“They will love you, if you learn Kazakh”: International Students’ Experiences at an EMI University in Central Asia
Abnassyrova R. Zhunussova G.
January 2025Elsevier Ltd
International Journal of Educational Research
2025#134
English-medium instruction (EMI) in higher education has been mainly studied for its impact on local students. Yet the experiences of international students remain comparatively under-represented. Drawing on qualitative data from interviews and document analysis, this study explores how international students in an EMI university navigate the challenges of EMI. Our findings demonstrate that, contrary to previous research assumptions that English dominates in EMI contexts, international students often struggle with the limited use of English in academic interactions. While the existing studies have attributed such limitations to students’ insufficient proficiency or instructors’ inadequate training, our analysis suggests an impact of deeper structural dynamics. The selective use of languages in EMI classrooms is a reflection of a broader socio-political environment, particularly the hierarchies that shape which languages are legitimized in multilingual contexts. In this light, linguistic practices in EMI are not merely pedagogical choices but are influenced by institutional and national ideologies that lead to unequal access to learning. By bringing the experience of international students, this research emphasizes the need to reconceptualize EMI as more than a pedagogical issue. There is a need to critically engage with the politics of language use in EMI which requires policy interventions that recognize the role of language hierarchies that shape inclusion and exclusion in higher education.
English-medium instruction (EMI) , International students , Internationalization of higher education , Language hierarchies , Students’ challenges , Study abroad
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Department of Language Education, SDU University, Kaskelen, 040900, Kazakhstan
College of Human Sciences and Education, KIMEP University, Almaty, 050010, Kazakhstan
Department of Language Education
College of Human Sciences and Education
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