POWER AND LANGUAGE USE IN EMI CLASSROOMS IN TÜRKİYE AND SOUTH KOREA: A MIXED-METHODS APPROACH TO EVALUATING STUDENT-PROFESSOR DYNAMICS

Date

2026-7-30

Author

Cho, David Hayoung

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This study investigated how power distance, language use, identity, and face shape student-professor relationships in two English-medium instruction (EMI) settings: a face-to-face classroom in Türkiye and an online classroom in South Korea. Adopting a convergent mixed-methods design and a maximum-variation logic, the study integrated survey data from 83 students, interviews with ten students and two professors, and classroom observations. Quantitative data were analyzed through descriptive statistics, reliability analysis, and Pearson correlations. The interview and classroom observation data were analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis. The analysis examined how English bridged, reshaped, or reinforced hierarchy and how participants negotiated respect, participation, academic roles, and relational identities through English and linguistic resources. The findings showed that hierarchy remained present in both contexts and English reduced visible linguistic marking of status but did not remove professors’ institutional authority. Qualitative findings suggest that English’s hierarchy-softening effect was more apparent in interactions with foreign interlocutors than with local professors. Turkish students’ use of hocam within English interaction demonstrated that local terms could be used to preserve respect, warmth, and institutional belonging. Participation was shaped by concerns about academic competency in English and peer judgment. Face-to-face instruction increased both embodied relational resources and public exposure, whereas the online setting enabled controlled visibility while preserving professor interactional control. The study concludes that EMI is a relational and cultural environment that reshapes, rather than removes, the negotiation of hierarchy, identity, and belonging.

Subject Keywords

English-Medium Instruction (EMI), Student-Professor Dynamics, Power Distance, Face Negotiation Theory, Politeness Theory

URI

https://hdl.handle.net/11511/119999

Collections

Graduate School of Social Sciences, Thesis