Commentary to the special issue ‘English-medium instruction teachers’ lived experiences and continuing development in multilingual and multicultural contexts’.

Given the global rise of English as a lingua franca, there has been a rapid growth of English-medium instruction (EMI) programmes at all educational settings. However, EMI teachers face a variety of challenges due to the multilingual and multicultural contexts in which they operate. The challenges encountered by EMI teachers, including navigating language proficiency gaps, managing pedagogical complexities, and coping with emotional labour in diverse educational environments, play a pivotal role in shaping their professional journey and growth in different EMI classrooms. Through eight featured articles focusing on different contexts (i.e. Argentina, Vietnam, Spain, Hong Kong, and mainland China), this special issue delves into EMI teachers’ lived experiences and continuing development across distinct classroom contexts and offers useful insights into their experiences of identity formation, transformative agency, and professional growth. Collectively, the findings highlight the crucial roles of teacher agency, identity, emotional labour, and professional development in shaping effective EMI practices. Furthermore, they highlight directions for future research that could enhance the effectiveness and well-being of EMI teachers, which in turn may potentially contribute to improved educational outcomes for students in diverse linguistic environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]