New norms of linguistic ideology and practices emerged as English grows in higher education in non-English speaking countries. English Medium Instruction (EMI) has been formalised by overlooking the role of other (e.g. native) languages in knowledge construction and communication. This study investigates STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) teachers’ and students’ language-related ideologies about translanguaging at a private university in Bangladesh where English has been adopted as an instructional medium. The participants of this study include 6 university teachers and 10 students from STEM background. In-depth interviews with teachers and students reveal that, while English has been used as the official language for instruction, translanguaging has been highlighted for its purposeful use and significance in STEM classrooms, primarily in the construction of knowledge, communication, and scientific meaning-making. The findings of the study also shed light on the mismatch between macro-level English-only monolingual language policy adoption driven by contemporary ideologies associated with English, and micro-level stakeholders’ ideologies of translanguaging in STEM pedagogy. This study, therefore, argues for a change in the way of looking at bilinguals’ language practices and embracing the linguistic rights and reality for more flexible and inclusive language policy in higher education.

This systematic review explores the academic, sociocultural, and psychological adaptation challenges encountered by Chinese international students in Malaysian higher education institutions, synthesizing findings from 24 peer-reviewed studies published between 2010 and 2024. It highlights Malaysia’s distinct adaptation context, characterized by unique language barriers within an English–medium instruction (EMI) setting, cultural and religious differences, and specific social integration challenges. This review offers new insights into the adaptation process of Chinese students by framing these challenges within Malaysia’s multicultural, predominantly Islamic environment, which presents unique dynamics compared with Western educational contexts. The findings also reveal research gaps and offer recommendations for institutional policies to enhance the adaptation experience of Chinese students in Malaysia.

Focusing on the perspective of lecturers, this qualitative research investigated the academic reading and writing challenges faced by international English-as-a-foreign-language master’s students at a Malaysian university. Data was collected through semi-structured, in-depth, one-on-one interviews with 16 lecturers who taught international students from various graduate programs. The findings from the lecturers’ perspectives indicate that the students faced acute challenges in their academic reading and writing practices such as adhering to academic writing conventions and interpreting text in an English language instructional setting. This study suggests policies and programs to overcome the challenges of the international EFL students’ academic writing and reading practices to ensure their academic success in as they learn in graduate programs.

Fuelled by nationalism, public universities in Bangladesh adopted Bangla as their MOI. In contrast, considering the role of English in the processes of internationalization, globalization and economic benefit attached to English, private universities in Bangladesh have adopted English as their MOI. Through the exploration of lecturers’ MOI ideologies, the present study aims to discover these diverse trajectories in the adoption of MOI policies in public and private universities in Bangladesh. The study was conducted at two research sites in the district of Dhaka – a local public university (UPB) and a private university (UPR). Data were gathered through semi-structured interviews conducted with five social sciences lecturers from UPB and four social sciences lecturers from UPR. The findings suggest that MOI policies in public and private universities in Bangladesh are non-identical and individual language ideologies have played a vital role in the adaptation of such policies.

The Significance of the Academic Word List among ESL Tertiary Students in a Malaysian Public University