Academic success in English Medium Instruction programmes in Turkey: Exploring the effect of gender, motivation, and English language proficiency

This article reports a mixed methods study that investigated the influence of gender, English language proficiency, and general motivation (Instrumental and Integrative) on academic achievement in English Medium Instruction in Turkey. Student test scores on their EMI Business Administration courses (n=143) and a general English proficiency (GEP) test were collected from second-year students. Students also filled out Turhan & Kirkgo center dot z's (2018) Motivation Scale. Semistructured interviews were then conducted with a subgroup of students (n=21). Regression analyses revealed that gender had no statistically significant predictive power of EMI achievement, whereas both instrumental and integrative motivation were significant predictors. English language proficiency was the strongest predictor, explaining 90% of the variance in achievement. Interview data supported these quantitative findings. Pedagogical implications of these results for language educators, and EMI lecturers and students, as well as suggestions for further research are given.