Language Policies in English-Medium Programmes in Germany and Denmark and their Long-Term Effects on Graduates’ Bonds with the Host Country

Abstract

Across European universities, international degree programmes that have implemented English as the medium of instruction have become an integral part of the degree portfolio (Ammon & McConnell, 2002). Estimations show that about 4 per cent of all master’s degree programmes in Germany (Kunst, 2012) and as many as 25 per cent of all degree programmes in Denmark (Kulturministeriet, 2008, p. 42) use English as a working language. By choosing English as the language of instruction and by eliminating potential linguistic hurdles such as national language tests, these programmes are successful magnets that attract foreign students who, due to their lack of knowledge of the national language of the host country, might not have come in the first place (Ammon & McConnell, 2002, p. 7). In fact, previous research indicates that possibilities for applying and practising their English is one of the key motives for students to choose such programmes (Caudery et al., 2008; Shaw et al., 2009; Soltau, 2008). For many, the English language is a ‘key educational investment’ (Graddol, 2006, p. 76) and, consequently, a key criterion when choosing a destination country. Hence, it does not come as a surprise that Anglophone countries, such as the USA, Great Britain, Australia, Canada and New Zealand, are often in the lead when it comes to attracting mobile students (DAAD, 2003, p. 10; OECD, 2013, p. 307 f.). Implementing English-medium programmes in such countries as Germany and Denmark is therefore a promising measure to step out of the shadow of these Anglophone competitors and to become more visible in an increasingly competitive higher education market (ACA, 2005, p. 251; Maiworm & Wächter, 2003, p. 8).