Institutional Supports for Language Development through English-Medium Instruction: A Factor Analysis

The purpose of this paper is to build and test a framework of four factors stakeholders in postgraduate higher education institutions in Kazakhstan perceive as supporting or hindering language development in English-medium programs. Data in this mixed-methods study were collected through student surveys and interviews with students, faculty and administration from six universities across Kazakhstan. Factor analysis confirmed the value of structural, pedagogical, sociolinguistic, and cultural factors for language development. Quantitative and qualitative data demonstrated that respondents highly valued structural factors such as academic mobility abroad and having an opportunity to interact with international faculty. However, they were less satisfied with national and university policies on the implementation of EMI. Additional structural factors including: a significant lack of pedagogical trainings, lack of collaboration with EFL instructors for curriculum development, and low overall English language proficiency of faculty and students, led to pedagogical challenges in classrooms. These challenges were somewhat mitigated by translanguaging practices. The sociolinguistic factors scale demonstrated that out of three languages, Russian was the most prevalent on campuses, which, according to qualitative data, creates pressure to maintain English. Finally, the cultural factors data revealed that students were highly motivated for their ideal self, whereas institutions strived to be research-oriented and included in the international ranking lists. Based on these findings, it is recommended that curricula be adjusted to include spaces for multilingual practices, and that faculty be provided support in teaching in English through professional development courses.