Abstract

In this talk, I raise two key issues concerning research in the rapidly expanding field ofEnglish medium instruction (EMI). The first is the need for more critical reflection onresearching multilingually in EMI , as multilingual research approaches are crucial tocarrying out effective and ethically responsible research. Reflecting on my own EMIresearch along with a group of fellow EMI researchers (see McKinley et al., 2023), I willshow how multilingual approaches can be utilised throughout the research process, fromteam formation, research design, data collection, data analysis, and presentation offindings in research reports. The second is the need for more critical reflection on basingEMI research on systematic reviews, such as the oft cited one by Macaro et al. (2018),and other secondary research. I argue that there is cause for concern in the quickexpansion of EMI research that this systematic review may be cited as a source ofresearch agenda or methodological advice without explicit criticality. I conclude the talkwith suggestions for future EMI research, particularly that researchers take a holisticview of what EMI research is in terms of methodology (including multilingual aspects),researcher identity, and which questions are important.