PROPOSING AN EMI-ELT INTEGRATED FRAMEWORK FOR ENGLISH TEACHING TOWARDS VIETNAM’S NATIONAL LANGUAGE POLICY

PROPOSING AN EMI-ELT INTEGRATED FRAMEWORK FOR ENGLISH TEACHING TOWARDS VIETNAM’S NATIONAL LANGUAGE POLICY

Nguyen Thi Quynh Hoa hoantq3@fe.edu.vn FPT University Km29 Thang Long Bourlevard, Hoa Lac ward, Hanoi, Vietnam
Summary: 
To date, no published theoretical framework has clarified the relationship between English Language Teaching and English Medium Instruction in alignment with the three-phase roadmap of Decision No.2371, which aims to establish English as a second language in the national education system by 2045. This study addresses this gap by examining the structural limitations of the two approaches when implemented separately and proposing an integrated approach aligned with policy stages. The study uses document analysis and research synthesis, drawing on purposively selected literature from Vietnam and comparable English-as-a-foreign-language contexts in the Asia Pacific region (2018-2025). The findings indicate that English Language Teaching lacks authentic contexts for language use. At the same time, English Medium Instruction presupposes academic language proficiency that the current system does not adequately support, creating a cyclical mismatch between preparation and demand. In response, the study proposes the coordinated language and content ecosystem alignment and reinforcement framework, emphasizing the staged integration of English Language Teaching and English Medium Instruction. The framework offers implications for curriculum design, teacher development, and language-in-education policy in Vietnam.
Keywords: 
ELT
EMI
language policy
Integration
language ecosystem.
Refers: 

[1] Al Hashami, A. S. M. (2022). Exploring the complexity and controversy of code-switching practices in the EFL and EMI classrooms at a higher education institute in the Sultanate of Oman (Doctoral dissertation, University of Exeter).

[2] Alhassan, A., Ali, N. A. & Ali, H. I. H. (2021). EFL students’ challenges in English-medium business programmes: Perspectives from students and content teachers. Cogent Education, 8, Article 1888671. https://doi.org/10.1080/233118 6X.2021.1888671.

[3] Bowen, G. A. (2009). Document analysis as a qualitative research method. Qualitative Research Journal, 9(2), pp.27–40. https://doi.org/10.3316/QRJ0902027.

[4] Doiz, A. & Lasagabaster, D. (2025). “Non-native” teachers teaching content in English: A reflective practice approach. Teaching English as a Second or Foreign Language, 29(2). https://doi.org/10.55593/ ej.29114s3.

[5] Du, X. & Jackson, J. (2018). From EFL to EMI: The evolving English learning motivation of Mainland Chinese students in a Hong Kong university. System, 76, pp.158–169. https://doi.org/10.1016/j. system.2018.05.011.

[6] Elliott, R. & Timulak, L. (2005). Descriptive and interpretive approaches to qualitative research.

[7] In J. Miles & P. Gilbert (Eds.), A handbook of research methods for clinical and health psychology, pp.147 160. Oxford University Press. https://doi. org/10.1093/med:psych/9780198527565.003.0011.

[8] Huỳnh Đăng Khoa. (2023). Mức độ hài lòng của sinh viên đối với các học phần chuyên ngành được giảng dạy bằng tiếng Anh (EMI) tại cơ sở II Trường Đại học Ngoại thương Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh. Kinh tế Châu Á – Thái Bình Dương, (6), tr.34–36.

[9] Lin, C.-Y., Lin, T.-Y., Chen, Y.-C. & Chang, W. H. (2025). College students’ perspectives on knowledge sharing platform and EMI courses. The International Journal of Organizational Innovation, 18(2), pp.145–159.

[10] Lubis, A. H. & Adara, R. A. (2025). A mapping analysis and systematic review of studies (2012-2023) on English medium instruction in an EFL-adopting Asian country: Insights and implications. Teaching English as a Second Language Electronic Journal (TESL-EJ), 29(3). https://doi.org/10.55593/ ej.29115a8.

[11] Macaro, E., Curle, S., Pun, J., An, J. & Dearden, J. (2018). A systematic review of English medium instruction in higher education. Language Teaching, 51(1), pp.36–76. https://doi.org/10.1017/ S0261444817000350.

