PREDICTING PERCEIVED DIFFICULTY OF ENGLISH MEDIUM INSTRUCTION (EMI) UNDERGRADUATE COURSES

Despite extensive research on students’ language-related difficulties, there is still little known about the predictors of difficulty of undergraduate courses for English Medium Instruction (EMI) students. The aim of the study was to investigate the predictive effect of several variables on the perceived difficulty of EMI from undergraduate students’ perspectives. Data came from a questionnaire applied to 511 undergraduate students from three EMI universities in Turkey. A binary logistic regression was used for the analysis of multiple determinants that could predict the difficulty of undergraduate courses as perceived by students. Findings indicated that gender, department, type of secondary school, the amount of time for self-study in English, duration and perceived usefulness of English preparatory training, and perceived ability in writing, speaking, and grammar were not statistically significant predictors of perceived difficulty. However, age, grade level, perceived ability in reading, listening, and vocabulary as well as receiving additional language support were found to be the significant predictors of the perceived difficulty in undergraduate courses in Turkish EMI settings. EMI students may benefit from orientation programs that can assist them in adjusting to university life, as well as personal academic advising that provides strategies for developing learning skills in undergraduate courses. Keywords: EMI students, undergraduate courses, perceived difficulty, logistic regression analysis