Maj Schian Nielsen

• Nielsen, Maj Schian (2022). Sprachenübergreifendes Bewusstsein in der universitären Lehre – Eine empirische Untersuchung von Lehrpersonen im DaF-Studium in Dänemark und Norwegen. Zeitschrift für Interkulturellen Fremdsprachenunterricht. 27(1), p. 285–317. doi: 10.26083/tuprints_00021818. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  This article explores how multilingual didactics emerges in teacher education for German foreign language teachers in Denmark and Norway. Focusing on cross-linguistic awareness and teachers’ beliefs, the study analyses data from six university-class observations and follow-up interviews with five university teachers through qualitative coding. Even though all participants express some degree of interest in cross-linguistic approaches to foreign language teaching, the number of observable occurrences of non-target language use in their teaching varies. The results show but few examples of explicit awareness-raising activities and the non-target language use is largely restricted to the learners’ L1, i.e., Danish or Norwegian. The university teachers appear to lack knowledge as well as tools to integrate multilingual didactics in their teaching.

• Nielsen, Maj Schian (2021). Are future L3-German teachers prepared to increase students' metacognition and crosslinguistic awareness in the multilingual classroom? An analysis of teacher education programs at Danish and Norwegian universities. Globe: A Journal of Language, Culture and Communication. 12, p. 48–66. doi: 10.5278/ojs.globe.v12i.6498. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  The multilingual turn in Europe requires an adaption of foreign language teaching approaches. This study provides theoretical and empirical reasons to treat crosslinguistic awareness as a potentially beneficial metacognitive tool for multilingual language learners. Furthermore, it explores whether future foreign language teachers are introduced to crosslinguistic awareness as a teaching tool in university teacher education. A sample of 27 national and local documents concerning parts of German foreign language teacher education in Denmark and Norway were analyzed for concepts such as multilingualism, metacognition, and crosslinguistic awareness. The document analysis showed that the three main concepts appeared comparably across the countries, but the distribution within the countries differed across the levels of teacher education. In Denmark, the university level focused the most on the concepts. In contrast, the findings in Norway show a more significant level of multilingualism in the national subject curriculum for foreign languages that language teachers are expected to base their instruction on. Multilingualism was not referenced in the samples at the Norwegian university level. Regardless of the appearance of the concepts in both countries’ documents, the findings are not conclusive as to whether crosslinguistic awareness is applied primarily as a learning tool for prospective teachers or whether it is promoted as a didactical tool for future teachers’ teaching.

• Holsting, Alexandra & Nielsen, Maj Schian (2020). Irrealis i engelsk, dansk og tysk - en grammatisk kategori uden systemisk adresse. Globe: A Journal of Language, Culture and Communication. 10, p. 120–142. doi: 10.5278/ojs.globe.v10i.5882. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  This paper is concerned with the apparent absence of a ‘systemic address’ for the functional category irrealis in grammatical descriptions of English, Danish and German within the framework of systemic functional linguistics (SFL). Based on a thorough discussion of our understanding of this functional grammatical concept, we present a summary of the lexicogrammatical potential of irrealis in English, Danish and German. By comparing and contrasting the three languages, we find among them equivalent connections to other grammatical systems. The existing SFL-descriptions of English, Danish and German offer some proposals with regard to irrealis, but these, to some degree, contradict our findings concerning how irrealis is actually realized. Hence, we discuss if and how irrealis can be combined with other grammatical systems like CLAUSE STATUS, POLARITY and MODALITY TYPES in the interpersonal grammar of the clause, which leads to a suggestion on how to incorporate irrealis in the MOOD-system.

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• Nielsen, Maj Schian; Handeland, Bjørn Harald & Mørch, Jesper Chr. (2026). AI Literacy and Universities: Building Competence Across the Academic Community. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  The rapid development of artificial intelligence and the implementation of the European AI Act create a pressing need for universities to raise AI literacy among researchers, educators, and administrative staff. Academic libraries can act as catalysts in this process by providing training, infrastructure, and services that help the entire university community understand and apply AI in meaningful ways. The focus is on skill building and capacity development to ensure that AI becomes a tool for advancing research, teaching, and administration. Ethical use and awareness of potential risks remain important guiding principles, but the primary challenge lies in equipping staff and faculty with the competence to use AI effectively.

