Sustainable English Language Development among EFL Transfer Students: Perspectives from Diploma Graduates at King Faisal University
Keywords:
academic literacy; EFL transfer students; English-medium Instruction; language development; disciplinary communicationAbstract
The expansion of English-medium instruction in higher education has increased the academic communication demands placed on EFL students, particularly those transitioning from diploma to bachelor-level programs. There is increasing studies on EMI and academic literacies, while less has focused on language development for transfer students in the context of disciplinary learning environments. This study examines the issue of sustainable language development of EFL transfer students at King Faisal University. This study used a qualitative exploratory approach, and respondents were 24 transfer students in EMI program. Semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions were used to collect data, which was then analyzed using thematic analysis. Results showed four main problems: academic literacy issues, oral communication limitations, lexical limitations and competing academic priorities. Participants experienced the difficulty with the discipline-specific use of vocabulary, classroom interaction and adaptation to academic writing after transition into bachelor level study. The results indicate that communication difficulties were not just a result of the individual's language level, but also the demands of the academic workload and learning conditions of EMI programs. The study suggests that it is important to provide EMI transfer students with academic communication support within a discipline course to improve their long-term language development.
https://doi.org/10.26803/ijlter.25.6.35
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Copyright (c) 2026 Ghassan Adnan Hasan, Taleb Falah Alsharari, Sultan Yazeed Alfaifi, Asma Khaleel Buradha
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