A Dui Hua (对话) Standpoint to Multilingual Educational Theorizing

Haibo Shen

doi:10.3390/educsci7010024

Abstract

New forms of intellectual inequality have become evident with the internationalisation of higher degree researchers (HDRs) education, in particular theoretical dominance and dependency. However, the linguistically and theoretically based inequalities associated with local/global currents of standardized monolingual English HDRs education are gradually opening up to scholarly debates. In the field of education, bilingual HDRs have the potential disposition, and some have the capabilities for multilingual theorizing. Some make use of their knowledge of more than one language to extend the possibilities for theorizing educational phenomena or otherwise naming and making sense of problems. This multilingual theorizing may provide another path to transform the problems with uniformized, Anglophone HDRs education. With this concern, this paper reconsiders the universalisation of Euro-American theories through their embodiment in monolingual English in HDR education. A Dui Hua (对话) standpoint to other languages and theoretical knowledge is outlined and debated to highlight the divergences of languages and thoughts. Thus this paper probes into the possibilities of multilingual educational theorizing, whereby bilingual HDRs generate original conceptual tools that benefit the wider educational research community.

Highlights

Theories in English as the Dominant Resources for Educational Research1
Bilingual higher degree researchers (HDRs) have the potential, rking to re-gain thdeirspdoosmitionnanatncdoncatrnodlsevelop the capabilities for multilingual educational theorizing [11,18,20]
The current monolingual/multilingual debate may be extended in the perspective of bilingual HDRs implications burieedduwciathtiionntahnedCehdiunceasteional research. acters which have poly-Tsoemthainstipc ooirnigt,intshis paper has briefly reviewed the prevalent monolingual Euro-American urning candle in ondeomhainadt.eIdt endouwcarteifoenrasl research status quo

Summary

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TpohweoerriesanindEnthgeloisrhy ascothmeeDtoomgeinthaenrt Rheassoubrecens foqruEedstuiocanteidonablyRerseesaeracrhchers for decadTehse[w1–a5y].pTohweeprraondducthtieoonryancdomdiessteomgeitnhaetriohnasofbteheenoqryuensetvioenreodccbuyr riensaeavracchueursmfofrredeeocfadheissto[1r–ic5a]l., Tsohceiaplraondduectcioonnoamnidc cdoinssdeimtioinnast[i6o]n. Situated in (话 huà) means a swuocrhd,msopneeoclihn,gsuaaylinEgu,ro-American theoretical dominated educational research context, a Dui Hua paper, Dui Hua (对话) sistacnodnpsotriunetdtotoother languages and intellectual cultures is outlined as an alternative path to transform the current problems in uniformized, standardized Anglophone HDR education [19,24]. In line with this concern, the discussion section calls for multilingual educational theorizing to challenge the monolingual theoretical dominance. In the wake of post-colonial and/or decolonizing theories, the re-construal of Euro-American theories and English-only monolingualism is gradually gaining attention [1,3,4,13]

Universalization of Euro-American Theories

Common Ground of Understanding

Divergence of Languages for Original Theorizing

Discussion