Conflictual language ideologies and mismatched language practices of Thai international students at a Chinese-medium instruction university

Abstract

This study is situated against the backdrop of China’s emergence as a new player in the international higher education market and its initiative to promote the Chinese language through academic programmes. We interrupt the entrenched ‘Englishisation’ of higher education in non-Anglophone contexts and investigate Thai international students’ language ideologies and language practices in the Chinese-medium instruction (CMI) university context. The qualitative data reveals the dual functions of Chinese in Thai students’ day-to-day practices—a medium of instruction and a ‘default’ common language for communication both in and beyond formal settings. In spite of their native speakerism, we also found incongruence between language ideologies and practices in and beyond the classroom. This study carries important implications for teaching and learning in CMI universities and beyond, as we call for attention to multilingual awareness development, ‘respectability’ pedagogies and translanguaging practices in international universities with a linguistically diverse student population.