English-medium instruction in Brazil: investigating teachers' English proficiency, self-efficacy and approaches to teaching

Other conference contribution, 2024

In higher education worldwide, including Brazil, English-medium instruction (EMI) is increasingly used alongside national languages. Concerns have been raised about EMI teachers’ level of English proficiency and the effect of poor English proficiency on the learning environment in EMI. What remains unclear is which aspects of English are viewed as problematic,  and which receptive and productive English competencies serve the complex tasks involved in EMI pedagogy. Drawing on theories from within a disciplinary literacies framework, this preliminary study addresses a gap in research by exploring Brazilian EMI teachers’ English proficiency, self-efficacy, and pedagogical approaches. A total of 114 teachers from 26 higher education institutions responded to a questionnaire about their perceived levels of English proficiency for teaching, the need for English language support (both for themselves and others), and their self-efficacy in EMI teaching. Additionally, they completed the Higher Education Approaches to Teaching inventory, a tool that measures teaching approaches and self-efficacy, and their responses were correlated with their survey answers. While most teachers surveyed are confident in their ability to teach in English, and report receptive and productive English proficiency at or above a B2-level (according to their self-assessment using the Common European Framework of Reference), many still feel a strong need for English language support to enhance their EMI teaching, and the teaching of their EMI colleagues. Eighty-seven percent of the respondents agreed that EMI teachers’ English proficiency directly affects teaching quality. This study partly confirms this assumption, pointing to both positive and negative correlations between EMI teachers’ English proficiency and interactive, unreflective, and transmissive teaching approaches in EMI. The present study takes steps toward validating and/or challenging perceptions of EMI teachers’ English proficiency, self-efficacy and impact on teaching. It also discusses ways to support EMI teachers and addresses quality concerns in internationalized higher education.