Summary written by MLRC School Network member, Jacob Huckle (Dulwich College Suzhou)
In this chapter, Ascher and Pichery (2024) contrast restrictive monolingual language policies with more inclusive multilingual language policies. They begin by reviewing the context of English-medium instruction education in Asia and outline some of the reasons why restrictive language policies are common in the region, such as the desire for ‘Western cultural capital’ associated with English proficiency. The authors outline some of the problems caused by such restrictive language policies, such as devaluing of students’ home languages and cultural identities. The chapter argues for a shift towards more inclusive multilingual language policies. This argument is developed using three common parts of a language policy: a belief or philosophy statement, a description of the support model for students developing proficiency in the language of instruction, and a description of the model for developing students’ home language(s). The authors outline how each of these language policy parts could be made more inclusive and discuss considerations for policy writers to approach each of these parts through a multilingual lens. This chapter provides teachers and schools with practical guidance informed by research regarding how to shift their language policies towards more inclusive multilingual approaches.