Language Choice among University Students

A Systematic Literature Review

Abstract

Language choice among university students has become an increasingly important topic in sociolinguistic research due to the growing prevalence of multilingualism and the internationalization of higher education. However, previous studies have reported diverse findings regarding the factors influencing students' language choices across different educational contexts. This study aims to synthesize existing evidence on the determinants of language choice among university students through a systematic literature review (SLR). The review followed the PRISMA 2020 guidelines and analyzed 25 studies published between 2015 and 2025, retrieved from Google Scholar, ERIC, DOAJ, and Crossref. The selected studies were examined using thematic synthesis to identify recurring patterns and research trends. The findings reveal that language choice is influenced by four interconnected dimensions: contextual factors, interpersonal factors, individual factors, and institutional factors. Contextual factors, including communicative settings, formality, and interactional purposes, emerged as the most frequently reported determinants, followed by interpersonal relationships, language proficiency and identity, and institutional policies such as English-Medium Instruction (EMI). The review also identifies several research gaps, including the predominance of qualitative studies, limited longitudinal research, and the concentration of studies in Asian higher education contexts. Based on these findings, this study proposes an Integrated Framework of Factors Influencing Language Choice among University Students, highlighting the dynamic interaction among institutional, contextual, interpersonal, and individual dimensions in shaping multilingual communication. The proposed integrated framework represents the primary contribution of this review by synthesizing evidence from previous studies into a unified conceptual model of language choice among university students, illustrating how contextual, interpersonal, individual, and institutional factors interact dynamically in shaping multilingual language practices in higher education.