Home The shifting dynamics of English in local higher education curriculum in Azerbaijan: the role of language policy
Article
Licensed
Unlicensed Requires Authentication

The shifting dynamics of English in local higher education curriculum in Azerbaijan: the role of language policy

  • Tamilla Mammadova

    Dr. Tamilla Mammadova is an Associate Professor in the Humanities and Social Sciences at ADA University, Azerbaijan, recognized for her extensive international experience and academic expertise. She holds a PhD from the University of Santiago de Compostela, Spain. Dr. Mammadova is the author of numerous books and papers in the fields of sociolinguistics and international & comparative education.

    ORCID logo EMAIL logo
Published/Copyright: June 24, 2025

Abstract

The collapse of the Soviet Union triggered profound political, economic, social, and educational changes across its former republics, with Azerbaijan at the center of this study. Among these shifts, education, particularly English language teaching (ELT), has seen the most significant transformation. Over the past two-three decades, ELT in Azerbaijan has evolved dramatically, mirroring broader trends of internationalization in higher education (HE). This paper identifies three key stages in the development of English language education, discussed in the theoretical framework. The methodological section focuses on the current role of English in Azerbaijani HE, analyzing language policy trends and decision-making aimed at enhancing ELT. Specifically, the study conducts a contextual analysis of the National Higher Education Action Plan (NHEAP) and incorporates semi-structured interviews with sixteen policymakers and state officials. Through a qualitative lens, the research explores how English is positioned among other foreign languages and examines its growing role in EMI (English Medium of Instruction) within universities. The findings offer insights into the strategic value of English in national education policy, highlighting its importance for advancing academic goals and increasing global engagement. Ultimately, the study sheds light on how English serves both local development priorities and the demands of an interconnected world.


Corresponding author: Tamilla Mammadova, ADA University, Baku, Azerbaijan, E-mail:

About the author

Tamilla Mammadova

Dr. Tamilla Mammadova is an Associate Professor in the Humanities and Social Sciences at ADA University, Azerbaijan, recognized for her extensive international experience and academic expertise. She holds a PhD from the University of Santiago de Compostela, Spain. Dr. Mammadova is the author of numerous books and papers in the fields of sociolinguistics and international & comparative education.

References

Bahry, S. A. 2020. Language, globalization, and education in central Asia. In I. Silova & S. Niyozov (eds.), Globalization on the margins: Education and post-socialist transformations in central Asia, 191–206. Cham: Information Age Publishing.Search in Google Scholar

Belousa, I. 2008. Rediscovery of silenced inner wisdom of spirituality: Teachers’ voice in the contemporary post-Soviet era. International Journal of Children’s Spirituality 13(1). 39–49. https://doi.org/10.1080/13644360701834825.Search in Google Scholar

Blommaert, J. 2006. Language policy and national identity. In T. Ricento (ed.), An introduction to language policy: Theory and method, 238–254. Malden, MA: Blackwell.Search in Google Scholar

Chankseliani, M. 2022. What happened to the Soviet University? Oxford: Oxford Academic.10.1093/oso/9780192849847.001.0001Search in Google Scholar

Chankseliani, M., I. Qoraboyev & D. Gimranova. 2021. Higher education contributing to local, national, and global development: New empirical and conceptual insights. Higher Education 81. 109–127. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-020-00565-8.Search in Google Scholar

Council of Europe. 2001. Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: Learning, teaching, assessment. Cambridge University Press.Search in Google Scholar

Cushing, I. 2020. The policy and policing of language in schools. Language in Society 49(3). 425–450. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0047404519000848.Search in Google Scholar

Duff, P. 2008. Case study research in applied linguistics. New York, NY: Lawrence Erlbaum.Search in Google Scholar

European Commission. 1995. Report of the European Commission on the Implementation of Council Recommendation 98/561/EC of 24 September 1998 on European Cooperation in Quality Assurance in Higher Education.Search in Google Scholar

Forbes, K. & N. Morea. 2023. Mapping school-level language policies across multilingual secondary schools in England: An ecology of English, modern languages and community languages policies. British Educational Research Journal 50. 1189–1207. https://doi.org/10.1002/berj.3959.Search in Google Scholar

Garibova, J. 2009. Language policy in post-Soviet Azerbaijan: Political aspects. International Journal of the Sociology of Language 198. 7–32. https://doi.org/10.1515/IJSL.2009.024.Search in Google Scholar

Garibova, J. & M. Asgarova. 2009. Language policy and legislation in post-Soviet Azerbaijan. Language Problems and Language Planning 33(3). 191–217. https://doi.org/10.1075/lplp.33.3.01gar.Search in Google Scholar

Hajar, A. & M. Karakus. 2024. A bibliometric analysis of shadow education in Asia: Private supplementary tutoring and its implications. International Journal of Educational Development 108. 1–14. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijedudev.2024.103075.Search in Google Scholar

Heyneman, S. P. & B. Skinner. 2014. The Bologna Process in the countries of the former Soviet Union: An outsider’s perspective. Journal of European Higher Education Area: Policy, Practice and Institutional Engagement 1. 55–73.Search in Google Scholar

Holsti, O. R. 1969. Content analysis for the social sciences and humanities. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley Publishing Company.Search in Google Scholar

Huisman, J. 2019. The Bologna Process in European and post-Soviet higher education: Institutional legacies and policy adoption. Innovation: The European Journal of Social Science Research 32(4). 465–480. https://doi.org/10.1080/13511610.2019.1597686.Search in Google Scholar

Huisman, J., A. Smolentseva & I. Froumin. 2018. 25 years of transformations of higher education systems in post-Soviet countries: Reform and continuity. Cham, Switzerland: Palgrave Macmillan.10.1007/978-3-319-52980-6Search in Google Scholar

