Students’ Challenges and Teacher’s Strategies in English-Medium Instruction Practices: Voices from Vocational High School

Authors

  • Adellia Ersanda Putri Purwanto Universitas Brawijaya, Indonesia
  • Frida Unsiah Universitas Brawijaya, Indonesia
  • Khairil Azwar Razali International Islamic University, Malaysia

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.33394/jollt.v14i4.19373

Keywords:

EMY issues, Vocational schools, Students’ challenges, Teachers’ strategies

Abstract

The use of EMI in vocational high schools is on the rise as part of efforts to improve students’ English proficiency and their competitiveness in the global workforce after graduation. However, the implementation of EMI still faces various challenges, particularly regarding students’ English proficiency levels, which necessitates the use of appropriate teaching strategies. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to identify the challenges faced by students as well as the strategies employed by teachers when implementing EMI in vocational high schools in Indonesia. This study uses a mixed-methods approach, involving 85 11th-grade students from three classes and a subject teacher who implements EMI. Students completed a questionnaire to collect quantitative data, while the teacher conducted semi-structured interviews to gather qualitative data. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, while qualitative data were analyzed using thematic analysis. The findings indicate that students still rely on translators, have difficulty following the teacher’s instructions in English, and lack confidence in interacting in English during the learning process. To address these challenges, the teacher implemented various strategies when using EMI, including language simplification, translanguaging, material repetition, peer tutoring, and game-based learning to enhance student engagement during the learning process. The results of this study also indicate that the successful implementation of EMI in vocational high schools requires gradual language support, adequate teacher preparation, and contextualized translanguaging procedures.

Author Biographies

Adellia Ersanda Putri Purwanto, Universitas Brawijaya

Adellia Ersanda Putri Purwanto is a student in Study Program of English Language Education, Faculty of Cultural Studies, Universitas Brawijaya. Her research interests include English Medium Instruction (EMI) and English for Specific Purposes (ESP).

Frida Unsiah, Universitas Brawijaya

Dr. Frida Unsiah, M.Pd is a lecturer of Study Program of English Language Education at the Faculty of Cultural Studies, Universitas Brawijaya. She enrolled her Master and Doctorate Degrees in ELT at Universitas Negeri Malang. Her research interests are English Medium Instruction (EMI), Bilingualism, English for Specific Purposes (ESP), and Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL). 

Khairil Azwar Razali, International Islamic University

English LanguageDepartment, Faculty of Sustainable Tourism and Contemporary Languages, International Islamic University, Malaysia

References

Akmal, M. M., & Unsiah, F. (2025). Speaking challenges and strategies in English medium instruction (EMI): Integrating language learning with vocational skills for vocational high school students. Journal on English as a Foreign Language, 15(2). https://doi.org/10.23971/jefl.v15i2.9806

Galloway, N., Numajiri, T., & Rees, N. (2020). The ‘internationalisation’, or ‘Englishisation’, of higher education in East Asia. Higher Education, 80(3), 395–414. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-019-00486-1

Han, Z. (2023). In English medium instruction you can walk and chew gum. Frontiers in Psychology, 14, Article 1134982. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1134982

Jarar, S. P., & Kurniawati, F. (2025). Language barrier and its impacts on motivation and academic achievement among international students at Universitas Indonesia. Jurnal Pendidikan Humaniora, 13(1), 44–56. https://doi.org/10.17977/um011v13i12025p44-56

Kamila, A. S., & Unsiah, F. (2024). Pre-service teachers’ perspectives on the use of translanguaging at vocational high school. International Young Scholars Journal of Languages, 7.

Khadka, B. K. (2025). English medium instruction in South Asia: Addressing equity and inclusion in education. AMC Multidisciplinary Research Journal, 4(1). https://doi.org/10.3126/amrj.v4i1.78677

Kurniati, M. (2023). Students’ perceptions of English medium instruction (EMI) in secondary school bilingual classes: A case study. Jurnal Pendidikan Bahasa dan Sastra, 23(2). https://doi.org/10.17509/bs_jpbsp.v23i2.68687

Lai, H., & Idris, H. B. (2025). A review on English-medium instruction (EMI) in teaching and its effects on university students’ English proficiency and content learning. Forum for Linguistic Studies, 7(1). https://doi.org/10.30564/fls.v7i1.8107

Macaro, E. (2018). English medium instruction: Content and language in policy and practice. Oxford University Press.

