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Mixed-methods case study uncovers structural decoupling between policy mandates and departmental practice in international language education, highlighting governance barriers to student retention.
This investigation evaluates institutional management strategies regarding emergency remote language education for international students during the geopolitical and systemic operational shocks of 2022–2025. It seeks to uncover how structural dynamics within university governance impact international student retention when traditional operational paradigms fracture. The research employs a mixed-methods single institutional case study, contextualised within a leading university in the Baltic region (Lithuania), utilizing Stephen Ball’s Policy Enactment Theory to evaluate the translation of centralised administrative mandates into localised departmental routines. The qualitative strand analyzes institutional directives, including rector decrees, continuity plans, and internationalization protocols, triangulated with quantitative descriptive statistics derived from an institutional monitoring survey of international learners (N=95) enrolled in emergency remote language modules. Findings reveal a significant structural decoupling between centralised executive mandates and localised departmental realities, demonstrating that international academic continuity is fundamentally a governance and administrative challenge rather than a purely technological one. Note: This preprint represents the Author’s Original Manuscript (AOM) and is currently undergoing peer review in the International Journal of Educational Management (Emerald Publishing Group).
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Olena Kholodniak (2026) studied this question.