Nordic language policies for higher education and their multi-layered motivations

Abstract

Language policies have been drafted in Nordic higher education with the obvious, but unproblematised and unchallenged motivation caused by internationalisation. In this article, we analyse the various motivations for drafting language policies in Nordic higher education and the ideological implications of those motivations. We do this by approaching the question from multiple (macro, meso and micro) viewpoints, in order to make visible some of the undercurrents in higher education language policy. We are particularly interested in the explicit motivations for language policy change, and the explicit and implicit actors and action represented in our data. We will first discuss the background for internationalisation in Nordic higher education and then move on to our analysis of policy documents, survey data on the motivations for language policy drafting in Nordic higher education institutions. Our results indicate that internationalisation turns into a national question in the motivations. It also appears that the institutions are reactive (rather than active) in responding to perceived needs to draft a language policy We approach policy in a manner close to Johnson's (2013) definition, by asking our questions from multiple viewpoints, in order to make visible some of the ideological undercurrents in higher education language policy. We thus acknowledge the multi-sited (Halonen, Ihalainen & Saarinen 2015) nature of policy-making, where policy needs to be conceptualised in different, historically and contemporarily emerging layers, in order to understand the nature of policy change. In this article, we analyse the various motivations for drafting language policies in Nordic higher education and the ideological implications of those motivations. We do this by analysing the explicitly stated motivations for language policy change, and the actors represented in our data. We will first discuss the background for internationalisation in Nordic higher education and then move on to our analysis of legislation, national and institutional policy documents, and survey data on the motivations for language policy drafting in Nordic higher education institutions, in order to form a multilevel understanding of the language policy situation and the language ideological implications of this. The research questions and data are presented more explicitly in the chapter on Purposes and data.

Students’ perspectives on English medium instruction within higher education

“…However, despite the influx of English, national languages have maintained a strong position within Nordic HE Hultgren et al, 2014). This dual role has led to policy development in HE institutions in all five countries focussing on the parallel use of English and the national language(s) (see for instance Björkman, 2014;Hultgren, et al 2014;Kuteeva, 2014;Ljosland, 2015;Saarinen & Taalas, 2017).…”

Ambivalent English: What We Talk About When We Think We Talk About Language

“…English is a major Lingua Franca in European higher education. Non-Anglophone countries provide English language programmes, and particularly in the Nordic context, English language programmes seem to be a proxy for internationalisation (Saarinen & Taalas 2017;Saarinen & Rontu 2018).…”

International Student Experiences in Non-Native-English-Speaking Countries: Postgraduate Motivations and Realities from Finland

“…Hence, the number of international students in Asian countries, such as China, Malaysia, the Republic of Korea, Qatar, Singapore, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates, has witnessed a significant increase (UNESCO, 2016). Similarly, countries in the Nordic region are considered strong options for studying abroad due to their level of welfare, education quality and programmes taught in English (Airey et al, 2017; Lundahl, 2016; Nordic Council of Ministers, 2013; Saarinen and Taalas, 2017). Thus, changes in the policies of international student recruitment have also gained attention in Nordic countries.…”