Needs Analysis of Students’ English Proficiency and Content Learning Mastery in EMI Courses

Abstract

EMI programs have gained popularity in higher education in recent years, and in EMI programs, English proficiency plays a vital role for students in achieving academic success. This research investigates the students’ English proficiency in understanding academic courses. With a case study design, twenty-one students from an international program in science education at a public university in Bandung were voluntarily involved in the study. Questionnaires and observations were used to collect the data in this study. The findings show that most students were aware of their English proficiency and believed there was a correlation between their English proficiency and content mastery in EMI programs, indicating that the participants with good English proficiency believed that it enabled them to master the science content. However, despite having positive beliefs about their proficiency, the participants still seemed to face difficulties understanding technical terminology related to science.