Navigating Neoliberal Demands: Linguistic Entrepreneurship Among EMI Students in a Non-Elite Chinese University

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 Critical Review of English-Medium Instruction in Thailand: Emergence, Conceptualization, Implementation, and Recommendations

Driven by the forces of globalization, internationalization agendas, ASEAN regional integration, and increasing competition within higher education institutions, English-medium instruction (EMI) has expanded rapidly across Thai universities. Despite its growing prominence, EMI implementation in Thailand remains conceptually contested and pedagogically uneven. This article examines the emergence, conceptualization, and implementation of EMI in Thai higher education by synthesizing contemporary research on policy, pedagogy, language, and assessment. It then identifies five persistent conceptual ambiguities that result in EMI development, including the conflation of EMI with English language teaching, the belief that native-like English proficiency is necessary for EMI teaching, the assumption that EMI automatically improves students’ English proficiency, the perception that EMI guarantees educational quality and internationalization, and the belief that effective EMI requires English-only instruction. The review reveals a range of implementation challenges, including uneven English proficiency among students and lecturers, limited pedagogical preparation, assessment and curriculum tensions, institutional resource disparities, and the absence of a coherent national EMI framework. Taken together, these issues reflect a broader policy–practice disconnect in which internationalization goals often exceed local institutional capacity and classroom realities. Drawing on comparative insights from Taiwan’s Bilingual 2030 initiative, the article argues that sustainable EMI development requires moving beyond monolingual and deficit-oriented assumptions toward multilingual, context-sensitive approaches that integrate language support, disciplinary learning, and educational equity. The paper concludes with policy, pedagogical, institutional, and research recommendations for strengthening EMI implementation in Thai higher education.

From Compliance to Criticality: Language Investment, Ideologies and Learners’ Imagined Identities in Postcolonial Pakistan

Temporal Politics and discursive marginalization: neoliberal and neocolonial dynamics of English-medium instruction in Pakistan’s higher education

Outsiders within: exploring integration strategies of international faculty in chinese higher education institutions

International faculty (IF) are increasingly recruited to Chinese universities to support knowledge transfer and internationalisation, yet they frequently report experiencing persistent marginal positions. This study examines how IF in Chinese higher education navigate this marginal status. Drawing on thirty semi-structured interviews, we identify five reflexive tactics: playing by the rules, contextual collaboration, negotiating around the rules, tactical non-pursuit, and strategic self-detachment. These tactics are deployed across four domains of institutional integration: cultural norms, interpersonal relations, resources, and academic practice. By foregrounding reflexivity, the analysis reframes integration not as a binary outcome of assimilation or marginalisation, but as a non-linear decision-making process mediated by ethical judgement. The study reveals that integration encompasses not only intercultural competence and resource allocation, but also a strategic balancing of selective engagement and detachment, driven by distinct ethical foci. Findings underscore the value of more inclusive institutional cultures and greater tolerance for outsider-within positions.

What Sustains Academic Buoyancy of Vietnamese English-as-a-Foreign-Language Teachers Navigating Graduate Education?

Academic buoyancy enables teachers to manage academic challenges associated with professional life. Despite increasing interest, little is known about what sustains academic buoyancy among English-as-a-Foreign-Language (EFL) teachers pursuing further education. Drawing upon Hobfoll’s Conservation of Resources Theory, this qualitative multiple-case study traces how Vietnamese teachers manage their unique resources to remain academically buoyant in graduate education. Five teachers enrolled in Master’s programs in Teaching English as a Foreign Language participated in two rounds of in-depth semi-structured interviews. The data were analyzed using inductive thematic analysis. The findings indicated that academic buoyancy is sustained by four resource domains. Personal resources (future-oriented aspirations, self-regulation, and personal teaching experiences) provide a foundation for enduring academic pressures. Psychological resources (optimism, perseverance, and self-efficacy) enable participants to embrace their day-to-day challenges as opportunities for personal growth. Institutional resources (administrative flexibility and alignment between graduate coursework and teaching responsibilities) reduce workload-based strain. Socio-cultural resources (Confucian values, professional prestige, and familial support) further reinforce participants’ persistence and intrinsic motivation. The study extends the theory by shedding light on how various resource domains sustain academic buoyancy among language teachers partaking in their continuing professional learning. Pedagogical implications are offered for various stakeholders seeking to aid teachers’ development as lifelong learners.