“We feel excluded and isolated”: Multilingual international students’ emotions and agency in an EMI program

Abstract

The global whim to introduce EMI policy in higher education is often accompanied by neoliberal discourses without considering the emotional effects on stakeholders. Following a critical post-structuralist lens, this qualitative study examines how the implementation of EMI impacts the emotions and agency of international students in Southwest China. The findings revealed that despite the neoliberal ideals of EMI leading to international students’ emotions of hope, pride, and expectation about their future employment and academic pursuits, they encountered many emotional struggles resulting from institutional classroom segregation, English insufficiency, and high-stake exams. To empower themselves and alleviate those emotional challenges, international students, as entreprenurial subjects, adopted agencies by exploiting digital space, seeking peer support and utilizing the local linguistic learning resources. The study closes with implications to promote students’ emotional awareness in policy making and implementation, calling for creating inclusive and supportive learning environments that optimize students’ academic success and overall well-being.