POSITIONING THEORY AS A THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK IN ENGLISH AS A MEDIUM OF INSTRUCTION: INSIGHTS FROM EMPIRICAL RESEARCH
Main Article Content
Abstract
Positioning Theory has increasingly been adopted in English as a medium of instruction (EMI) research to explore how teaching and learning practices are discursively constructed and negotiated in higher education contexts, yet its empirical application remains relatively limited. This review highlights that Positioning Theory offers a robust socio‑constructivist theoretical framework for EMI research, which is capable of capturing the complex interplay of language, identity, power, and pedagogy in EMI classrooms. After providing a brief overview of Positioning Theory, the article synthesizes empirical research utilizing Positioning Theory to investigate EMI educational settings. Drawing on five studies conducted in Vietnam, New Zealand, Spain, Russia, Hong Kong, and Australia, the review identifies three major themes: (1) positioning, teacher identity and teacher agency; (2) institutional and policy positioning; and (3) positioning, multilingualism, and the negotiation of language expertise. Informed by the findings, the paper proposes a multi-level EMI positioning framework that integrates macro-level policy discourses, meso-level institutional structures, and micro-level classroom interactions with the purpose of providing a more holistic understanding of EMI rather than purely linguistic or pedagogical models.
Keywords
EMI, Positioning theory, Theoretical framework
Article Details
References
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