Nordic Journal of Language Teaching and Learning

Mapping Multilingualism in Norwegian EAL Classrooms: Student Teacher Ideologies and Pedagogical Readiness

2026-04-30T09:25:02+00:00

This study investigates first-year student teachers’ conceptualizations of multilingualism and their perceived preparedness to implement multilingual pedagogies in Norwegian English as an additional language (EAL). Drawing on data from 95 survey responses and 20 follow-up interviews, the research explores how prospective teachers define multilingualism, perceive multilingual classrooms, and reflect on professional training needs. While most participants valued multilingualism as a resource, contradictions emerged between their self-identification as multilingual speakers and beliefs about multilingual pedagogy. Findings revealed a limited understanding of multilingualism, often tied to language proficiency and teacher fluency in students' home languages (HLs). Despite strong support for multilingual approaches, participants expressed uncertainty about their effective implementation. The study highlights the need for more practice-oriented training in teacher education to bridge theory and classroom realities. Results underscore the importance of equipping future teachers with both conceptual clarity and applied strategies to meet the growing linguistic diversity in Norwegian schools.

Foreign languages in Swedish Higher Education – Trends since Bologna and effects of the pandemic

2026-06-22T15:44:18+00:00

Few academic subjects have come under as much pressure as languages other than English (LOTEs) over the past decades. This study examines how foreign language education in 39 subjects within Swedish Higher Education (HE) has evolved since the implementation of the Bologna reform in 2007/2008. Particular attention is given to the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic. The results show a long-term decline in volumes across most foreign languages, despite expansions in the HE sector. While English has contracted mainly in first-cycle stand-alone courses but grown within professional programmes, French, German, and Spanish have seen the greatest losses in professional qualification programmes and modest gains in stand-alone courses, especially among older students. Advanced-level study remains limited throughout the period. The pandemic introduced further fluctuations. Government investments boosted overall enrolments, but foreign languages were unevenly affected. LOTEs experienced notable increases in first-cycle stand-alone courses, a trend that has continued beyond the crisis but accompanied by declining performance rates. Overall, the findings underscore the vulnerability of LOTEs in a HE system focused on employability and degree programmes, raising questions about how Swedish HE policy can support progression beyond the first cycle, and ensure that smaller language subjects can survive and thrive in an increasingly marketised HE landscape.

Transforming Campus into Practice: Collective Peer Teaching in Norwegian Teacher Education

2026-08-27T08:01:01+00:00

This article reports on student perceptions of a peer-teaching experiment in three courses in Norwegian teacher education. The course design resulted from a desire to increase the level of student activity and provide students with teaching practice during on-campus sessions, partially as a result of the current debate about “too much academization” and “not enough practice” in Norwegian teacher education. Survey data were collected from a total of 51 student respondents, who had all been peer teachers, students exposed to their peers’ teaching, and observers of their peers’ teaching. The survey questions explored their perceptions of the usefulness and learning outcome of this approach. The degree of satisfaction with the design varied between the groups, but in general the responses from the majority of students ranged from neutral to very positive. Group sizes and the contents of the individual courses may have influenced student perceptions, as may the degree of scaffolding, but in general the experiment may be judged a cautious success and an approach that may fruitfully be developed further.

Exploring dialogic feedback in EAL academic writing: Performance outcomes and student perspectives

2026-09-10T20:31:06+00:00

This study examined the effectiveness of dialogic feedback (DF) as an approach to feedback on English as an additional language (EAL) academic writing at the tertiary level, in comparison with traditional written commentaries. Adopting a mixed-methods design, the study investigated both writing performance outcomes and student perceptions of DF. The findings indicate that while DF offers some advantages in supporting aspects of writing development and promoting more consistent performance across learners, its overall impact on writing quality appears to be modest. Qualitative results further suggest that students generally perceive DF as a valuable, though demanding, process that fosters greater reflection, awareness, and engagement with their writing. Taken together, the findings point to DF as a promising, interaction-oriented approach to feedback that supports learner involvement, while also highlighting the need for further research into its implementation and effectiveness.

