The Impact of a Custom-Published Textbook on Learning and Participation among EMI Freshmen

In recent years, the English language proficiency requirements for enrolment in Englishtaught programs at Taiwanese Universities have been in decline. Given the reserved nature of Taiwanese students and the proficiency requirements in decline, this poses significant challenges that require unique solutions. Therefore, in order to resolve these issues, a Financial English for Beginners textbook was custom published by the course instructor. To evaluate the effectiveness of the customized textbook, a comparative study was conducted involving two student cohorts. Each student cohort used a different textbook and their performance on a standardized test and participation levels were compared. The control group used a commercially available textbook, while the experimental group utilized the custom-published textbook. The Welch’s ttest was utilized to compare the performance of the two groups. It was found that the experimental group significantly outperformed the control group as they achieved higher test scores and demonstrated greater levels of classroom participation. This research paper addresses a newly emerging issue in Taiwan that, to date, has not yet been investigated in this manner in existing literature. Furthermore, the value of custom-published textbooks is highlighted in this study as they address the unique linguistic and cultural challenges faced by EMI learners under English-Medium Instruction settings.