Internationalization Through Language and Literacy in the Spanish- and English-Medium Education Context

What is it about?

In light of the growing internationalization of higher education (HE), the Spanish higher education space is adopting a series of strategic plans to enhance the quality of education and research and to better address the educational needs of students and society. One of the main drivers underpinning these strategic policies is language. Spain seeks to strengthen the international profile of its HE system by promoting English medium education (EME) – an added value to its already consolidated Spanish medium programs. Although at policy level, equating EME with internationalization is a likely effective measure, the reality at classroom level is not without its challenges. Lecturers for whom English is an foreign language (FL) are often unaware of the specific linguistic skills necessary for them to cope with the communicative demands of the EME classroom (e.g., constructing disciplinary knowledge and interacting with their also non-native English-speaking students). This chapter describes and reflects on the role of language in the Spanish EME context and the importance of teacher talk in the development and learning of disciplinary literacy and epistemology at university level.

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