A Systematic Review of Humanistic Foreign Language Education in Higher Education (2020-2026)
Keywords:
Humanistic education; foreign language education; Higher education; Systematic reviewAbstract
Humanism is still an important feature of higher education (HE) since it condemns instrumentalism and focuses on developing the whole person. This is especially important in the context of the increasing integration of digital tools in HE. Essential implications and methodologies in foreign language (FL) teaching remain. However, how they affect those methods is still inadequately comprehended. This paper examines the key elements of learner-centred humanism, the impact of technology, and how FL can be integrated within HE. A systematic search of the Scopus and Web of Science databases was conducted based on the terms "humanism," "humanistic education," "foreign language learning," and "learner-centred," which yielded 40 English-language publications from 2020 to 2026, following the guidelines outlined in PRISMA. The data was synthesised by employing thematic analysis. Based on the research, it can be concluded that humanistic FL education has been redefined as a twofold commitment. On the one hand, it is committed to learner affect and subjectivity while on the other, technology has a facilitating and hindering role in relation to these two aspects. The main strategies identified are student centeredness, interpersonal connectivity, and empowerment-driven assessment. The essence of humanistic FL education is therefore not to blindly empower, but to help preserve the growth of learners comprehensively in the technological era in an empathetic way.
htts://doi.org/10.26803/ijlter.25.6.5
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