Teachers’ Perceptions of Integrating Values Education into English Language Teaching: A Systematic Review
Keywords:
Values education; teachers’ perceptions; challenges; English language teachingAbstract
Values education has gained increasing prominence in educational policy and has positioned English language teaching as a meaningful context for fostering learners’ moral, social, and civic development. However, empirical research on how English First Language and English Second Language teachers interpret values education and the challenges they encounter remains conceptually fragmented. This systematic literature review synthesizes findings from 14 empirical studies (2015–2024) using Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses procedures and inductive thematic synthesis. Teachers across contexts rejected a value-neutral view of English language teaching and interpreted values education through four orientations: moral and character development, socialization and civic responsibility, intercultural and global engagement, and critical reflection and ethical inquiry. Moral and civic orientations predominated, while intercultural and critical dimensions were less explicitly articulated. A further distinction emerged between values education enacted as behavioral regulation and as transformative engagement with ethical and social issues. This suggests that attitudinal consensus across contexts should not be mistaken for shared practice. Five interrelated challenges were identified: conceptual ambiguity, insufficient pedagogical guidance, curriculum and assessment constraints, sociocultural sensitivity, and emotional demands on teachers. While the first four align with patterns in prior reviews, the absence of assessment frameworks for values-related learning and the emotional labor specific to value-oriented teaching represent comparatively under-examined dimensions. These findings suggest that the persistent policy–practice gap in values-oriented English language teaching reflects structural and affective conditions rather than teacher reluctance. The findings have implications for teacher education, curriculum design, and the development of values assessment frameworks.
https://doi.org/10.26803/ijlter.25.5.16
References
Al-Thani, H., Santhosh, M. E., & Al-Dosari, M. (2025). From values to action: The role of personal and social values in shaping K?12 teachers’ wellbeing and professional outcomes. Frontiers in Education, 10, 1571907. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2025.1571907
Arthur, J., Kristjánsson, K., Harrison, T., Sanderse, W., & Wright, D. (2017). Teaching character and virtue in schools. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315695013
Asif, T., Guangming, O., Haider, M. A., Colomer, J., Kayani, S., & Amin, N. U. (2020). Moral education for sustainable development: Comparison of university teachers’ perceptions in China and Pakistan. Sustainability, 12(7), 3014. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12073014
Ball, S. J., Maguire, M., & Braun, A. (2011). How schools do policy: Policy enactments in secondary schools. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203153185
Berkowitz, M. W. (2011). What works in values education. International Journal of Educational Research, 50(3), 153–158. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijer.2011.07.003
Biesta, G. (2009). What kind of citizenship for European higher education? Beyond the competent active citizen. European Educational Research Journal, 8(2), 146–158. https://doi.org/10.2304/eerj.2009.8.2.146
Bobunova, A., & Notina, E. (2021). Integrating computer-assisted language learning into ESL classroom: Formation of moral and aesthetic values. International Journal of Information and Education Technology, 11(1), 24–29. https://doi.org/10.18178/ijiet.2021.11.1.1484
Borg, S. (2003). Teacher cognition in language teaching: A review of research on what language teachers think, know, believe, and do. Language Teaching, 36(2), 81–109. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0261444803001903
Borg, S. (2006). Teacher cognition and language education: Research and practice. Bloomsbury Publishing.
