Horwood Christiane, Mapumulo Sphindile, Haskins Lyn, John Vaughn, Luthuli Silondile, Tylleskär Thorkild, Mutombo Paulin, Engebretsen Ingunn M S, Mapatano Mala Ali, Hatløy Anne
Centre for Rural Health, School of Nursing and Public Health, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa.
School of Education, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, South Africa.
Health Res Policy Syst. 2021 May 7;19(1):79. doi: 10.1186/s12961-021-00728-8.
Globally, increasing numbers of higher education institutions (HEIs) in non-English-speaking countries have adopted English as a medium of instruction (EMI), because of the perception that this provides opportunities to attract high-calibre students and academic staff, and engage with the international research community. We report an evaluation of a North-South-South collaboration to develop health research capacity in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) by establishing a postgraduate programme in nutritional epidemiology at the Kinshasa School of Public Health (KSPH), where EMI was adopted. We report experiences and perceptions of stakeholders, facilitators and students about using EMI.
In-depth qualitative interviews were conducted between October and December 2019 among convenience sampled stakeholders (8), facilitators (11) and students (12) involved in the programme from all three partner institutions (University of Kinshasa; University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa; University of Bergen, Norway). Interviews were conducted in participants' language of preference (English or French), audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim and translated into English when required. Analysis employed a thematic approach.
Most participants viewed EMI positively, reporting that studying in English created opportunities to access relevant literature, improve interactions with the scientific community and advance their careers. As a result of adopting EMI, some students had opportunities to present research findings at international conferences and publish their research in English. English-speaking researchers from partner institutions were able to participate in supervision of students' research. However, inadequate English competency, particularly among students, was challenging, with some students reporting being unable to understand or interact in class, which negatively affected their academic performance. Further, EMI created barriers at KSPH among academic staff who were not proficient in English, leading to poor participation among non-English-speaking staff and lack of integration with other postgraduate programmes. Participants suggested additional English language support for EMI.
Partnerships between HEIs could be a powerful tool to develop research capacity in low-income countries in line with United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. EMI could be a solution to language barriers faced by many such partnerships, but wide-ranging support to develop English proficiency among staff and students is essential to ensure that the challenges do not outweigh the benefits.
在全球范围内，越来越多非英语国家的高等教育机构（HEIs）采用英语作为教学语言（EMI），因为人们认为这为吸引高素质学生和学术人员以及参与国际研究界提供了机会。我们报告了一项南北南合作的评估情况，该合作旨在通过在金沙萨公共卫生学院（KSPH）设立营养流行病学研究生课程来发展刚果民主共和国（DRC）的卫生研究能力，该学院采用了英语作为教学语言。我们报告了利益相关者、促进者和学生对使用英语作为教学语言的经验和看法。
2019年10月至12月期间，对来自所有三个合作机构（金沙萨大学；南非夸祖鲁 - 纳塔尔大学；挪威卑尔根大学）参与该项目的便利抽样利益相关者（8名）、促进者（11名）和学生（12名）进行了深入的定性访谈。访谈以参与者喜欢的语言（英语或法语）进行，录音，逐字转录，并在需要时翻译成英语。分析采用主题方法。
大多数参与者对英语作为教学语言持积极看法，报告称用英语学习创造了获取相关文献、改善与科学界互动以及推进其职业发展的机会。由于采用了英语作为教学语言，一些学生有机会在国际会议上展示研究成果并以英语发表他们的研究。来自合作机构的英语为母语的研究人员能够参与学生研究的指导。然而，英语能力不足，特别是在学生中，具有挑战性，一些学生报告说在课堂上无法理解或互动，这对他们的学业成绩产生了负面影响。此外，英语作为教学语言在金沙萨公共卫生学院给不精通英语的学术人员造成了障碍，导致非英语为母语的工作人员参与度低，并且与其他研究生课程缺乏整合。参与者建议为英语作为教学语言提供额外的英语语言支持。
高等教育机构之间的伙伴关系可能是根据联合国可持续发展目标在低收入国家发展研究能力的有力工具。英语作为教学语言可能是许多此类伙伴关系面临语言障碍的解决方案，但为工作人员和学生提高英语水平提供广泛支持对于确保挑战不超过益处至关重要。
