English Medium Instruction Lessons in a Science Class for Primary School Students
Article Sidebar
Main Article Content
Abstract
This mixed-methods study investigated the effects of integrating Merrill’s First Principles of Instruction (FPI), the English-for-Teaching (EfT) framework, and Inquiry-Based Learning (IBL) in an English Medium Instruction (EMI) primary science classroom in Thailand. The study examined their impact on Grade 5 students’ science process skills (SPS) and science vocabulary (SV) achievement. Thirty students were selected through cluster sampling from a private school in Eastern Thailand. Six EMI science lessons were designed by embedding EfT principles within FPI’s task-centered instructional cycle and structuring inquiry tasks through IBL. Quantitative data were collected through pretest-posttest assessments, while qualitative data were obtained from classroom observations and researcher reflections. Paired-samples t-tests revealed a statistically significant improvement in SPS and a more moderate but significant improvement in SV. Thematic analysis indicated enhanced scientific reasoning, engagement, and contextual vocabulary use, although challenges in lexical precision persisted. The findings suggest that integrating instructional design of FPI, disciplinary inquiry (IBL), and teacher language mediation (EfT) can support dual-domain development in EMI primary science classrooms. This study contributes empirical evidence to the under-researched area of primary EMI in Thailand and offers transferable pedagogical implications for similar EFL contexts.
Article Details
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Materials in THAITESOL JOURNAL may be photocopied for educational purposes. Under no circumstances may any part of this journal be photocopied for commercial purposes.
References
An, J., & Thomas, N. (2021). Students’ beliefs about the role of interaction for science learning and language learning in EMI science classes: Evidence from high schools in China. Linguistics and Education, 65, Article 100972. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.linged.2021.100972
Basturkmen, H. (2025). Learning a specialized register: An English for Specific Purposes research agenda. Language Teaching, 58(1), 57–68. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0261444823000472
Block, D. (2021). Emergent STEM lecturer identities: The shaping effects of EMI in action in an internationalised and Englishised HE context. Language Teaching, 54(3), 388–406. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0261444820000221
Bonello, C. (2020). Teaching science in multilingual contexts: An exploratory study into the experiences and insights of Maltese science teachers as they learn about teaching in multilingual scenarios. International Journal of Science Education, 42(14), 2407–2425. https://doi.org/10.1080/09500693.2020.1725173
Bybee, R. W., Bloom, M., Phillips, J., & Knapp, N. (2005). Doing science: The process of scientific inquiry. National Institute of General Medical Sciences.
Damopolii, I., Botutihe, V. T., & Nunaki, J. H. (2019). The contribution of science process skill towards students’ cognitive achievement through guided inquiry-based learning. Journal of Physics: Conference Series, 1317(1), Article 012184. https://doi.org/10.1088/1742-6596/1317/1/012184
Freeman, D., Katz, A., Garcia Gomez, P., & Burns, A. (2015). English-for-teaching: Rethinking teacher proficiency in the classroom. ELT Journal, 69(2), 129–139. https://doi.org/10.1093/elt/ccu074
Galloway, N., & Rose, H. (2021). English medium instruction and the English language practitioner. ELT Journal, 75(1), 33–41. https://doi.org/10.1093/elt/ccaa063
Galloway, N., & Sahan, K. (2021). An investigation into English medium instruction in higher education in Thailand and Vietnam. British Council.