Byram, M. (2020). The responsibilities of language teachers when teaching intercultural competence and citizenship: An essay. China Media Research, 16(2), 77–84. http://www.chinamediaresearch.net/
Chung, A. H. S., & Ho, S. K. (2025). Hong Kong primary teachers’ perceptions and attitudes towards the infusion of values education in English language teaching. Cogent Education, 13(1), 2610031. https://doi.org/10.1080/2331186X.2025.2610031
Chung, J., & Wei, X. (2020). Teach effectively or guide wisely? Discussing the application of wisdom approach to language teaching in Thai higher education. International Journal of Language Education, 4(3), 322–333. https://ojs.unm.ac.id/ijole/article/view/15097
Crookes, G. V. (2013). Critical ELT in action: Foundations, promises, praxis. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203844250
Eka Merliana, N. P., Widyantara, I. M. O., Dewi Wirastuti, N. M. A. E., Oka Saputra, K., Setyohadi, D. B., Krisna Warmayana, I. G. A., & Alit Arsana, I. N. (2023). Developing character education based on gamification: A study of gamification for e-learning. In 2023 International Conference on Smart-Green Technology in Electrical and Information Systems (ICSGTEIS) (pp. 133–138). IEEE. https://doi.org/10.1109/ICSGTEIS60500.2023.10424128
Falagas, M. E., Pitsouni, E. I., Malietzis, G. A., & Pappas, G. (2008). Comparison of PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar: Strengths and weaknesses. FASEB Journal: Official Publication of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology, 22(2), 338–342. https://doi.org/10.1096/fj.07-9492LSF
González-Pérez, L. I., & Ramírez-Montoya, M. S. (2022). Components of Education 4.0 in 21st century skills frameworks: Systematic review. Sustainability, 14(3), 1493. https://doi.org/10.3390/su14031493
Hadi, Y., Kholis, N., Remanita, Y., & Harta, L. I. (2025). Systematic literature review on character education strategies in primary and secondary schools. Journal of Educational Research and Practice, 3(2), 321–340. https://doi.org/10.70376/jerp.v3i2.389
Ismail, H. H., Azizan, M., Rashid, R. A., & Asif, M. (2022). Appropriating Shakespearean graphic novels for Malaysian classrooms to create correct gender representations. Frontiers in Psychology, 13, 874960. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.874960
Kramsch, C. (2014). Language and culture. AILA Review, 27, 30–55. https://doi.org/10.1075/aila.27.02kra
Lei, M. (2020). The changing role of English teachers in China as a result of curriculum change. In X. Zhu, J. Li, M. Li, Q. Liu, & H. Starkey (Eds.), Education and mobilities: Perspectives on rethinking and reforming education (pp. 167–186). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-9031-9_9
Lei, M., & Medwell, J. (2022). The changing role of Chinese English-as-foreign-language teachers in the context of curriculum reform: Teachers’ understanding of their new role. Frontiers in Psychology, 13, 904071. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.904071
Lickona, T. (1991). Educating for character: How our schools can teach respect and responsibility. Bantam Books.
Lovat, T. (2017). Values education as good practice pedagogy: Evidence from Australian empirical research. Journal of Moral Education, 46(1), 88–96. https://doi.org/10.1080/03057240.2016.1268110
Lovat, T., & Toomey, R. (Eds.). (2009). Values education and quality teaching. Springer. Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-9962-5
Luke, A. (2012). Critical literacy: Foundational notes. Theory Into Practice, 51(1), 4–11. https://doi.org/10.1080/00405841.2012.636324
Martín-Martín, A., Orduna-Malea, E., Thelwall, M., & Delgado López-Cózar, E. (2018). Google Scholar, Web of Science, and Scopus: A systematic comparison of citations in 252 subject categories. Journal of Informetrics, 12(4), 1160–1177. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joi.2018.09.002
Mohamad, N., Sihes, A. J., Bohari, N. M., & Rahman, S. N. H. A. (2019). Teachers’ perception of values education implementation in school. International Journal of Recent Technology and Engineering, 8(3S2), 884–891. https://doi.org/10.35940/ijrte.C1220.1083S219
Mongeon, P., & Paul-Hus, A. (2016). The journal coverage of Web of Science and Scopus: A comparative analysis. Scientometrics, 106(1), 213–228. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11192-015-1765-5
Munandar, M. I., & Newton, J. (2021). Indonesian EFL teachers’ pedagogic beliefs and classroom practices regarding culture and interculturality. Language and Intercultural Communication, 21(2), 158–173. https://doi.org/10.1080/14708477.2020.1867155
Muzakkir, Hussin, Z., & Razak, R. A. (2022). Teachers’ beliefs towards character education curriculum in primary school: a systematic literature review. Education 3-13, 52(8), 1178–1192.
