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Review Open access Jul 2026

ENGLISH-MEDIUM INSTRUCTION IN ASIAN EFL HIGHER EDUCATION: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW OF POLICY TRENDS, IMPLEMENTATION CHALLENGES, AND ADAPTIVE STRATEGIES

The expansion of English Medium Instruction (EMI) across Asian higher education has intensified post-pandemic, yet a comprehensive understanding of its implementation landscape remains limited. Following PRISMA 2020 guidelines, this systematic review synthesizes 15 empirical studies (2015–2025) from four academic databases to explore implementation trends, stakeholder challenges, and adaptation strategies in Asian EFL contexts. Frequency analysis revealed that linguistic difficulties were a primary barrier in 87% of the studies, pedagogical inconsistency in 60%, and language anxiety affected 53% of the combined participants. Thematic synthesis identified three core dimensions: top-down policies generating macro-micro gaps and institutional stratification; multidimensional linguistic and psychological barriers impacting engagement; and emergent adaptive strategies, including translanguaging, bilingual professional learning communities, and learner metacognition. These findings highlight that EMI is a complex educational ecosystem rather than a mere linguistic shift. This review offers a structured, geographically scoped framework for policymakers, institutions, and future researchers to improve EMI quality and equity in the region.

A. Saifulloh, Muhammad Arif Al Hakim · 0 citations
Review Aug 2026

The role of WeChat in supporting university-level English language learning: a systematic review on reading, translation, and learner motivation

Findings show that platforms like WeChat enhance reading engagement and comprehension through authentic texts, peer interaction, and multimodal input, and that learner motivation emerges as a cross-cutting outcome, driven by autonomy, social presence, and interactive environments.

Xuelian Wan, Megat Aman Zahiri bin Megat Zakaria · 0 citations
Review Open access Jul 2026

AI-Empowered English Speaking Teaching and Learning: A Scoping Review of Chinese Core Journal Studies (2022–2026)

By providing the first systematic mapping of this field, the review demonstrates how China's exam culture, in which high-stakes assessment pressure shapes AI integration in distinctive ways, interacts with AI+Education policy and the domestic LLM ecosystem to extend CALL and SLA scholarship beyond Western-centered settings.

Jiayu Wu · 0 citations
Review Open access Jul 2026

English Language Learning Strategies among ESL Students in Malaysia: A Systematic Literature Review

The Systematic Literature Review (SLR) investigates English Language Learning Strategies (LLS) employed by ESL students within the Malaysian educational context, particularly focusing the period of 2018 to 2024 after the implementation of the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR). Guided by PRISMA protocols, seven empirical studies were selected from Scopus and Web of Sciences databases based on meticulous inclusion and exclusion criteria. It was found that metacognitive strategies such as planning, monitoring and evaluating were the most widely used and effective across various education levels, followed by cognitive and socio-affective strategies. It had also revealed that university students were the most frequently studied population, leaving a research gap in primary, secondary and vocational education settings. The review underscored the need for more diversified research to inform pedagogical innovation and enhance teacher training programs to fit the students’ strategic learning needs. The review contributed to a clearer understanding of how LLS facilitate English proficiency among Malaysian ESL learners.   

Nurul Jannah Ahmad Ghulamuddin, Mohamad Iqbal Afham Mohamad Afandi, Nurhazwani Abd Halim · 0 citations
Open access Jul 2026

Global Englishes Orientation: A Content Analysis of China's Senior High School Textbooks

Since China is placing increasing emphasis on international engagement in education and English is functioning more widely as a lingua franca (ELF), this study examines the extent to which senior high school English textbooks reflect a Global Englishes (GE) orientation. Using qualitative content analysis, the textual, visual, and auditory elements of three textbooks officially approved by China’s Ministry of Education (MoE) were analyzed through the lens of the 2018 GE framework. The analysis focused on six dimensions: target interlocutors, ownership, norms, cultures, needs, and assessment criteria. The results show that all three textbooks exhibit aspects that are in line with a GE orientation, including representation of diverse English users, acknowledgment of global ownership of English, inclusion of lexical variation, pluralistic cultural representations, communicative assessment forms, and attention to global communication needs. However, native-speakerism remains influential. Although cultural content appears diverse and fluid, it often lacks sufficient depth to foster critical intercultural awareness. Overall, the results reveal both progress and continuing limitations in integrating GE principles into Chinese English language teaching (ELT). These findings highlight the need for more inclusive and pedagogically coherent resources to better prepare students for effective communication in global contexts.

Lin Chen, Jutarat Vibulphol · 0 citations
Open access Jul 2026

What Does English Learners’ Writing Reveal? A Case Study of Structured Academic Controversy in a High School Social Studies Classroom

This paper investigates how a Structured Academic Controversy (SAC) approach can support English learners (ELs) with below-grade-level English proficiency in meeting rigorous national social studies standards. In a case study, three high school ELs in a U.S. History class wrote protest letters to President Franklin D. Roosevelt about the World War II Japanese American internment (Executive Order 9066). Prior to writing, students analyzed primary sources using guiding questions to consider multiple perspectives. Analysis of the letters revealed evidence of four National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) thematic standards (Themes 1, 2, 5, and 10), while focus group interviews showed student awareness of two of the same themes (Themes 2 and 5) and one additional theme (Theme 6). These findings suggest that SAC enabled ELs to access rigorous content while addressing NCSS standards. A key benefit of SAC was the development of critical thinking and communication skills essential for democratic participation. The SAC process also afforded ELs meaningful opportunities to produce authentic writing that demonstrated engagement with high-level social studies concepts and civic reasoning.

C. Brown, S. Waters, W. Russell · 0 citations