A Literature-Informed English Language Support Syllabus for Secondary-School Learners in an English-Medium Instruction Context

Abstract

English-medium instruction (EMI) can broaden access to academic knowledge, yet it may disadvantage secondary-school learners who lack the English needed to understand explanations, read informational texts, participate in discussion, and demonstrate subject knowledge. This design study develops a literature-informed English-language support syllabus for learners with developing proficiency in an EMI context. A focused review combined curriculum-design scholarship with recent research on EMI support, English for Academic Purposes, content-linked language learning, scaffolding, differentiation, multilingual pedagogy, and action-oriented assessment. The sources were coded thematically and translated into design specifications through Nation and Macalister’s curriculum-design cycle. Five requirements emerged: needs-based relevance, explicit academic-language instruction, structured links to subject learning, inclusive and differentiated support, and performance-based alignment. The proposed one-year syllabus contains thirty-two 90-minute sessions in five modules: Academic English Foundations, Content-Linked Language Learning, Communication for EMI Learning, Academic Literacy Development, and Independent Academic Communication. It includes provisional entry expectations, observable outcomes, spiral progression, formative and summative assessment, and an evaluation plan. Because no local needs data, expert validation, or pilot evidence were collected, the syllabus remains a prototype requiring contextual adaptation and empirical evaluation before institutional adoption.