Ikuya Aizawa

My DPhil project investigates the potential impact of studying academic subjects (i.e. Chemistry) in English on Japanese undergraduate students’ content learning in comparison to learning through their first language (L1) at a university in Tokyo where Chemistry courses are available through JMI (Japanese medium instruction) and EMI (English medium instruction). I explore various aspects of challenges faced by students, with a particular focus on language and content learning-related challenges.

Furthermore, I aim to identify potential factors (e.g. students’ English proficiency, motivation, revision time and prior knowledge) which influence students’ content learning. The study adopts a longitudinal design of a course over three months, pairing in-depth quantitative analysis of pre-post student test scores with teacher and student interviews and classroom observations. Questionnaires are also used to examine students’ background and challenges. This study investigates the effects of EMI from the students’ point of view by comparing two supposedly identical courses in terms of content and will be one of the first attempts to research the effects of EMI on students’ content knowledge acquisition in Japan.