Mahara, K. K. (2023). Implementing English medium instruction in Nepalese public schools: Teachers’ perceptions. KMC Journal, 5(1). https://doi.org/10.3126/kmcj.v5i1.52454

Manan, S. A., & Hajar, A. (2024). Understanding English medium instruction (EMI) policy from the perspectives of STEM content teachers in Kazakhstan. TESOL Journal, 15(4), Article e847. https://doi.org/10.1002/tesj.847

Nowell, L. S., Norris, J. M., White, D. E., & Moules, N. J. (2017). Thematic analysis: Striving to meet the trustworthiness criteria. International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 16(1), 1–13. https://doi.org/10.1177/1609406917733847

Nyoni, P., Ahmed, R., Philogene, M., & Khaing, T. (2023). Implementation of English as a medium of instruction policy in schools: A systematic review. Open Journal of Social Sciences, 11. https://doi.org/10.4236/jss.2023.1112030

Ojha, J. R. (2022). Attitudes of secondary level teachers towards EMI in English medium schools of Mahendranagar. Journal of Bhuwani Shankar, 1.

Rahman, A. S., & Unsiah, F. (2025). Students’ perceptions of Google Translate use in English learning: Vocational high school context. Journal of English Education and Linguistics Studies, 12(1). https://doi.org/10.30762/jeels.v12i2.5000

Rahman, M. M., & Hu, G. (2025). Translanguaging and trans-semiotizing in English-medium classrooms: Upholding university’s policies or constructing knowledge? Linguistics and Education, 87, Article 101424. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.linged.2025.101424

Richards, J. C., & Pun, J. (2022). Teacher strategies in implementing English medium instruction. ELT Journal, 76(2), 227–237. https://doi.org/10.1093/elt/ccab081

Rifiyanti, H., & Dewi, D. U. (2023). English as a medium of instruction (EMI) in learning practice: Perspectives and strategies of educators. Tamaddun: Jurnal Bahasa, Sastra dan Budaya, 22(2). https://doi.org/10.33096/tamaddun.v22i2.551

Riyanto, S., Mudofir, & Rohmadi, Y. (2025). Analysis of the alignment between vocational high school (SMK) study programs and the competency needs of the workforce based on regional requirements: A case study in Bogor. Jurnal Ilmu Manajemen, 13(1). https://doi.org/10.56457/jimk.v13i1.611

Simbolon, N. E. (2023). English medium instruction (EMI) in higher education: Insights from Indonesian vocational lecturers. Journal of Ultimate Research and Trends in Education, 5(1). https://doi.org/10.31849/utamax.v5i1.9973

Spolsky, B. (2004). Language policy. Cambridge University Press.

Ubaidah, R., & Unsiah, F. (2024). EMI in higher education: Exploring students’ challenges and strategies in ELT classroom. International Young Scholars Journal of Languages, 7.

Unsiah, F., Mukminatien, N., Anugerahwati, M., Astuti, U. P., & Megawati, F. (2024). Students’ voices in English medium instruction based on lengths of English exposure. MEXTESOL Journal, 48(2).

Wu, J.-F., & Tsai, H.-L. (2024). Research trends in English as a medium of instruction: A bibliometric analysis. Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, 45(5), 1792–1811. https://doi.org/10.1080/01434632.2022.2088767

Yuan, L., Fang, F., & Hu, G. (2024). Are students prepared and supported for English medium instruction in Chinese higher education to promote educational equality? System, 125, Article 103423. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2024.103423

Downloads

Published

2026-10-12

How to Cite

Purwanto, A. E. P., Unsiah, F., & Razali, K. A. (2026). Students’ Challenges and Teacher’s Strategies in English-Medium Instruction Practices: Voices from Vocational High School. JOLLT Journal of Languages and Language Teaching, 14(4), 1443–1455. https://doi.org/10.33394/jollt.v14i4.19373

Issue

Vol. 14 No. 4 (2026): October

Section

Articles

Citation Check

License

Copyright (c) 2026 Adellia Ersanda Putri Purwanto, Frida Unsiah, Khairil Azwar Razali

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

License and Publishing Agreement
In submitting the manuscript to the journal, the authors certify that:

  1. They are authorized by their co-authors to enter into these arrangements.
  2. The work described has not been formally published before, except in the form of an abstract or as part of a published lecture, review, thesis, or overlay journal.
  3. That it is not under consideration for publication elsewhere,
  4. That its publication has been approved by all the author(s) and by the responsible authorities – tacitly or explicitly – of the institutes where the work has been carried out.
  5. They secure the right to reproduce any material that has already been published or copyrighted elsewhere.
  6. They agree to the following license and publishing agreement.

Copyright
Authors who publish with JOLLT Journal of Languages and Language Teaching agree to the following terms:

  1. Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY-SA 4.0) that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgment of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
  2. Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgment of its initial publication in this journal.
  3. Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work.

Licensing for Data Publication

JOLLT Journal of Languages and Language Teaching uses a variety of waivers and licenses, that are specifically designed for and appropriate for the treatment of data:
Other data publishing licenses may be allowed as exceptions (subject to approval by the editor on a case-by-case basis) and should be justified with a written statement from the author, which will be published with the article.

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.