Learner Resistance to English-medium Instruction Practices: A Qualitative Case Study

Abstract

The internationalization of higher education has resulted in the growth of English-medium instruction (EMI) practices and research. The existing EMI research has documented learners’ favorable attitudes toward EMI but not necessarily its practices. Learners’ dissatisfaction has not been viewed as a form of resistance. Through the notion of learner resistance that underscores agency in defiance, this study examined the occurrences of learner resistance and the reasons for it by investigating Chinese learners’ experiences in an undergraduate business English-taught program in Taiwan. Multiple sources of data, including interviews, stories, and class observations, were gathered for analysis. The findings showed that most Chinese learners resisted an unhelpful curriculum, pedagogy, and context. Their resistance may be related not simply to academic disciplines but more importantly to a Confucian Heritage Culture of learning. Such findings highlight learner agency in resisting actions and call for further investigation into potential learner resistance in EMI practices.