The overarching aim of this study was to investigate EFL students’ challenges in English-medium business programmes from the perspectives of both students and content teachers. English medium instruction (EMI) has been increasingly used in business study programmes in higher education institutions in English as second/foreign language (ESL/EFL) contexts around the world. Consequently, there has been a growing body of research reporting the experiences of both EMI teachers and students utilizing EMI, particularly in European contexts. However, there is little attention given to EMI in the Middle East and the North and sub-Saharan African contexts. This paper duly reports findings from a large study of students’ experiences on an EMI Master of Business Administration (MBA) programme in Sudan. A qualitative ethnographically-oriented methodology was adopted involving three methods of data collection namely, interviews, classroom observations and collection and analysis of some documentary data. Twenty-one MBA students and ten subject teachers took part in the investigation. Results showed that students experienced a range of challenges which were reportedly perceived to have impacted on students’ academic performance and experiences on the programme negatively. Pedagogical implications for both EMI business education and English for academic purposes (EAP) are presented and discussed.

English Medium Instruction (EMI) has been increasingly used in higher education institutions (HEIs) in the Sultanate of Oman, and the English-taught degree programs have been offered in different disciplines. The adoption of EMI seems to have potential challenges for both teachers and students. While previous EMI studies have attempted to identify and classify these challenges, particularly those of EMI students, little research thus far seems to have focused on EMI subject teacher challenges and training needs. The present study fills this gap by exploring the issue in the Omani EMI tertiary context with a view to better informing EMI teacher education and professional development. A qualitative methodology, with both interviews and classroom observations, was adopted. The data was coded and analyzed thematically and inductively. Results showed that participants encountered both linguistic and pedagogical challenges. Participants also reported their needs for training and professional development. Pedagogical implications and recommendations for EMI content teacher education and professional development are presented and discussed.

Business, as a study area, attracts many students on English-medium programmes in ESL/EFL (English as a second language / English as a foreign language). However, there has been scarce research on business studies in literature on EAP (English for academic purposes). Many previous studies have predominantly focused on business classroom written genres and less attention has been paid to students’ needs and other skills necessary for successful coping with English-medium business programmes. This study attempts to fill this gap by moving further beyond and not solely focusing on written genres, but also exploring business students’ learning needs and skills on an English-medium master of business administration (MBA) programme in Sudan from both students’ and subject content teachers’ perspectives. The main objective is to inform both business education and EAP provision in the context and beyond. A qualitative methodology was adopted, involving semi-structured interviews as the main method of data collection. Data was collected in two visits made to the study site and 31 participants: 10 teachers and 21 students took part in the investigation. Data analysis results showed that there was a range of language skills, believed to be necessary for effective study. Results also showed that participants held different views about the importance and priority of these needs and skills. Pedagogical implications for both business education and EAP will be presented and discussed.

Contract cheating, or “ghostwriting” as it is more commonly known, has become a growing threat to academic integrity in Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) across the world. This survey-based empirical research duly reviews a substantial body of the relevant literature of contract cheating or “ghostwriting” and it looks into this serious and often undetectable phenomenon with the view of exposing some of the implications of this practice and proposing a holistic approach that could assist educators to curb the practice. Focusing on the Omani higher education context, this paper empirically explores this issue from the perspectives of teachers in HEIs with the view of highlighting the seriousness of contract cheating to academic integrity and then making recommendations for HEIs and educators to combat the practice. Three main research questions were addressed: (1) How do teachers in higher education institutions perceive contract cheating? (2) In what way do they believe contract cheating affects academic integrity in HE? (3) What can be done to curb the practice of contract cheating? A qualitative methodology with an open-ended survey and follow-up interviews for the data collection was used. 30 participants voluntarily took part in this research. The findings showed that teachers viewed ghostwriting as a form of plagiarism. They also reported that there were negative consequences on the academic integrity of the assessed written work required of the students enrolled in different degree programmes in the Oman HEIs. At the same time, they made suggestions on ways to combat and curb the practice, such as manual verification and awareness-raising. The data informed both the pedagogical implications highlighted in this study and our recommendations.

Research has shown a wide range of benefits from teacher research engagement in the advancement of pedagogy, teacher’s personal growth and their professional development. Focusing on an Omani English as a Foreign Language (EFL) tertiary context, the present study explores EFL teachers’ views and perceptions about research engagement with the view of informing the practice as part of a transformative Continuing Professional Development (CPD) model. The investigation uncovers Omani teachers’ perceptions about the extent to which teachers engage in research, the lack of research engagement among teachers and their suggestions for increasing and sustaining teacher research engagement. The study adopted a qualitative methodology with semi-structured interviews being the main method of data collection. Twenty Omani EFL teachers took part in this research and face-to-face tape-recorded interviews were conducted with the participants. The interview data was transcribed and coded thematically and inductively. Results showed that there was no consensus as to what research engagement was, yielding no generalisable or conclusive data. However, the teachers did report several personal and institutional challenges, which enriched the data on their proportions on a range of ways whereby the level of teacher research engagement could be fostered and sustained. The interviews informed the recommendations of this research and are presented and discussed to advance the practice of research engagement as a transformative CPD model.