Anonymized interview transcripts for Towards recognizing the heterogeneity of English medium instruction (EMI) teacher backgrounds

As the number of English medium instruction (EMI) courses around the world continues to increase, so too does the number of teachers operating in EMI. Previous research on EMI teachers has investigated teacher identity construction, teacher development, perspectives on the role of language in teaching and learning, and classroom practices. However, much existing literature on EMI teachers tends to treat them as a homogeneous group and overlooks the heterogeneity that may offer additional and more nuanced insights into teachers working on the frontlines of EMI. To address this gap, the present study emphasizes the heterogeneity of EMI teachers by investigating two groups of teachers working in the Swedish EMI context: Swedish EMI teachers and expatriate EMI teachers in Sweden. Employing qualitative semi-structured interviews analyzed through deductive content analysis, it examines between-group variables such as whether teachers share a first language with students and the amount and location(s) of their EMI teaching experience. The interviews covered the following topics: teacher background and development; views on student group characteristics; and perspectives on student English proficiency. Comparisons between the Swedish teachers and the expatriate teachers in Sweden show several overlaps but also divergences, including the impact of having EMI experience from multiple contexts and the option of translanguaging.