Being taught in English has a significantly negative impact on learning outcomes and dropout rates when it is not a student¡¯s first language, according to a new study.

The study, by the KTH Royal Institute of Technology and Chalmers University of Technology, raises questions about the merits of such a large proportion of English-language teaching in countries such as Sweden.

Researchers from the two universities randomly divided about 2,300 Swedish students into identical English-language and Swedish-language versions of an introductory course in programming, which were entirely self-paced and digital.

The findings,?, show that those who studied in Swedish gave the correct answers to 73 per cent more test questions on average.

É«ºÐÖ±²¥

¡°It¡¯s important to remember that the only difference here is the language of instruction,¡± said Olle B?lter, associate professor in human-computer interaction and one of the researchers from KTH.

¡°The fact that the students on the Swedish-language course performed significantly better indicates that the use of English as the language of instruction can have a negative impact on learning under certain circumstances.¡±

É«ºÐÖ±²¥

And the researchers found that 25 per cent more students dropped out of the English-language version of the course.

¡°Someone who drops out is not likely to have learnt as much as someone who completes the course,¡± said Viggo Kann, professor of computer science at KTH.

¡°So, in this respect too we see that English as the language of instruction can lead to poorer learning outcomes.¡±

Learning in English,?which is increasingly used as the language of instruction in higher education?in Sweden and across the world, should be at least as effective as that in a student¡¯s first language, according to the researchers.

É«ºÐÖ±²¥

They said their findings?cast doubt on this assumption?and that under certain circumstances it could have negative consequences, but cautioned that it was too soon to jump to conclusions.

¡°It is important to remember that a single study should not be used as the basis for a radical overhaul of?the language or teaching policy in higher education, neither at local nor national level,¡± said Hans Malmstr?m, professor in the department of communication and learning in science at Chalmers.

¡°However, we believe the results from this research can contribute to a more informed discussion about the consequences of using English as the language of instruction.¡±

patrick.jack@timeshighereducation.com