Purpose

In line with the development of Taiwan’s policy of achieving nationwide Mandarin/English bilingualism, in 2021 the Ministry of Education launched the Bilingual Education Program for Students in Higher Education, with the goals of strengthening students' English proficiency, promoting English as a Medium of Instruction (EMI), and enhancing the overall international competitiveness of Taiwanese higher education. The aims of this program are to enhance teachers’ English teaching skills and to develop students’ English proficiency, international perspectives, and cross-cultural integration in a full-English teaching environment. The purpose of this study was to explore the impact of bilingual education programs on student’s learning outcomes using student academic records to assess the conditions under which students achieve satisfactory or superior learning outcomes. The findings provide guidance for governmental authorities and university administrators in implementing EMI policies..

Design/methodology/approach

Data for this study were responses to a learning experience questionnaire by students at National Sun Yat-sen University who took EMI courses during the institution’s 110th academic year (2021.08-2022.07). A total of 1,159 valid questionnaires were collected. The responses were integrated with the students' university academic records from the case school's administrative system. Analysis of the data was conducted using the fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis method (fsQCA).

Findings/results

Findings revealed that teachers’ instructional characteristics, their teaching practices, students’ active participation in and satisfaction with the class served as the precursors of students’ learning improvement. A substitution effect was found between students’ levels of participation and their satisfaction with the class and acceptance of EMI teaching. Furthermore, it was found that before they decide to take EMI courses students should have a high degree of acceptance of EMI and a certain level of confidence in their English proficiency. Factors that determined whether students achieved a high GPA included teachers’ curriculum design, how they guided students’ engagement, and measures they took to enhance satisfaction with their classes.

Originality/value

In view of the importance of evidence-based input as a reference for policymaking, in this study fsQCA method was used to examine feasible strategies to ensure students’ learning outcomes, and explores remedial solutions for short-term improvements in order to recommend appropriate teaching practices. Different from the traditional regression analysis, this method uses the concept of aggregation in the analysis to offer a new perspective on higher education administration in social science fields.

Implications for policy/practice

It is suggested that teachers should be able to apply core professional competencies to curriculum planning and provision of clear and systematic subject content knowledge as well as to make flexible adjustments in response to differences across disciplines (in such contexts as interdisciplinary teaching or fields visits). Furthermore, to facilitate the implementation of EMI policies, university administrations and departments should provide sufficient professional development opportunities for EMI teachers.