Abstract
AbstractIn recent decades, scholars have documented how globalisation and mobility have changed our relationship with linguistic, social and cultural norms. Yet in most educational contexts, evaluation systems still tend to support the teaching of homogeneous knowledge mastered by all, and to portray linguistic standards as key for social mobility. Drawing on qualitative interviews conducted with students on an international and multilingual higher education programme, this paper examines what the students claim they learn from a programme premised instead on the circulation of a multiplicity of norms, standards and practices. The interviews, conducted on the basis of a co-inquiry approach, suggest that the students learn to 1) deal productively and agentively with tensions, 2) rethink their positions and 3) open up to unexpected experiences when teachers support them in navigating multiple norms. In conclusion, the paper highlights how the research elucidates two kinds of norms at play in the programme, institutional and lived norms, and the relationship between them. It also reflects on the utility of discussing multilayered norms (Canagarajah 2006) openly in a globalised higher education context.
Highlights
Under this new globalised regime, neighbourhoods, workplaces, schools and universities are changing in Europe and beyond
The Grand Duchy of Luxembourg represents an especially rich case study when investigating the linguistic ramifications of globalisation
Several languages have been spoken on Luxembourgish territory, mainly different varieties of Luxembourgish, and French and German, which used to be the two official languages of the country
Summary
The Grand Duchy of Luxembourg represents an especially rich case study when investigating the linguistic ramifications of globalisation. The researchers seek to investigate in particular how multilingualism – conceptualised as the interplay of multiple linguistic repertoires (mother tongue(s), language(s) of schooling, foreign languages, second languages) – affects learning practices and processes They consider how multilingualism can be capitalised on and transformed into a resource for educational success and social well-being. The research scale varies from one field to the : in largescale quantitative studies, questionnaires will be sent to thousands of respondents, whereas in more qualitative or critical approaches, researchers will use in-situ observations or the close analysis of discursive moves from people’s unique experiences to understand multilingual processes and practices Central concepts such as language, multilingualism and learning can mean different things in different disciplines. We witnessed an increased awareness of the societal purposes that might best be served by each approach
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