Multilingual classrooms: opportunities and challenges for English medium instruction in low and middle income contexts

Erling, Elizabeth J., Adinolfi, Lina and Hultgren, Anna Kristina (2017). Multilingual classrooms: opportunities and challenges for English medium instruction in low and middle income contexts. Reading: Education Development Trust/British Council

November 2017

• Multilingual classrooms_opportunities and challenges for EMI in low and middle income contexts.pdf

This report is the product of a research collaboration between Education Development Trust, the British Council and The Open University.

Its starting point was to consider the complex field of English Medium Instruction (EMI) policies in low and middle income countries (LMICs). Its purpose is to provide insight and support to those responsible for setting policy or enacting it in complex language environments around the world.

The work recognises the importance given to the English language by governments and parents in the future development of intellectual and economic capital, and to accessing opportunity in an increasingly global world. It also recognises and respects the strong argument calling for education to be conducted in a language familiar to learners and teachers. Navigating these two influences can appear impossible at times as they can be unhelpfully positioned as opposites. This research study set out to do two things:

• Look at the global literature and draw on the lessons from existing research.

• Focus on illustrating the operational enactment and levels of understanding of EMI polices in schools in two distinct primary EMI school contexts – Ghana and Bihar, India. The findings provide valuable lessons that will help policymakers, educators, teacher trainers and schools to navigate the complexities of multilingual EMI environments.