English‐medium‐instruction offered by EFL teachers: Implications from a tier‐three Chinese undergraduate EMI programme

Whilst EMI has been studied extensively across global higher education settings, the debate on EMI teachers' competence has still narrowly centred around English proficiency. Regarding EMI in China, most studies are conducted in top‐tier (tier‐one) universities, whereas little is known about EMI in low‐tier (tier‐three) universities. This study broadens the conversation by focusing on an EMI programme in a tier‐three university in China that hires teachers with only an EFL background to teach business subjects due to the lack of resources. Drawing on semi‐structured interviews with four EMI teachers with only an EFL background, this qualitative case study reveals that teachers' lack of business knowledge and students' comprehension of the class remain the main challenges for participants. Additionally, participants strategically used Chinese and self‐directed learning to bridge content gaps and expressed a strong need for systematic training, promoting the image of EMI and curriculum adjustments. The study broadens current understandings of EMI feasibility under constrained conditions. Furthermore, drawing on Shulman's (1986) teacher knowledge framework, this study advances the interpretation of EMI teacher competence as the dynamic interplay of linguistic competence, disciplinary knowledge and pedagogical competence, offering a comprehensive lens for analysing EMI teaching in diverse contexts. Context and implications Rationale for this study: Little is known about EMI implementation in tier‐three Chinese universities with inadequate resources, where EFL teachers without disciplinary expertise are appointed to teach content courses. Why the new findings matter: This study explores EFL teachers' perceptions of coping with EMI instruction and shows a more comprehensive way to assess and analyse EMI teacher competence by using Shulman's (1986) teacher knowledge framework. Implications for practitioners, policymakers and researchers: The findings indicate that successful EMI implementation relies not only on teachers' English proficiency but also on their disciplinary expertise and pedagogical flexibility. Universities should prioritise structured content training, foster collaborative teaching practices and adjust curricula to reinforce foundational disciplinary learning. Administrators need to acknowledge disparities across institutional tiers and provide targeted support accordingly. Researchers can adopt Shulman's (1986) teacher knowledge framework to comprehensively analyse EMI teachers' competence and examine EMI implementation within broader educational contexts.