Future research should examine EMI’s effects on English
proficiency over a longer period of time, which will enable a more confident conclusion. Second, because of a possible mismatch between the proficiency tests used in this study and the type of language proficiency targeted at in EMI, future research needs to employ proven measures of subject-specific English competence. As Swain (2000) pointed out, “it would seem crucial, if we are to measure the learning that occurs as a result of the research ‘treatment,’ that we tailor our tests to what happens during that treatment” (p. 206). Third, there is a clear need to study the effects of EMI on subject content learning and on how language and
content learning interact with each other because after all the paramount goal of EM programs is that students will learn the required curricular content. If subject content learning suffers as a result of EMI, the raison d’etre of such instruction is seriously undermined. Finally, although EM courses and programs have mushroomed at universities across mainland China, their quality remains largely
unexamined. The findings of this study point to a clear need for policymakers to give careful consideration to empirical evidence concerning whether and to what