| Summary: | This article examines the relationship between Japanese undergraduate
students’ English language proficiency and English language-related
challenges faced when studying an international business course through
English. It also examines English language proficiency thresholds students
need to reach in each academic skill (i.e. reading, listening, speaking and
writing) to experience a lower level of linguistic challenges. A total of 264
students were surveyed in Tokyo, Japan, and 13 follow-up interviews were
conducted. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses confirmed the
underlying factors in the EMI Challenges Scale loaded onto a priori
assumptions of dimensions falling along skill-based constructs. Analysis of
questionnaire data revealed that English language proficiency (i.e. TOEIC
score) was a statistically significant predictor of challenges in the EMI
programme. While no clear discernible threshold was observed, the differences
in perceived ease of study at different levels of English proficiency influenced
the challenges students reported for each academic skill. Interview data
uncovered the multi-faceted nature of how the thresholds are determined not
only by language proficiency but also by other factors, such as prior content
knowledge, motivation, and the classroom learning environment. Practical
implications for pedagogy are also discussed.
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