Gilanyi, L., Gao, X. A., & Wang, S. (2023). EMI and CLIL in Asian schools: A scoping review of empirical research between 2015 and 2022. Heliyon, 9(6), Article e16365. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e16365
Gunawan, G., Harjono, A., Hermansyah, H., & Herayanti, L. (2019). Guided inquiry model through virtual laboratory to enhance students’ science process skills on heat concept. Jurnal Cakrawala Pendidikan, 38(2), 259–268. https://doi.org/10.21831/cp.v38i2.23345
Handayani, S., Setyarini, S., & Rinekso, A. B. (2022). Exploring the typology, teachers’ perceptions, and challenges of EMI implementation at a private primary school. JET (Journal of English Teaching Adi Buana), 7(1), 1–16. https://doi.org/10.36456/jet.v7.n01.2022.4544
Hao, H., & Yamada, M. (2021). Review of research on content and language integrated learning classes from the perspective of the first principles of instruction. Information and Technology in Education and Learning, 1(1), Article Rvw-p001. https://doi.org/10.12937/itel.1.1.Rvw.p001
Henschel, S., Heppt, B., & Hardy, I. (2023). Structure and associations of science vocabulary, general academic vocabulary, and science knowledge. The Journal of Educational Research, 116(6), 356–370. https://doi.org/10.1080/00220671.2023.2269545
Hong, J., & Basturkmen, H. (2020). Incidental attention to academic language during content teaching in two EMI classes in South Korean high schools. Journal of English for Academic Purposes, 48, Article 100921. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jeap.2020.100921
Kulapian, P., Polyiem, T., & Chittranun, T. (2023). Using the 5Es model on inquiry-based learning to develop Grade 6 student science learning. Journal of Educational Issues, 9(1), 368–378. https://doi.org/10.5296/jei.v9i1.20613
Liu, Y. (2022). Exploring bilingual learners’ desires in English-medium studies: Evidence from a Thai private bilingual school. International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism, 25(1), 80–99. https://doi.org/10.1080/13670050.2019.1631750
Lo, C. K., Lie, C. W., & Hew, K. F. (2018). Applying “first principles of instruction” as a design theory of the flipped classroom: Findings from a collective study of four secondary school subjects. Computers & Education, 118, 150–165. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2017.12.003
Macaro, E. (2018). English medium instruction. Oxford University Press.
Merrill, M. D. (2002). First principles of instruction. Educational Technology Research and Development, 50(3), 43–59. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02505024
Nation, P., & Meara, P. (2013). Vocabulary. In An introduction to applied linguistics (pp. 44–62). Routledge.
Penthisarn, T., & Phusawisot, P. (2021). Perceptions of Thai teachers of English towards English medium instruction: A case study of a local primary school. Journal of English Language Teaching and Applied Linguistics, 3(9), 13–21. https://doi.org/10.32996/jeltal.2021.3.9.2
Pun, J., Thomas, N., & Bowen, N. E. J. A. (2022). Questioning the sustainability of English-medium instruction policy in science classrooms: Teachers’ and students’ experiences at a Hong Kong secondary school. Sustainability, 14(4), Article 2168. https://doi.org/10.3390/su14042168
Pun, J. K., Fu, X., & Cheung, K. K. C. (2024). Language challenges and coping strategies in English medium instruction (EMI) science classrooms: A critical review of literature. Studies in Science Education, 60(1), 121–152. https://doi.org/10.1080/03057267.2023.2188704
Rachmajanti, S., Anugerahwati, M., & Unsiah, F. (2023). A profile of primary school students’ literacy through EMI in CLIL contexts. JEES (Journal of English Educators Society), 8(2), Article 1802. https://doi.org/10.21070/jees.v8i2.1802
Toyon, M. A. S. (2021). Explanatory sequential design of mixed methods research: Phases and challenges. International Journal of Research in Business and Social Science, 10(5), 253–260. https://doi.org/10.20525/ijrbs.v10i5.1262
Truong, M. T., Elen, J., & Clarebout, G. (2019). Implementing Merrill’s first principles of instruction: Practice and identification. Journal of Educational and Instructional Studies in the World, 9(2), 14–28.
Van Orman, D. S., Ardasheva, Y., Carbonneau, K. J., & Firestone, J. B. (2021). Examining the impacts of extended vocabulary instruction in mixed-English-proficiency science classrooms. The Journal of Educational Research, 114(1), 74–88. https://doi.org/10.1080/00220671.2021.1881754
Venida, A. C. (2021). Integration of explicit vocabulary instruction in teaching science. Journal of Research, Policy & Practice of Teachers & Teacher Education, 11(2). https://doi.org/10.37134/jrpptte.vol11.2.1.2021
Widiawati, D., & Savski, K. (2023). Primary-level English-medium instruction in a minority language community: Any space for the local language? Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, 44(4), 275–287. https://doi.org/10.1080/01434632.2020.1817044
Yorganci, S. (2020). Implementing flipped learning approach based on “first principles of instruction” in mathematics courses. Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, 36(5), 763–779. https://doi.org/10.1111/jcal.12448
Zhou, S., Fung, D., & Thomas, N. (2025). Towards deeper learning in EMI lectures: The role of English proficiency and motivation in students’ deep processing of content knowledge. Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, 46(7), 1749–1764. https://doi.org/10.1080/01434632.2023.2248078
