Students Get Worse Results in English-Taught Courses
More and more universities in non-English-speaking countries have begun offering degree programs taught in the English language.
From Denmark to Japan, the Netherlands and Egypt, students can take thousands of courses that are taught in English.
But a new study has found that these courses may have a negative impact on students' outcomes — for those who do not speak English as their first language.
Researchers from Sweden did a test with more than 2,200 students who had signed up for an online programming course.
The students were put randomly into two groups — one group took the course in Swedish, while the other did the same course in English.
The researchers looked at the number of test questions that students answered correctly during their programs. They found that those who took the Swedish course answered 73% more questions correctly on average.
They also looked at how many students completed the courses, and found that those who studied in English dropped out at a 25% greater rate.
One of the study's authors, Hans Malmström, said he and his team were surprised by the results, adding that he hoped they would lead to a larger discussion about teaching courses in the English language.
According to the website Study in Sweden, students in the country can study thousands of courses taught in English at all levels — courses in "almost anything," apart from a few things like medicine, dentistry and teaching.
These courses are popular with Swedish students who want to get an English-language qualification without leaving their own country, but they also attract many international students.
