A comparison study of the perception of learner autonomy and their needs between UNNC and STU with EMI implementation

At the tertiary level, one of the essential goals is to enhance autonomous learners with independence and responsibility for their learning. The importance of learner autonomy as a multidimensional concept has increasingly been recognized by researchers and a significant body of studies exploring learner autonomy in language learning. However, within this area, research is insufficient on specific contexts of English medium instruction (EMI). University of Nottingham, Ningbo, China (UNNC) is the first Sino-foreign cooperative university (SFCU) that has applied EMI. Shantou University (STU), a first-tier comprehensive university in China, has implemented EMI to non-English majors. Owing to the highly context-dependent characteristics, cultural backgrounds of EMI implementation matter. Even under the broad Chinese higher educational contexts, the EMI practice of the above two universities differs. It may lead to disparate needs of learners and different understandings of autonomous learning since autonomy is ladened with cultural values. Nevertheless, few studies consider different cultural contexts in exploring comparisons of non-English majors’ perceptions of autonomous learning and its relation to needs in receiving EMI. Therefore, to address the gap, this empirical study aims to compare first- and second-year non-English majored undergraduates’ needs for EMI study and their perceptions of autonomous learning between UNNC and STU. The significance of understanding the specific needs of non-English EFL learners and their perceptions of autonomous learning in two universities is more likely for practitioners to offer practical support to help learners take responsibility for their learning with independence. A mixed-method approach is conducted using quantitative and qualitative methods to enrich the findings. The research design is in line with the explanatory sequence, data collection starts with the self-report questionnaire survey. Then follows with in-depth semi-structured interviews. The implication of this study is to provide insight into the understanding of the diverse thoughts of autonomy in different contexts receiving EMI. Specifically, through comparisons, this study probably offers inspiration to leaders on the consideration of EMI non-English majors’ curriculum design in order to enhance learner autonomy. In addition, practitioners from two universities are encouraged to learn from each other to adopt approaches consisting of cultural synergy to promote teaching practices.