Multilingualism is a global phenomenon both at individual and societal levels. Few—if any—societies can be considered truly monolingual. This holds true both in contemporary contexts and from a historical perspective. The research group Multilingualism in Society and Education (MUSE) focuses on language and multilingualism as phenomena at both the individual and societal levels, with a particular interest in early childhood education, schools, and higher education.
Modern globalization, internationalization, and migration make multilingualism—and knowledge about multilingualism and multiculturalism—highly relevant both nationally and internationally. In Norway, this is evident in public documents, educational policy frameworks, curricula, and in both public and private sectors. Internationally, multilingualism is emphasized in frameworks such as the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR).
Multilingualism involves the acquisition and use of various linguistic resources, including first languages, second languages, and foreign or additional languages. It also encompasses the development of literacy in response to an increasingly complex society. Developing literacy means engaging with written, oral, and multimodal texts and media in diverse contexts, using different languages and other semiotic resources.
Our goal is to advance knowledge about connections within language (at various levels), between linguistic varieties and language communities, and about the teaching and learning of first, second, and foreign or additional languages. We aim to achieve this by mapping existing research, contributing to new research through the development and participation in various research projects, and serving as a platform for the dissemination of research.
Ph.d. programme in humanities and education
Main research fields
- Multilingualism and multiculturalism
- Teaching and learning of first, second and foreign or additional languages
- Minority languages and majority languages
- The Nordic countries and neighbouring languages
- Language development, play and learning
- Citizen science in language
- Co-creation and development in educational contexts
- Lingustic and semiotic landscapes
- Emotions in language learning
- Metacognition and language learning strategies
- Innovative practices in language teaching and learning
Activities
Will be updated shortly.