DR. ASRA KHAN , KASHMALAH ASHRAF , DR. UZMA SADIQ , ERAM JAMIL
DOI: https://doi.org/Code-switching (CS) has come to be recognized as a strategic pedagogical resource in English-Medium Instruction (EMI) within Multilingual Higher Education. This study systematically reviewed recent research to examine the communicative, pedagogical, and policy-related functions of CS in EMI contexts. A secondary research design was employed in accordance with PRISMA 2020 guidelines, synthesizing forty-seven peer-reviewed studies published between 2020 and 2025. Data were collected from Scopus, Web of Science, ScienceDirect, SpringerLink, and Taylor & Francis Online and were complemented by an AI-assisted bibliometric analysis using VOSviewer. The findings revealed three principal functions of CS: (1) pedagogical scaffolding during cognitively demanding learning stages, (2) communicative and effective realignment that fosters solidarity and reduces anxiety, and (3) policy mediation aligning multilingual instructional realities with EMI frameworks. Persistent monolingual biases in AI-driven language-teaching systems indicate a continuing misalignment among pedagogy, policy, and technology. The study concludes that CS should be recognized as an intentional pedagogical strategy and integrated into EMI pedagogy, institutional policy, and switch-conscious AI development to promote equitable and effective multilingual higher education globally.
