TY - JOUR
T1 - Profiling lecturers’ and students’ beliefs about literacy-related skills in an EMI university
T2 - a Q methodology study
AU - Sun, Qingyang
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2025 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.
PY - 2025
Y1 - 2025
N2 - Current research into academic literacy often focuses on individual components rather than a holistic view, with more studies conducted in Anglophone countries than in EMI (English-Medium Instruction) contexts. This study employs Q methodology, a trending method in Applied Linguistics for exploring subjective opinions, to examine lecturers’ and students’ perceived importance of various academic literacy components in an EMI context. A total of 13 lecturers and 18 students from social sciences disciplines participated in a Q-sort activity and a follow-up interview. Through Q analysis, students were categorized into three profiles: Enthusiastic Explorer, Strategic Player, and Independent Academic Skill Developer. Lecturers mainly held two perspectives towards students’ literacy: an Emancipative Approach and a Traditionalist Scholarly Approach. Among the profiles, shared consensus statements indicated areas of agreement. The findings highlight the diversity of academic literacy beliefs among lecturers and students, as well as nuanced views on multilingualism and technology. The study calls for increased dialogue among EMI stakeholders and researchers.
AB - Current research into academic literacy often focuses on individual components rather than a holistic view, with more studies conducted in Anglophone countries than in EMI (English-Medium Instruction) contexts. This study employs Q methodology, a trending method in Applied Linguistics for exploring subjective opinions, to examine lecturers’ and students’ perceived importance of various academic literacy components in an EMI context. A total of 13 lecturers and 18 students from social sciences disciplines participated in a Q-sort activity and a follow-up interview. Through Q analysis, students were categorized into three profiles: Enthusiastic Explorer, Strategic Player, and Independent Academic Skill Developer. Lecturers mainly held two perspectives towards students’ literacy: an Emancipative Approach and a Traditionalist Scholarly Approach. Among the profiles, shared consensus statements indicated areas of agreement. The findings highlight the diversity of academic literacy beliefs among lecturers and students, as well as nuanced views on multilingualism and technology. The study calls for increased dialogue among EMI stakeholders and researchers.
KW - Academic literacy
KW - English medium instruction
KW - higher education
KW - Q methodology
KW - subjective beliefs
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85216642127&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1080/09500782.2025.2459160
DO - 10.1080/09500782.2025.2459160
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85216642127
SN - 0950-0782
JO - Language and Education
JF - Language and Education
ER -