Language-aware EMI in content courses: integration, methodology, and student engagement

Abstract

The article examines the use of English as a medium of instruction (EMI) in content courses in Ukrainian higher education and substantiates a language-aware EMI approach as a pedagogically grounded framework for English-taught disciplinary learning in a non-Anglophone context. The study argues that EMI should not be interpreted as a simple language switch. Its effectiveness depends on pedagogical course design and planning that ensure conceptual access to disciplinary knowledge, support academic interaction, and reduce affective barriers, particularly language anxiety and fear of making mistakes. The purpose of the paper is to identify pedagogical conditions and transferable methodological solutions that enable students to achieve content learning outcomes while simultaneously developing academic communication through English. The research is presented as a case study using a mixed-methods design. Data were collected through classroom observations, semi-structured student interviews, and a Likert-scale questionnaire. This combination of methods enables examination of the relationship between observable engagement indicators (participation in discussions, willingness to ask clarifying questions, involvement in small-group tasks, readiness to present outcomes) and students’ self-reported confidence in academic English and their evaluation of specific instructional supports.