ABSTRACT
This chapter reviews the different values EMI learners associate with learning through EMI and uses Bourdieu’s concept of “social capital” to describe what learners may hope to achieve through EMI – disciplinary capital, economic capital, cultural capital, and linguistic capital. Examples are given of how these affect learners in different ways. Learning and interaction in EMI classrooms is also influenced by culturally-based differences in how teaching and learning are understood, and this may influence how international students deal with classroom interaction in EMI classrooms.
The chapter also reviews EMI students’ learning of the four skills – writing, listening, reading, and speaking – and the difficulties and coping strategies learners experience in developing these skills. Examples are drawn from research in different EMI contexts to illustrate the challenges that students face in EMI courses and how teachers can provide learning support. The chapter argues that content teachers are also language teachers and need to acquire the appropriate knowledge and skills required to help learners develop both content and language through EMI.
