This study investigates the enactment of English as a medium of instruction (EMI) within Finnish vocational education, a context which recently began to attract wider interest due to national and global shifts in language policy, mobility and labour market demands. Traditionally characterized by a strong national commitment to bilingualism in Finnish and Swedish, it has increasingly incorporated English into educational (students) and professional (teachers) domains. Despite this, existing research demonstrates that EMI within Finnish education remains under researched, and within VET it is even more scarcely researched despite its central role in the national economic and labour market strategies. As a result, very little is known about how vocational teachers enact EMI in daily pedagogical practice, how they navigate and interpret the policy, and how they negotiate and respond to shifting language expectations. The objective of this study is to draw research attention to the hidden complexities of vocational teachers’ policy enactment. We ask i) how vocational teachers can be supported to mobilise their knowledge as experts of the profession/vocation, in a linguistically diverse learning environment? ii) How can a linguistically responsive pedagogy intervention support vocational teachers’ language strategy and pedagogical strategy in their use of EMI?

Considering that Finland is situated as a country where English functions primarily as a foreign language rather than an institutionalized national medium, the Finnish VET sector presents a particularly compelling context for examining the integration of English into vocational teaching, a relatively new and evolving phenomenon. To capture the nuances of English varieties in a learning environment and teachers’ linguistic competence, we apply Kachru’s model of World Englishes (1985) to conceptualise English in Finland as belonging to the Expanding Circle, and the Finnish vocational education as an emerging context of EMI.

Using the theory of policy enactment (Ball, et al., 2011) and the theory of social practice and the historical production of persons (Holland & Lave, 2019) as a theoretical framework for this study, vocational teachers are positioned as active policy actors and knowledge brokers (Lockton et al., 2022). While the theory of policy enactment highlights the importance of locating contexts which shape, constrain and modify enactment, the theory of social practice highlights the integrated study of persons, local practice and their long-term historically institutionalized struggles. Both theories contribute to the discourse of historical productions of person(professions), considering that vocational teachers tend to be neglected in VET policy research. Therefore, re-conceptualizing vocational teachers as knowledge brokers and positioning them as connectors who, through their brokering relationship, ensure that knowledge is mobilized from where it is produced to where it is needed- disconnected others. 

This paper aims to contribute to the discourse about knowing and acting in the midst of uncertainties and poly-crisis of current conditions in education. It explores how scholarly knowledge in education from a case study can be used to understand and address the shifting conditions in which vocational education exists locally and globally.

A qualitative research design using a combined approach of policy ethnography, case study ethnography and practical action research to gather new empirical data from one vocational program at a vocational school in Finland. Three seminars and two workshops are planned with a focus on two broad themes: EMI-specific trainings and implementing a linguistically responsive pedagogy. Together with six teachers and one key person in the role of an administrator, we explore the problem of teachers’ linguistic difficulties and insecurities in a linguistically diverse learning environment, and how to collaboratively develop solution(s) that support teachers’ knowledge mobilization. Case study ethnography allows research insights and access to practices that are often overlooked in formal policy documents or conventional evaluation frameworks. In the context of EMI, many of the challenges experienced by teacher-participants, such as negotiation of linguistic repertoires, classroom communication strategies, and emotional responses to language expectations, are subtle, situational, and highly embedded within the social fabric of classroom life. By focusing on the textured reality of teachers’ work, the methodology makes it possible to uncover practical barriers, emotional experiences, and adaptive strategies that shape EMI enactment but are not easily captured by surveys or performance indicators. This depth and sensitivity are particularly important to emerging EMI contexts of Finnish VET, where institutional capacity, teacher training, and linguistic expectations are still developing. Policy ethnography amplifies case study ethnography further by foregrounding the notion that policy is not simply implemented but enacted through a series of interpretive, negotiated, and sometimes contested practices. It therefore provides conceptual and analytical tools to explore how teachers make sense of EMI, how they adapt it to local needs, and how broader institutional and societal contexts shape their enactment. Overall, the methodology supports a nuanced and holistic understanding of EMI practice in vocational education, aligning with contemporary calls for context-sensitive and practice-oriented research in language policy. Considering a key characteristic of practical action research, is to provide opportunities for reflectivity of own practices (Creswell, 2012); taken together with a multi-layered analytical approach: content analysis, thematic, and analysis through discussion, these tools enable a multi-perspective understanding of EMI enactment. They embrace the complexity and multidimensionality of policy-in-practice and recognise that language policy is co-constructed through daily pedagogical decisions, resource constraints, professional identities, and relational dynamics within classrooms.

Preliminary case study findings reveal that first, teachers’ English proficiency varied widely, with some possessing limited linguistic competence that affected their ability to apply their pre-existing pedagogical strategies. They also reported challenging experiences with understanding diverse English varieties and accents used by students, particularly in oral communication. These difficulties were even more compounded when teachers encountered students whose English proficiency exceeded their own, resulting in feelings of insecurity and reduced confidence. Second, some teachers struggled to draw fully on their pedagogical expertise when teaching through English; this is because of the cognitive load involved in translating from Finnish to English during content delivery and navigating cultural differences. Third, broader systemic tensions which include, insufficient EMI-specific training, institutional constraints (heavy workloads, fragmented worktime), system-wide reforms in 2018, and recent deep budget cuts which limited access to mediated support affected EMI enactment in Finnish VET. Despite Finland’s strong educational reputation and historically high teacher autonomy within a high trust society, contemporary governance trends and demographic shifts placed new demands on teachers without necessarily providing corresponding institutional support. As a result, teachers experience EMI as both a professional challenge and a site of negotiation between policy ambitions and practical realities. In response to these findings, a planned practical action research intervention hopes to capture empirical evidence about how vocational teachers can be supported during enactment and proposes that the outcomes from the intervention can inform future expansions to other vocational programs and institutions.

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