• Nielsen, Maj Schian & Huntebrinker, Berit (2026). Semesterles: Biblioteket som arena for studenters leselyst og kritisk literacy - statusoppdatering. Full text in Research Archive
• Handeland, Bjørn Harald & Nielsen, Maj Schian (2026). Kunstig intelligens - hva betyr det for bibliotekene? Tre perspektiver på mulighetene for bruk av KI i institusjonen, for forskere og studenter. Full text in Research Archive
• Nielsen, Maj Schian (2025). Hvordan UiA legger til rette for arbeidslivsrelevant KI-kompetanse. Full text in Research Archive
• Nielsen, Maj Schian (2025). Studentnær KI-praksis ved UiA: Fra mikrokurs til karakterbegrunnelser. Full text in Research Archive
• Handeland, Bjørn Harald & Nielsen, Maj Schian (2025). GenKI og den nordiske flerspråkligheten. En kritisk kartlegging av forskningsfeltet. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Forskning på generativ kunstig intelligens (GenKI) i språk- og utdanningsfeltet har vokst raskt de siste årene. Feltet ser imidlertid i stor grad ut til å være dominert av engelskspråklige publikasjoner. Skandinaviske bidrag er ofte publisert på engelsk og dermed tilpasset internasjonale diskurser. Dette skaper en spenning mellom globale og lokale stemmer, og reiser spørsmål om hvordan både innhold (tema, problemstillinger, metodiske valg) og form (språk, terminologi, diskurs) påvirkes av publikasjonens språklige og kulturelle kontekst. I dette bidraget presenterer vi en pågående kartlegging av nyere forskning i skjæringspunktet mellom GenKI, språk og utdanning, med særlig vekt på flerspråklighet. Vi ønsker å undersøke hvilke forskjeller som kan identifiseres mellom skandinaviske bidrag skrevet på henholdsvis engelsk og skandinaviske språk, både når det gjelder hvordan GenKI omtales, hvilke utdanningsmessige utfordringer og muligheter som løftes fram, og hvordan språkvalg og sjangerkonvensjoner former forskningsdiskursen. Arbeidet plasseres innenfor en sosialsemiotisk ramme der språk forstås som ressurs for meningsskaping, og hvor valg av språk og terminologi ses som ideologiske handlinger. En sentral utfordring er at den engelskspråklige dominansen ytterligere bidrar til å øke statusen til engelsk, slik at skandinaviske språk og oppmerksomheten rundt mindre språk og språklig mangfold reduseres. Slik oppstår en selvforsterkende effekt hvor både forskningsspråk og selve grunnlaget for den teknologiske utviklingen av språkmodeller bidrar til å marginalisere lokale stemmer. Vi ønsker gjennom dette bidraget ønsker å åpne for en diskusjon om hvordan skandinavisk forskning kan gjøres synlig og relevant i et internasjonalt forskningsfelt, og hvordan dette kan styrke både begrepsutvikling, undervisning og demokratisk deltakelse i Norden anno 2025.

• Nielsen, Maj Schian (2025). Tillitsfull bruk av KI i vurdering: Erfaringer fra begrunnelsesprosjektet. Full text in Research Archive
• Nielsen, Maj Schian & Huntebrinker, Berit (2025). Biblioteket som arena for studenters leselyst og kritisk literacy. Full text in Research Archive
• Nielsen, Maj Schian (2025). Kunstig intelligens og kildekritikk: muligheter og fallgruver. Full text in Research Archive
• Nielsen, Maj Schian (2024). ChatGPT- Bruk av generativ kunstig intelligens i utdanning. Full text in Research Archive
• Nielsen, Maj Schian (2023). Universitetsundervisernes rolle for fremtidige fremmedsprogslæreres flersproglige bevidsthed. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Med dette bidrag ønsker jeg at præsentere delresultater fra mit doktorgradsprojekt ”Flersproglig bevidsthed- En sammenligning af tysklærerstudiet i Danmark og Norge”. Studiet undersøger i hvilken grad cross linguistic awareness indgår som led i fremmedsprogslæreruddannelsen for gymnasielærere i tysk i Danmark og Norge. Gennem en kvalitativt udført dokumentanalyse af (inter)nationale styringsdokumenter kortlægges (tilsv. makroniveau) og sammenlignes (tilsv. supraniveau) status på flersproglighed i den danske og norske tertiære sektor. Først gøres rede for flersproglighed som ressource og dernæst undersøges koncepterne metakognitiv bevidsthed som den defineres i Haukås (2018, s. 18) og crosslinguistic awareness baseret på en tilpasset definition af Jessner (2006, s. 116). I et empirisk opfølgningsstudie observeres seks universitetsundervisere for fremtidige tysklærere (tilsv. mikroniveau) med henblik på inddragelse af sprogovergribende praksisser i deres undervisning. Desuden interviewes underviserne om deres forudsætninger for og egen oplevelse af samt overbevisning (jf. Borgs (2003, s. 81) teachers’ beliefs) om anvendelsen af cross-linguistic awareness. Fundene tyder på, at de internationale målsætninger om en flersproglig tilnærmelse i fremmedsprogsundervisning (jf. CEFR (2001)) optræder mindre forankret både strukturelt og i praksis jo længere man bevæger sig fra supraniveauet mod mikroniveau. Dette betyder at styringsdokumenternes fokus på flersproglighed ikke tydelig kan spores op i universitetsundervisningen. Dette vil følgelig kunne påvirke i hvilken grad fremtidige fremmesprogslærere (kan forventes at) inddrage flersproglige aspekter i deres undervisning i skolen. Således får universitetsunderviserne gennem deres fortolkning af styringsinstrukserne i deres praksis en væsentlig medindflydelse på muligheden forde fremtidige fremmesprogslæreres flersproglige bevidsthed.