Français, langue d’avenir: Status, motivation og potentiale i en dansk kontekst

2026-04-29T09:00:04+00:00

Denne artikel analyserer den aktuelle status for det franske sprog, motivationen for at lære fransk og dets fremtidige potentiale i en dansk kontekst. Med afsæt i politiske initiativer, data og eksisterende forskning analyseres det franske sprog som uddannelsesfag, dobbeltkompetence/tillægskompetence og strategisk ressource i et globaliseret og flersproget samfund. Artiklen belyser udviklingen i franskfaget på tværs af uddannelsesniveauer og har et særligt fokus på de videregående uddannelser, hvor nye initiativer som sprogløft og tillægskompetencer har bidraget til øget interesse for fremmedsprog blandt studerende. Samtidig peges der på strukturelle udfordringer, der er knyttet til rekruttering, fastholdelse og overgange mellem uddannelsesniveauer samt på spændingen mellem kortsigtede bevillinger og behovet for langsigtede strategier. Artiklen argumenterer for, at fransk sprog og kultur fortsat spiller en central rolle i forhold til internationalisering, erhvervsliv og kulturel dannelse, og at de videregående uddannelser er nøgleaktører i udviklingen af bæredygtige sproglige kompetencer. Afslutningsvis fremhæves behovet for en helhedsorienteret og flerlaget sprogstrategi, der integrerer forskning, undervisning og politiske prioriteringer for at sikre det franske sprogs fremtid i Danmark

Français, langue d’avenir : Le statut, les motivations et le potentiel du français au Danemark

2026-03-15T10:21:27+00:00

Cet article analyse le statut actuel de la langue française, les motivations pour apprendre le français ainsi que son potentiel futur dans un contexte danois. S’appuyant sur des initiatives politiques, des données empiriques et des recherches existantes, l’article examine le français à la fois comme discipline académique, double compétence/compétence complémentaire et ressource stratégique dans une société mondialisée et plurilingue. Il met en lumière l’évolution de l’enseignement du français au sein des différents niveaux du système éducatif danois, et porte une attention particulière à l’enseignement supérieur, où de nouvelles initiatives telles que les programmes de renforcement linguistique et les compétences complémentaires ont contribué à un regain d’intérêt des étudiants pour les langues étrangères. Parallèlement, l’article présente les défis structurels liés au recrutement, à la rétention et aux transitions entre les niveaux de formation, ainsi que les tensions entre des financements à court terme et la nécessité de stratégies à long terme. Il soutient que le français continue de jouer un rôle central dans les domaines de l’internationalisation, du monde des affaires et de l’éducation culturelle, et que l’enseignement supérieur constitue un acteur clé dans le développement de compétences linguistiques durables. Enfin, l'article met en avant la nécessité d'une stratégie linguistique globale et multiniveau fondée sur une articulation renforcée entre la recherche, l'enseignement et l’adoption de nouvelles priorités politiques afin de garantir l'avenir de la langue française au Danemark.

At løfte sprogfærdighederne på tyskuddannelser: erfaringer fra Syddansk Universitet

2026-04-29T15:15:41+00:00

Denne artikel belyser brugen af ekstramidlerne til at løfte sprogfærdighederne på de eksisterende studieprogrammer med tysk på Syddansk Universitet (SDU) i Odense. Det undersøges, hvordan ekstramidlerne er blevet brugt til at adressere to problemstillinger i fremmedsprogsindlæringen, tidsfaktoren og indstillingen til fremmedsprogsundervisningen. I artiklen beskrives studieprogrammer med tysk, studenterpopulation, allerede eksisterende tilbud samt de tiltag, der er finansieret af ekstramidlerne. Disse analyseres og vurderes ud fra studerende og underviseres evalueringer af tiltagene på baggrund af artiklens teoretiske rammer.