Navigating English-Only Policy Through Localisation: Indonesian Maritime Students’ Perspectives

The Maritime Institute of Jakarta has implemented an English-Only Policy (EOP) through immersion classes to enhance students' English proficiency across all maritime disciplines. This study investigates how Indonesian maritime students perceive and navigate the EOP implementation within their local context. Using a qualitative approach, data was collected from thirty students through questionnaires and in-depth semi-structured interviews. ​The findings reveal that while students demonstrate strong ideological support for EOP, the realities of limited English proficiency and a predominantly non-English environment have naturally led to the development of localised English practices.​ Analysis shows that these localised practices, particularly code-switching and code-mixing between Indonesian and English, serve as valuable pedagogical tools and communication strategies. Rather than viewing these practices as policy violations, they emerge as effective bridges facilitating both language acquisition and cross-cultural communication within the maritime education context. This study contributes towards understanding how institutional language policies interact with local linguistic realities in specialised educational settings.