• Nielsen, Maj Schian (2021). Fostering Crosslinguistic Awareness- An Empirical Study of Lecturers in L3-Teachers Education. Full text in Research Archive
• Nielsen, Maj Schian (2021). Die Grammatik im DaF-Unterricht an Hochschulen für werdende Lehrer*innen in Dänemark und Norwegen. Full text in Research Archive
• Nielsen, Maj Schian (2021). Fostering Crosslinguistic Awareness- en empirisk undersøkelse av lærerutdannere på tysk-studiet i Danmark og Norge. Full text in Research Archive
• Nielsen, Maj Schian (2019). Mehrsprachigkeit als grammatisches Hilfsmittel für den kommunikativen Unterricht? Full text in Research Archive
• Nielsen, Maj Schian (2019). SFL's beskrivelse af diatese og dens udtryk i dansk, norsk, engelsk og tysk. Full text in Research Archive
• Nielsen, Maj Schian (2019). Grammar teaching in L3-German teacher education in Denmark and Norway. Full text in Research Archive
• Nielsen, Maj Schian (2019). Can crosslinguistic awareness among future language teachers improve grammar teaching in a German L3-context? Full text in Research Archive
• Nielsen, Maj Schian (2019). Diathese im L3-Deutschen für dänische und norwegische Muttersprachler*innen. Full text in Research Archive
• Nielsen, Maj Schian & Holsting, Alexandra (2018). SFL's beskrivelse af den irreale betydning og dens udtryk i engelsk, tysk og dansk. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  SFL’s beskrivelse af den irreale betydning og dens udtryk i engelsk, tysk og dansk Alexandra Holsting, University of Southern Denmark Maj Schian Nielsen, University of Southern Denmark/ Universitet i Agder Author keywords: irrealis, modus, tempus, dansk, engelsk, tysk Abstract: Betydningskategorien irrealis dækker over sproglige ytringer, der forholder sig til en alternativ virkelighed, fx: 1) Peter would give you the apple, if he had one. 2) Peter gäbe dir den Apfel, wenn er einen hätte. 3) Peter ville give/gav dig æblet, hvis han havde et. Irrealis manifesterer sig i de tre anførte sprog leksikogrammatisk i verbalbøjning, således at eksempel (4)-(6) med anden bøjning af verbet udtrykker realis: 4) Peter gives you the apple, if he has one. 5) Peter gibt dir den Apfel, wenn er einen hat. 6) Peter giver dig æblet, hvis han har et. Når man leder i SFL-fremstillinger af engelsk, tysk og dansk, kan man imidlertid kigge forgæves efter en behandling af konstruktioner som disse, idet hverken det semantiske eller det leksikogrammatiske aspekt af fænomenet behandles (se fx Halliday & Matthiessen 2014; Andersen & Holsting 2015; Steiner & Teich 2004). Formålet med vores præsentation er at diskutere, hvordan irrealis som semantisk og leksikogrammatisk fænomen kan behandles inden for rammerne af en SFL-grammatikmodel. Vi tager udgangspunkt i engelsk, tysk og dansk, idet vi gør rede for, hvilke leksikogrammatiske ressourcer der bruges til at udtrykke irrealis i disse sprog. De tre sprog deler verbalbøjningen som udtrykskategori, men adskiller sig med henblik på den form, der anvendes. Tysk råder over en særlig modusbøjning (konjunktiv II), der er specificeret i forhold til irrealisbetydningen, mens engelsk og dansk bruger fortidige tempusformer med nutidig tidsreference. Formålet med foredraget er dermed at udbedre et beskrivelsesmæssigt deficit og dermed anskue irrealis ud fra kategoriens funktionelle kendetegn og systemiske adresse. Referencer: Andersen, Thomas H. & Alexandra Holsting 2015. Teksten i grammatikken. Odense: Syddansk Universitetsforlag. Halliday, Michael A.K. & Christian M.I.M. Matthiessen 2014. An Introduction to Functional Grammar. 4. udgave. London/New York: Routledge. Steiner, Erich & Elke Teich 2004. Metafunctional profile of the grammar of German. In: Caffarel, Alice, James R. Martin & Christian M.I.M. Matthiessen (eds.), Introduction: Systemic functional typology. S. 139‒184.

