ABSTRACT
The issue of language improvement as a result of instruction through English is central to the debate on the advantages of EMI (Macaro et al., 2018). Yet, in the higher education landscape, primary attention is generally devoted to the learning of subject content, while language skills development is often considered a by-product of the teaching practice. The issue of language skills development also still remains an under-explored phenomenon in the research literature on EMI, and more empirical research is needed in order to investigate and document the effects of English-Medium Instruction on language development. The aim of this chapter is to stimulate further discussion and research on the issue by reporting on the perceptions shared by the students who participated in the present study. Drawing on their responses to the questionnaire, the interviews and the focus group, the chapter will report on their impressions with regard to the impact of EMI on their speaking and comprehension skills, as well as on their confidence to use English to speak about their subjects and to communicate with others.
