Abstract
The chapter explores the lived experience of students with diverse linguistic and educational backgrounds in Swedish higher education through in-depth interviews with three students who migrated to Sweden. Reflections on language ideologies and practices across social spaces in multilingual university settings are discussed. While the students align with the monolingual ideologies of the institution especially with regard to high-stakes tasks, such as assignments, this position is not fixed. The study reveals how various languages can play significant roles for learning in different social spaces. It also highlights the role of previous academic knowledge for the transition into tertiary education irrespective of language codes used. Harnessing the use of some of the translingual learning strategies might support a more inclusive course design.
Kärnspråk here means “core language”, see Sect. 4.3 for discussion.
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Kaufhold, K., Wennerberg, J. (2020). “I need to know this in Swedish because it’s the kärnspråk”: Language Ideologies and Practices of Multilingual Students. In: Kuteeva, M., Kaufhold, K., Hynninen, N. (eds) Language Perceptions and Practices in Multilingual Universities. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-38755-6_8
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