• Nielsen, Maj Schian (2024). Tværsproglig bevidsthed. En komparativ caseanalyse af curriculum, undervisning og læremidler i tyskfaget på universiteter i Danmark og Norge. Universitetet i Agder. ISSN 9788284272252. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Guided by the overall research question, ‘To what extent and in what way is crosslinguistic awareness integrated in language courses in upper secondary teacher training in German in Denmark and Norway?’, this PhD thesis conducts a comprehensive analysis of crosslinguistic awareness within the framework of upper secondary German language teacher education in these two higher educational contexts. The study emphasizes the relevance of crosslinguistic awareness in multilingual education and explores the tension between societal demands, political guidelines and practical implications for the educational sector. To inform the research question, the thesis includes an introductory theoretical section focusing on defining and explaining the concepts multilingualism, multilingual approaches to language teaching, and crosslinguistic awareness. It also clarifies the author’s perspectives on language, learning, and language learning, and what is understood by language teacher education. Based on a primarily sociocultural and sociolinguistic viewpoint, the subsequent sections include a presentation of three chapters consisting of methodological and ethical considerations and resulting sub-studies, each represented by an article that examines the research question from a macro, meso, and micro perspective. The first article focuses on the macro level, analysing if and how the concepts of multilingualism, metacognition and crosslinguistic awareness are present in a set of 27 national curriculum documents, ranging from the school curricula for the subject German, the national guidelines for upper secondary teacher education and local university teacher study programme statements, each of which has a guiding influence on the design of the Danish and Norwegian teacher education. While the qualitative document analysis shows a general presence of the concepts, their manifestation varies between the countries studied and across the different levels. In Denmark, multilingualism appears mainly at the level of university study programmes and seems surprisingly absent from the upper secondary school curriculum for German. In Norway, on the other hand, multilingualism is strongly represented in the school curriculum for foreign languages, but not so strongly in the guidelines for upper secondary teacher training or in the analysed study programmes. In general, the Danish documents seem to be more detailed and prescriptive than the Norwegian ones. This restricts the teachers and teacher educators to a greater extent and suggests a top-down approach, where the political agenda of multilingual approaches is first established at the teacher educator level and then passed on to practising teachers. In Norway, the governmental focus on multilingualism seems to be intended to spread bottom-up from the school level. The second article moves from the macro perspective to the meso perspective of teaching practice and examines how the curricula are applied in practical university teaching. Through a series of observations, six university lecturers – three in Denmark and three in Norway – are audio-recorded in German language classes. In combination with follow-up interviews with five of these lecturers, the study aims to investigate to what extent and how the lecturers incorporate a multilingual approach to language learning in their teaching. Using a triangulated design consisting of the observer’s external perspective, the observee’s own assessment of their practice, and a more general assessment of the lecturers’ views and beliefs about multilingual teaching approaches, the study finds minor discrepancies between the lecturers’ self-perceptions and the observer’s assessments. Furthermore, the analysis finds no direct correlation between the informants’ beliefs and their practice. While some educators oppose a multilingual approach to language teaching approach that promotes crosslinguistic awareness because they believe that their students have too little linguistic metaknowledge, the same educators do not necessarily teach completely monolingually. The general opinion on multilingual teaching methods tends to be positive, but educators seem to lack the necessary knowledge and skills on how to integrate multilingual teaching into their lessons. This finding is in line with previous studies conducted in school settings. The third article focuses on the micro level by analysing the teaching materials currently used in German upper secondary teacher training programmes in the form of grammar books. Using ‘voice’ as a linguistic case, the study aims to examine the linguistic and pedagogical suitability of grammatical descriptions from a crosslinguistic viewpoint. The analysis shows a wide variation of terminology across the six books studied. Furthermore, the study finds few examples for direct crosslinguistic applicability. Thus, the study suggests that adjustments to the current teaching materials are needed to provide a basis for a crosslinguistic approach. In addition, the study suggests possible areas in which the currently used grammar books can contribute to promoting general language awareness, which is seen as one of the initial factors for crosslinguistic awareness. The discussion chapter synthesizes the findings from the three articles, evaluating the methodological approaches and their implications. The final chapter critically reviews the findings and acknowledges methodological shortcomings, emphasizing the need for further research. In conclusion, the thesis supports previous national and international research findings and implications, advocating for continued efforts to better understand and improve multilingual teaching approaches. It highlights the importance of collaboration between researchers and practitioners, including teachers and teacher educators. The findings underscore the necessity of addressing societal demands and political guidelines in conjunction with the educational sector to effectively integrate these elements into teacher training.

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