Isakhanli, H. & A. Pashayeva. 2018. Higher education transformation, institutional diversity and typology of higher education institutions in Azerbaijan. In J. Huisman, A. Smolentseva & I. Froumin (eds.), 25 years of transformations of higher education systems in post-Soviet countries. Palgrave studies in Global Higher Education. Cham: Palgrave Macmillan.10.1007/978-3-319-52980-6_4Search in Google Scholar

Kaplan, R. B. & R. B. Jr Baldauf. 2003. Language and language-in-education planning in the Pacific Basin. Dordrecht, Netherlands: Kluwer Academic.10.1007/978-94-017-0145-7Search in Google Scholar

Kirkpatrick, A. & A. J. Liddicoat (eds.). 2019. The Routledge international handbook of language education policy in Asia, 1st edn. New York, NY: Routledge.10.4324/9781315666235Search in Google Scholar

Liddicoat, A. J. 2022. Language planning for diversity in foreign language education. Current Issues in Language Planning 23(5). 457–465. https://doi.org/10.1080/14664208.2022.2088968.Search in Google Scholar

Liddicoat, A. J. & K. Taylor-Leech. 2021. Agency in language planning and policy. Current Issues in Language Planning 22(1–2). 1–2. https://doi.org/10.1080/14664208.2020.1791533.Search in Google Scholar

Linn, A. & S. Radjabzade. 2021. English-medium instruction in higher education in the countries of the South Caucasus. London, UK: British Council.Search in Google Scholar

Luscombe, L. D. & V. Kazdal. 2014. Language and identity in a post-Soviet world: Language of education and linguistic identity among Azerbaijani students. Nationalities Papers 42(6). 1015–1033. https://doi.org/10.1080/00905992.2014.938034.Search in Google Scholar

Mammadov, A. & A. Mammadova. 2022. English in Azerbaijan: Developments and perspectives: English Language education policy and practice in Azerbaijan from early 1990s to the present day. English Today 38(2). 92–97. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0266078421000298.Search in Google Scholar

Mammadova, T. 2020. Exploring English language teaching in post-Soviet era countries: Perspectives from Azerbaijan. Routledge: Taylor and Francis.10.4324/9781003037682Search in Google Scholar

Mammadova, T. 2023a. Shaping European identity via mobility exchange programs for CIS country students. In T. Mammadova (ed.), Academic mobility through the lens of language and identity, global pandemics, and distance internationalization: Multidisciplinary perspectives, 9–24. New York, NY: Routledge, Taylor & Francis.10.4324/9781003366942-3Search in Google Scholar

Mammadova, T. 2023b. Azerbaijani Higher Education to implement mass English Medium Instruction (EMI) Policies: From brain drain to brain bridging. English Today 40, 154–159. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0266078423000421.Search in Google Scholar

Mammadova, T. 2024. EMI programs in Azerbaijani higher education: Analysis of macro, meso, and micro level agents’ perceptions of language policy and planning implementation. Current Issues in Language Planning 1–19. https://doi.org/10.1080/14664208.2024.2400644.Search in Google Scholar

Manan, S. A., S. Mukhamediyeva, S. Kairatova, M. A. Tajik & A. Hajar. 2023. Policy from below: STEM teachers’ response to EMI policy and policy‑making in the mainstream schools in Kazakhstan. Current Issues in Language Planning 25(1). 89–109. https://doi.org/10.1080/14664208.2023.2243170.Search in Google Scholar

Oleksiyenko, A. 2018, May. Between tradition and modernization: Rethinking the role of research in the post-colonial university of Ukraine. Paper presented at 11th Biennial Comparative Education Society of Asia (CESA 2018), Siem Reap, Cambodia.Search in Google Scholar

Prasad, D. B. 2008. Content analysis: A method of social science research. In D. K. Lal Das (ed.), Research methods for social work, 174–193. Jaipur, India: Rawat Publications.Search in Google Scholar

Radić-Bojanić, B. 2024. English as a medium of instruction as part of the internationalization strategy at the University of Novi Sad. Current Issues in Language Planning. 1–18. https://doi.org/10.1080/14664208.2024.2405759.Search in Google Scholar

Stake, R. E. 2005. Qualitative case studies. In N. K. Denzin & Y. S. Lincoln (eds.), The Sage handbook of qualitative research, 443–466. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications Ltd.Search in Google Scholar

Safran, W. 1999. Nationalism. In Joshua Fisman (ed.), Handbook of language and ethnic identity, 77–93. New York & Oxford: Oxford University Press.10.1093/oso/9780195124286.003.0006Search in Google Scholar

Shchepetylnykova, L. & A. V. Oleksiyenko. 2024. What comes after post-Soviet? Towards a new concept of de-Sovietization in higher education and research. International Journal of Educational Development 106. 1–14. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijedudev.2024.103014.Search in Google Scholar

Silova, I., M. S. Johnson & S. P. Heyneman. 2007. Education and the crisis of social cohesion in Azerbaijan and Central Asia. Comparative Education Review 51(2). 159–180. https://doi.org/10.1086/512022.Search in Google Scholar

Vögtle, E. M. 2014. Higher education policy convergence and the Bologna Process. Wiesbaden, Germany: A CrossNational Study.10.1057/9781137412799Search in Google Scholar

Received: 2024-09-29
Accepted: 2025-04-29
Published Online: 2025-06-24
Published in Print: 2025-07-28

© 2025 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston

Downloaded on 2.11.2025 from https://www.degruyterbrill.com/document/doi/10.1515/ijsl-2024-0129/html
Scroll to top button