The roles of gender, English language proficiency, and socioeconomic status in English medium instruction academic outcome in higher education

This study investigated the roles of gender, English language proficiency, and socioeconomic status (SES) in higher education English Medium Instruction (EMI) academic outcome. 183 Vietnamese business undergraduates participated in the study. Their International English Language Testing System (IELTS) scores in all four skills of listening, reading, speaking, and writing were collected as a measure of their English language proficiency. Their EMI course scores were collected as evidence of EMI academic outcome. A survey questionnaire was also delivered to the participants to collect information about their gender and SES. The results showed that English language proficiency, especially speaking and reading skills, significantly predicted EMI academic outcome. Gender did not have a significant relationship with EMI outcome. As for SES factors, after English language proficiency and gender were controlled for, three SES factors were significant predictors of EMI outcome: mother’s occupation (positive effect), father’s occupation (negative effect), and family income (negative effect). Neither father’s nor mother’s level of education showed a significant association with EMI outcome. Implications for EMI pedagogy and policies in higher education will be discussed.