A systematic literature review of the intersection between English Medium Instruction and English for Academic Purposes in higher education: Global North and South perspectives

Using the PRISMA methodology, 31 eligible studies published between 2011 and 2024 were selected from an initial pool of 830 Scopus-indexed documents, supported by backward and forward snowballing.

It explores how EAP complements EMI by enhancing students' academic literacy, discipline-specific language skills, and ability to engage meaningfully with course content. Findings reveal substantial disparities in the integration and effectiveness of EAP within EMI contexts, shaped by variations in institutional policies, resource allocation, and faculty training. Although the Global North demonstrates relatively more robust EAP-EMI integration due to stronger institutional infrastructures, there is still evidence of fragmentation and lack of systematic collaboration between language and content instructors, especially in non-Anglophone or decentralised academic systems.