a. https://doi.org/10.1080/03004279.2022.2142478
Noprianto, E., Suherdi, D., & Bukhori Muslim, A. (2022). A subject matter specialist versus students’ moral guardian: EFL teachers’ voices on character education incorporation into classroom instructions. ETERNAL (English, Teaching, Learning, and Research Journal), 8, 53–72. https://doi.org/10.24252/Eternal.V81.2022.A4
Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development. (2019). OECD learning compass 2030: A series of concept notes. Retrieved 23 April 2026 from https://www.oecd.org/en/about/projects/future-of-education-and-skills-2030.html
Page, M. J., McKenzie, J. E., Bossuyt, P. M., Boutron, I., Hoffmann, T. C., Mulrow, C. D., Shamseer, L., Tetzlaff, J. M., Akl, E. A., Brennan, S. E., Chou, R., Glanville, J., Grimshaw, J. M., Hróbjartsson, A., Lalu, M. M., Li, T., Loder, E. W., Mayo-Wilson, E., McDonald, S., … Moher, D. (2021). The PRISMA 2020 statement: An updated guideline for reporting systematic reviews. BMJ, 372, n71. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.n71
Pajares, M. F. (1992). Teachers’ beliefs and educational research: Cleaning up a messy construct. Review of Educational Research, 62(3), 307–332. https://doi.org/10.3102/00346543062003307
Peng, W., Liu, Y., & Peng, J.-E. (2023). Feeling and acting in classroom teaching: The relationships between teachers’ emotional labor, commitment, and well-being. System, 116, 103093. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2023.103093
Priestley, M., Biesta, G., & Robinson, S. (2015). Teacher agency: An ecological approach. Bloomsbury. https://doi.org/10.5040/9781474219426
Qoyyimah, U. (2016). Inculcating character education through EFL teaching in Indonesian state schools. Pedagogies: An International Journal, 11(2), 109–126. https://doi.org/10.1080/1554480X.2016.1165618
Qoyyimah, U., Singh, P., Exley, B., Doherty, C., & Agustiawan, Y. (2020). Professional identity and imagined student identity of EIL teachers in Islamic schools. Journal of Language, Identity & Education, 22(2), 121–136. https://doi.org/10.1080/15348458.2020.1833726
Seo, Y., & Lim, K. Y. (2024). Racial literacy development in online intercultural education in the EFL classroom. Language, Culture and Curriculum, 37(3), 400–418. https://doi.org/10.1080/07908318.2024.2349041
Sun, L. (2021). Transforming pre-service EFL teacher education through critical cosmopolitan literacies: Voices from mainland China. Teaching in Higher Education, 29(2), 599–618. https://doi.org/10.1080/13562517.2021.2015753
Sun, L. (2023). Cultivating critical global citizens through secondary EFL education: A case study of mainland China. Literacy, 57(3), 249–261. https://doi.org/10.1111/lit.12314
Sun, T., & Buripakdi, A. (2023). Unpacking Chinese primary school English teachers’ perceptions: Personal blockers and enablers in global citizenship education. Asia Pacific Journal of Education, 45(3), 886–902. https://doi.org/10.1080/02188791.2023.2235918
Suryani, A. (2017). Language and interpersonal values education: Teachers’ roles and perspectives on students’ language behavior in technology-mediated communication. In Proceedings of the Ninth International Conference on Applied Linguistics (CONAPLIN 9). Advances in Social Science, Education and Humanities Research. Atlantis Press. https://doi.org/10.2991/conaplin-16.2017.10
Thomas, J., & Harden, A. (2008). Methods for the thematic synthesis of qualitative research in systematic reviews. BMC Medical Research Methodology, 8(1), 45. https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2288-8-45
Thornberg, R. (2008). Values education as the daily fostering of school rules. Research in Education, 80(1), 52–62. https://doi.org/10.7227/RIE.80.5
United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. (2020). Education for sustainable development: A roadmap. UNESCO. https://doi.org/10.54675/YFRE1448
Westheimer, J., & Kahne, J. (2004). What kind of citizen? The politics of educating democracy. American Educational Research Journal, 41(2), 237–269. https://doi.org/10.3102/00028312041002237
Widodo, H. P. (2018). A critical micro-semiotic analysis of values depicted in the Indonesian Ministry of National Education-endorsed secondary school English textbook. In H. P. Widodo, M. R. Perfecto, L. Van Canh, & A. Buripakdi (Eds.), Situating moral and cultural values in ELT materials (Vol. 9, pp. 131–152). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-63677-1_8
Wong, J. L. N. (2025). Teachers’ perceptions of what knowledge they need to foster their multicultural competence: what are the implications for in-service teacher education programs? Teachers and Teaching, 1–18. https://doi.org/10.1080/13540602.2025.2466546
Xiao Y., & Watson, M. (2019). Guidance on conducting a systematic literature review. Journal of Planning Education and Research, 39(1), 93–112. https://doi.org/10.1177/0739456X17723971
Yaccob, N. S., Yunus, M. M., & Hashim, H. (2022). Globally competent teachers: English as a second language teachers’ perceptions on global competence in English lessons. Frontiers in Psychology, 13, 925160. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.925160
Yeoh, H. N., & Cheong, H. F. (2023). What do the children and teachers say? Voices on gender stereotyping in children’s literature for Malaysian ESL classrooms. Review of Education, 11(3), e3427. https://doi.org/10.1002/rev3.3427
Zhang, Q., Saharuddin, N. B., & Aziz, N. A. B. A. (2022). The analysis of teachers’ perceptions of moral education curriculum. Frontiers in Psychology, 13, 967927. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.967927
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Yunhe Shang, Hanita Hanim Ismail, Azlina Abdul Aziz, Mazlin Azizan
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
All articles published by IJLTER are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial No-Derivatives 4.0 International License (CCBY-NC-ND4.0).
