When change meets the classroom: Teachers' acceptance and implementation of new curriculum standards in foreign language education

Abstract

Curriculum reform is a global priority, yet a persistent policy–practice gap remains, which, in very broad terms, shows misalignment between policy intentions and classroom realities. Drawing on a model‐guided systematic review, this article synthesizes 23 peer‐reviewed empirical studies (2015–2024) in foreign language education and propose the Situated Acceptance and Implementation Model (SAIM) as the framework for examining how contextual structures, motivational dispositions and behavioural processes interact in shaping teachers' engagement. Our findings reveal that acceptance depends primarily on curriculum clarity, teachers' beliefs and perceived classroom relevance, whereas sustained implementation hinges on Institutional Governance , Instructional Infrastructure and assessment–curriculum alignment. The analysis also reveals that systemic barriers such as high‐stakes testing, top‐down mandates and ambiguous policy communication limit reform sustainability, while teacher autonomy and collegial collaboration function as critical enablers. Surprisingly, theoretically central factors like Teachers' Perceived Self‐Efficacy and Reflective Learning Orientation have received little to no attention, which points to a significant research gap. Also, most studies focus on aspects related to implementation, with acceptance‐specific evidence being sparse and seldom reported separately. Based on these findings, we discuss theoretical and practical implications as well as further directions for curriculum planning in language education.