- Trial lecture starts at 10.00
- Public defence starts at 12.00
Title of trial lecture: Students' Education in a Multilingual School: A Discussion of Theoretical Foundations, Opportunities, and Limitations (Translated to English)
Read the thesis in NVA
Disputation chair: Vice dean Gunhild Kvåle
Assessment committee:
- First opponent: Adrian Lundberg, Malmö University
- Second opponent: Beate Hildegard Lindemann, UiT
- Chair of assessment committee: Elin Gunleifsen, UiA
Supervisors in the doctoral work:
- Main supervisor: Michael Schulte, UiA
- Co-supervisor: Åsta Haukås, UiA og UiB
Summary of thesis
Title: Crosslinguistic Awareness. A Comparative Case Study of Curriculum, Teaching Practices, and Teaching Materials in University-Level German Language Education in Denmark and Norway.
Crosslinguistic awareness is defined in this PhD thesis as a multilingual didactic umbrella concept that presupposes linguistic awareness across languages utilising linguistic creativity, metalinguistic knowledge, and metalinguistic reflection to foster language understanding and enhance (foreign) language learning. The concept challenges traditional monolingual didactic approaches by emphasising the value of crosslinguistic perspectives.
The thesis explores the integration of crosslinguistic awareness into specific German subject courses within upper secondary teacher education programs at universities in Denmark and Norway. The study examines the interplay between societal demands, political guidelines, and practical implementations.
The thesis is based on three research articles that analyse crosslinguistic awareness at different levels.
The first article focuses on the macro level and analyses 27 documents, including school curricula for German, national teacher education guidelines, and local study programme descriptions. The analysis shows that crosslinguistic awareness is represented differently in Denmark and Norway, with a top-down approach in Denmark and a bottom-up approach in Norway. The article highlights how these differences may affect teachers’ autonomy and the implementation of multilingual perspectives in practice.
The second article examines the meso level through teaching practices, using observations and interviews with six university lecturers. The findings reveal that lecturers are generally positive towards multilingual approaches but often lack concrete tools to systematically integrate them into teaching. The analysis also notes discrepancies between the lecturers’ self-perceptions and their actual practices and further discusses how lecturers’ own language perceptions and experiences may influence their approach to multilingualism in teaching.
The third article analyses the micro level by examining grammar books used in German subject courses in teacher education. The analysis shows that these books only partially support crosslinguistic perspectives and suggests improvements to enhance student teachers’ linguistic metacognition. The article also points out how a more explicit integration of crosslinguistic elements into teaching materials can promote student teachers’ reflection on linguistic variation and connections.
Overall, the thesis contributes to research on multilingualism by demonstrating how crosslinguistic awareness can be understood and operationalised in German subject teacher education. It highlights the need for greater attention to how political guidelines, practice, and teaching materials can support crosslinguistic approaches and how these elements can be brought into alignment. By examining crosslinguistic awareness at the macro, meso, and micro levels, the thesis provides a holistic perspective on the challenges and potential of integrating multilingual perspectives into teacher education. The three articles emphasise the need for greater collaboration between researchers, lecturers, and teachers – not only to strengthen student teachers’ linguistic metacognition but also to create practices that meet societal and educational demands for future multilingual competencies. The thesis also establishes a foundation for future research, particularly regarding the operationalization of crosslinguistic approaches in other subject areas and educational levels.
What to do as an online audience member
The disputation is open to the public. To follow the trial lecture and the public defence online, register on Zoom.
We ask online audience members to join no earlier than 10 minutes in advance. After these times, you can leave and rejoin the meeting at any time.
Opponent ex auditorio:
Deadline for the public to pose questions is during the break between the two opponents. Questions ex auditorio can be submitted to disputation chair.
Contact:
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