EMI in Algerian Higher Education: Exploring Opportunities and Challenges

Abstract

Recently, Algeria has been actively promoting English as a medium if instruction (EMI) as a crucial step to internationalize its higher education. This study aims to explore the advantages and opportunities of EMI inside higher education institutions. It is also aimed to depict challenges associated with EMI that students and teachers may encounter, as well as providing a set of solutions to guide teachers and educators towards effective EMI practices. This research adopts a descriptive design and employs a quantitative approach to analyze collected data. The primary measurement tool is a questionnaire administered to twenty Algerian university teachers from different fields of specialism. The findings unveiled that while EMI can present several advantages like enhancing students’ English language proficiency and preparing them for international competitiveness, its implementation is faced by various challenges. Lack of training and professional development, lack of English language proficiency of both students and teachers, limited resources are among the challenges reported by Algerian teachers when dealing with EMI. Implications for policy makers, educators and teachers to properly reflect the pedagogy of EMI in the Algerian context were discussed.