Transnational education and English medium instruction (EMI) has grown in Asia in response to rapid globalisation. As a result, Vietnam has invested in creating new model universities that partner with international institutions as a way to supply the demand for quality higher education. Yet, few studies examine the influence of EMI on student learning, particularly within the Vietnamese context. The purpose of this grounded theory study is to examine the influence of EMI on the learning experiences of students attending three transnational universities in Vietnam. Based on participants’ experiences, a model was created that highlighted specific areas that affected student learning: speaking and writing English in classes, limitations of instructors speaking English, and the ‘double barrier’ of English language, and discipline-based concepts learning at transnational universities. Recommendations for practice include creating intentional out-of-class learning opportunities and promoting active learning strategies as ways to facilitate student learning at transnational universities who use EMI.

Purpose: Legislators continue to label Critical Race Theory (CRT) and other race-based concepts as divisive. Nevertheless, CRT, at its core, is committed to radical transformation and addressing issues of race and racism to understand how People of Color are oppressed. Through rhetoric and legislative bans, this current anti-CRT movement uses race-neutral policies and practices to limit and eliminate CRT scholars, especially faculty members, from teaching and researching critical pedagogies and other race-based topics.Design/methodology/approach: Through semi-structured interviews using Critical Race Methodology (CRM), the authors sought to understand how 40 faculty members challenged the dominant narratives presented by administrators through their responses to CRT bans. Additionally, this work aimed to examine how administrators’ responses complicate how faculty make sense of CRT bans.Findings: Findings describe three major themes: (1) how administrators failed to respond to CRT bans, which to faculty indicated their desire to present a neutral stance as the middle ground between faculty and legislators; (2) the type of rhetoric administrators engaged in exemplified authoritarian approaches that upheld status quo narratives about diversity, exposing their inability to stand against oppressive dominant narratives; and (3) institutional leaders’ refusal to address the true threats that faculty members faced reinforced the racialized harm that individuals engaging in CRT work must navigate individually.Originality/value: This study is one of the few that provide empirical data on this current anti-CRT movement, including problematizing the CRT bans, and how it affects campus constituents such as faculty members.

The anti-critical race theory movement has caused educators strife and fear nationally. In these current socio-political times, faculty are navigating unprecedented experiences of racism as they teach and research critical race theory. Through our work, we examined 40 faculty experiences challenging legislation at a national, state, and institutional level. We present recommendations for practice and policy that resist the surveillance experienced during this socio-political backlash.

This qualitative, descriptive single case study examined Black graduate students’ perceptions of campus racial climate at a predominantly white institution (PWI) and how they were shaped by a president’s response to racialized incidents. A greater understanding of how Black graduate students’ narratives reveal how whiteness inhabits the PWI and the president’s responses to racism presented. Guided by the Multi-contextual Model for Diverse Learning Environments (MMDLE) and Critical Race Theory, I unpack whether or not Black graduate students are prioritized in presidents’ responses to racialized incidents and larger campus racial climate conversations. This study’s findings further illustrate the significance of the role of the presidency when addressing issues of race and racism, and how their responses have the power to disrupt or harm both the personal experiences of individuals and the broader campus racial climate for Black graduate students.