, iron, Hgb, PRL and HbA1c were measured at different times throughout the study, only prolactin levels increased significantly over time with the use of haloperidol (p < 0.001). At the end of a year, 50% of the patients participating in the study still continued to use the haloperidol decanoate. This means also that half of the patients had stopped to use haloperidol decanoate. However, only 18.5% of them (n = 5) discontinued use of this drug because of extrapyramidal side effects. CONCLUSION: Depot haloperidol remains an effective treatment option that improves treatment compliance in challenging schizophrenia patients with severe symptoms. The long-term metabolic and extrapyramidal side effect profile of the patients were generally within the safe limits with the use of haloperidol depot. According to the obtained data, the depot haloperidol continues to be a reliable treatment option in terms of adverse effects in the maintenance treatment of schizophrenia patients with severe symptoms and poor adherence to treatment