TY - CHAP
T1 - Language Policy and Transnational Education (TNE) Institutions
T2 - What Role for What English?
AU - Perrin, Stuart
N1 - Funding Information:
One province that has taken a leading role in trying to achieve these targets is Jiangsu. In the east of China with Nanjing as the capital, Jiangsu Province was one of the first provinces of China to admit international students and has become an area of international collaborative activity. The province now has the largest number of HE institutions, with over 105 universities and colleges. Jiangsu’s international co-operation programmes are well established, and in 2010 there were 14,142 students from 164 countries studying in higher learning and research institutions in the province (Jiangsu Education 2011). It also has extensive exchange programs with over 300 universities internationally. The number of HE institutions funded by private sectors nationally and internationally is also increasing (Jiangsu Net 2014). In 2010, the Jiangsu Provincial People’s Government established the Jasmine Jiangsu Government Scholarship to further attract and encourage international students to study in Jiangsu, including increasing the high numbers of primary and secondary-level foreign students who also study in the province. By 2015, Jiangsu was aiming to have at least 30,000 international students studying at its universities, and it hopes to become the most coveted destination in China for international students (Jiangsu Education 2011).
Publisher Copyright:
© 2017, Springer International Publishing AG.
PY - 2017
Y1 - 2017
N2 - Transnational Education (TNE) can be seen as one part of ‘cross-border’, ‘offshore’ or ‘borderless’ education and is often associated with English speaking institutions and educational models based overseas. With many TNE institutions offering English medium instruction (EMI) programmes, there is a shift in focus away from English as a Foreign Language (EFL) to English being both an academic discipline and the mode of delivery. However, one question that remains unresolved is around the English language variety and standard that EMI TNE institutions should aim for as their ‘working language’ both for everyday use and as an academic lingua franca. The paradoxical situation often exists where students are not studying in their first language, and being assessed by academics who are again mostly English additional language speakers, but with a target language based on English ‘native speaker’ norms. China has been particularly active in developing initiatives. Taking one TNE institution as a working example, this chapter discusses some of the challenges of developing TNE in China, before going on to highlight the need for, and challenges of, creating and adopting workable language policies in a TNE environment. These challenges include the need to reflect the international nature of staff and students, to acknowledge the diverse range and variety of Englishes that the student and staff body brings to the TNE University, whilst recognizing the importance and status of the host country’s first language.
AB - Transnational Education (TNE) can be seen as one part of ‘cross-border’, ‘offshore’ or ‘borderless’ education and is often associated with English speaking institutions and educational models based overseas. With many TNE institutions offering English medium instruction (EMI) programmes, there is a shift in focus away from English as a Foreign Language (EFL) to English being both an academic discipline and the mode of delivery. However, one question that remains unresolved is around the English language variety and standard that EMI TNE institutions should aim for as their ‘working language’ both for everyday use and as an academic lingua franca. The paradoxical situation often exists where students are not studying in their first language, and being assessed by academics who are again mostly English additional language speakers, but with a target language based on English ‘native speaker’ norms. China has been particularly active in developing initiatives. Taking one TNE institution as a working example, this chapter discusses some of the challenges of developing TNE in China, before going on to highlight the need for, and challenges of, creating and adopting workable language policies in a TNE environment. These challenges include the need to reflect the international nature of staff and students, to acknowledge the diverse range and variety of Englishes that the student and staff body brings to the TNE University, whilst recognizing the importance and status of the host country’s first language.
KW - China
KW - English medium instruction (EMI)
KW - Higher education
KW - Language policy
KW - Lingua franca
KW - Transnational education (TNE)
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85146628442&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1007/978-3-319-51976-0_9
DO - 10.1007/978-3-319-51976-0_9
M3 - Chapter
AN - SCOPUS:85146628442
T3 - Multilingual Education
SP - 153
EP - 172
BT - Multilingual Education
PB - Springer Science and Business Media B.V.
ER -