[12] Nagao, A. & Chen, C.-C. (2025). Navigating EMI in Japanese higher education: An inquiry into EFL learners’ successes and struggles. International Journal of Language Studies, 19(4), pp.139-162. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.15631698.

[13] Nguyễn Thị Lệ Hằng. (2025). Tiếng Anh - ngôn ngữ thứ hai tại Việt Nam: Cơ hội, thách thức và ảnh hưởng tới giảng dạy tiếng Anh trong các trường đại học sư phạm kĩ thuật. Tạp chí Tâm lí - Giáo dục, 31(12), tr.20-24.

[14] Nguyễn Thị Thu Hà. (2024). Nhận thức của sinh viên đối với tương tác trong lớp học chuyên ngành bằng tiếng Anh tại một trường đại học kĩ thuật ở Việt Nam. Tạp chí Nghiên cứu Nước ngoài, 40(2), tr.67-85.

[15] Nguyễn Thị Thuý Nga. (2024). Những thách thức ngôn ngữ đối với sinh viên trong các lớp học môn chuyên ngành bằng tiếng Anh. Tạp chí Khoa học, 122, tr.19 26. https://doi.org/10.59266/houjs.2024.508.

[16] Othman, J. (2024). Academic vocabulary learning in EMI classrooms: Challenges and strategies. Arab World English Journal, 15(2), pp.3–18. https://doi. org/10.24093/awej/vol15no2.1.

[17] Saeed, A. T., Al-Khatib, H., Said, K. M. & Hafeez, G. A. (2025). Empowering EFL learners: A multilayered deep learning framework for EMI universities. Journal of Language Teaching and Research, 16(1), pp.145-157. https://doi.org/10.17507/jltr.1601.16.

[18] Sánchez-Pérez, M. M. (2023). The impact of EMI on student English writing proficiency in a Spanish undergraduate engineering context. Studies in Second Language Learning and Teaching, 13(2), pp.373-397. https://doi.org/10.14746/ssllt.38279.

[19] Thủ tướng Chính phủ. (2025). Quyết định số 2371/QĐ TTg ngày 27 tháng 10 năm 2025 phê duyệt Đề án “Đưa tiếng Anh thành ngôn ngữ thứ hai trong trường học giai đoạn 2025–2035, tầm nhìn đến năm 2045”.

[20] Ting, Y.-L. T. (2022). Tertiary-level STEM and EMI: Where EFL and content meet to potentiate each other. ELT Journal, 76(2), pp.194–207. https://doi. org/10.1093/elt/ccab093.

[21] Torraco, R. J. (2005). Writing integrative literature reviews: Guidelines and examples. Human Resource Development Review, 4(3), pp.356–367. https://doi.org/10.1177/1534484305278283.

[22] Trần Thi Hoài Thu, Burke, R. & O’Toole, J. M. (2021). Perceived impact of EMI on students’ language proficiency in Vietnamese tertiary EFL contexts. IAFOR Journal of Education, 9(3), pp.7–24. https:// doi.org/10.22492/ije.9.3.01.

[23] Yang, W. & Yang, L. (2025). Reconceptualising linguistic adaptation in EMI classrooms: Self-regulatory language-discursive strategies in Taiwanese EFL contexts. 3L: Language, Linguistics, Literature – The Southeast Asian Journal of English Language Studies, 31(2). https://doi.org/10.17576/3L-2025-3102-16.

[24] Yin, R. K. (2018). Case study research and applications: Design and methods (6th ed.). Sage Publications.

[25] Yuan, R. (2020). Promoting EMI teacher development in EFL higher education contexts: A teacher educator’s reflections. RELC Journal, 51(2), pp.309 317. https://doi.org/10.1177/0033688219878886.

[26] Zhang, Y. & Huang, J. (2024). Learner identity and investment in EFL, EMI, and ESL contexts: A longitudinal case study of one pre-service teacher. Journal of Language, Identity & Education, 25(2), pp.181–194. https://doi.org/10.1080/15348458.202 4.2318423.

Articles in Issue