A Comprehensive Approach to Language-Related Episodes (LREs) in English-Medium Instruction: Typology, Multimodal Nature, and Lecturers’ Beliefs

Abstract

This study explores the use of Language-Related Episodes (LREs) in English-Medium Instruction (EMI) settings: spontaneous moments when attention shifts from content to language. Through a case study of two lecturers in Mechanical Engineering and Business Management at a Spanish university, it draws on audiovisual recordings and interview data. The study explores the LREs’ typologies, multimodal features, and the lecturers’ beliefs on their practices. Findings indicate that LREs are scarce and call for new categories in the classification of LREs, emphasizing their collaborative and context-specific nature. A multimodal lens highlights the significant role of gestures, gaze, and visuals in reinforcing meaning, while lecturers, however, showed partial awareness of their use of multimodality. The study highlights LREs’ potential to address language barriers, improve communication, and support students’ academic and linguistic development in EMI contexts, and thus, advocates for integrating LRE into EMI teacher training to foster alignment between language and content.