Multilingualism in Higher Education

A special issue of Education Sciences (ISSN 2227-7102).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 June 2023) | Viewed by 6131

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
Interests: individual differences; second language writing; international education

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
Interests: individual differences; computer-assisted language learning; online language learning

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Multilingualism enhances cross-cultural communication and cross-cultural communication. Multilingualism in education promotes the creation and appreciation of cultural awareness, adds academic and educational value, enhances creativity, an adjustment in society and an appreciation of local languages.

As globalization continues and international education becomes increasingly popular around the globe, multilingualism has become a trend in higher education, which helps promote civilization and competitiveness in students both as individual human beings and as contributors to society. It also helps enhance the global competitiveness of institutes of higher education.

This Special Issue will focus on the roles of multilingualism in contemporary higher education, specifically, multilingualism and academic achievements, multilingualism and multiculturalism, multilingual language acquisition and learning, multilingualism and teacher education, multilingualism and globalization, and multilingualism and self-identities. This Issue will seek to shed light on the critical roles of multilingualism in contemporary higher education, to understand the science and art behind multilingualism and how it helps reshape the notion and perception of multilingualism and higher education. The Issue will also include strategies to promote multilingualism and multiculturalism, perceptions of multilingualism and multiculturalism, multilingualism and career development, multilingualism and leadership, and. multilingualism and multiculturalism during COVID-19. The following content topics will shape, incorporate, and solidify these topic areas in the call for manuscripts and the content focus for this Special Issue. Submissions of research articles based on quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods are welcome.

In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome. Research areas may include (but not limited to) the following:

  • Attitudes and perceptions of multilingualism;
  • Multilingualism and education policies;
  • Multilingualism and multiculturalism;
  • Cultural psychology;
  • Multilingualism and academic achievements;
  • Multilingualism and globalization;
  • Multilingual and multicultural communication;
  • Multilingual and multicultural development;
  • Multilingual language acquisition and learning;
  • Multilingualism and teacher education;
  • Multilingualism and self-identities;
  • Strategies to promote multilingualism and multiculturalism;
  • Multilingualism and career development;
  • Multilingualism and leadership;
  • Multilingualism and multiculturalism during COVID-19.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Prof. Dr. Meihua Liu
Dr. Yining Zhang
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a double-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Education Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1800 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • multilingualism
  • multiculturalism
  • higher education
  • globalization
  • self-identity
  • leadership
  • teacher education
  • multilingual language acquisition and learning
  • education policy
  • career development
  • multicultural communication

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

16 pages, 592 KiB  
Article
Order and Crash: Multilingual Ecology and Language Planning in Sino-Foreign Cooperative Education Institutions
by Wenting Hu
Educ. Sci. 2023, 13(9), 921; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci13090921 - 09 Sep 2023
Viewed by 825
Abstract
As preconditions and consequences of the globalization of higher education, multilingualism has reconfigured language ecology, language policy and planning, and multilingual management in the contemporary world. However, studies of multilingualism focusing on real-language scenarios in Sino-foreign cooperative education institutions (SCEIs) are rare. This [...] Read more.
As preconditions and consequences of the globalization of higher education, multilingualism has reconfigured language ecology, language policy and planning, and multilingual management in the contemporary world. However, studies of multilingualism focusing on real-language scenarios in Sino-foreign cooperative education institutions (SCEIs) are rare. This study explores the multilingual ecology, language policy and planning, and language management of three leading SCEIs in China. It also investigates the attitudes of SCEIs’ stakeholders toward language use and language policy in multilingual contexts. A case study was conducted by analyzing a significant number of language policy documents, semi-structured interviews with stakeholders, and partial participant observations. The research results reveal the main features of multilingual coexistence and intense competition in the three leading SCEIs by identifying the micro, meso, and macro issues of language management. The effects of language policy and planning mechanisms are also identified in SCEIs of higher education. Potential conflicts in multilingual environments are interpreted from the perspective of global cooperation. Last, recommendations are offered for the advancement of the language evolution of SCEIs in China. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Multilingualism in Higher Education)
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9 pages, 223 KiB  
Article
Multilingual Education Policy and LOTE Teacher Development: Focusing on China’s LOTE Programs in Higher Education
by Wenjun Yu and Hao Xu
Educ. Sci. 2023, 13(8), 844; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci13080844 - 19 Aug 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 908
Abstract
This article, drawing on recent research on Language Other than English (LOTE) programs in China’s universities, examines the impact of multilingual education policy on the professional development of LOTE teachers. We argue for the mediating roles of LOTE programs as they carry the [...] Read more.
This article, drawing on recent research on Language Other than English (LOTE) programs in China’s universities, examines the impact of multilingual education policy on the professional development of LOTE teachers. We argue for the mediating roles of LOTE programs as they carry the influence of education policy on teacher development. In other words, LOTE programs may influence the way in which education policy impacts teacher development. Specifically, LOTE programs seem to play three mediating roles: (1) How education policy is perceived and understood by the program designer or/and coordinator impacts how LOTE teachers who engage in the program are influenced, (2) how educational resources are allocated to teachers teaching in the LOTE program impacts teachers’ professional development, (3) how teachers actually position themselves in the LOTE program as opposed to their identities positioned by education policy and the university administration impacts their professional development. In a word, the influence of multilingual education policy on the professional development of LOTE teachers may be mediated by such meso- and micro-level factors as administration, resource, and identity work. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Multilingualism in Higher Education)
12 pages, 263 KiB  
Article
Supervisory Feedback on Chinese Doctoral Students’ Drafts of a Research Article
by Yuan Tian and Qian Guo
Educ. Sci. 2023, 13(7), 731; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci13070731 - 18 Jul 2023
Viewed by 803
Abstract
Doctoral students need guidance from both language teachers and academic supervisors for academic publication. However, previous studies have predominantly focused on corrective feedback from language teachers. The small number of studies on supervisory feedback were mainly undertaken in English-speaking countries on theses and [...] Read more.
Doctoral students need guidance from both language teachers and academic supervisors for academic publication. However, previous studies have predominantly focused on corrective feedback from language teachers. The small number of studies on supervisory feedback were mainly undertaken in English-speaking countries on theses and dissertations, and mostly examined supervisors in applied linguistics, who probably have much in common with language professionals. To fill the research gaps, we investigated the foci of the feedback from a non-English-speaking supervisor on drafts of his doctoral students’ research article intended for a top conference in computer science. The results show that the supervisor commented not only on the content but also on the requirements for research writing, the logical flow of ideas, surface-level language issues, and visual elements. The findings can inform language teachers of what supervisors may value so that language professionals can provide feedback that better caters to the needs of students in research writing. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Multilingualism in Higher Education)
17 pages, 358 KiB  
Article
Relations among and Predictive Effects of Anxiety, Enjoyment and Self-Efficacy on Chinese Interpreting Majors’ Self-Rated Interpreting Competence
by Ying Xu and Meihua Liu
Educ. Sci. 2023, 13(5), 436; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci13050436 - 24 Apr 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1260
Abstract
It is generally acknowledged that emotions play important roles in second/foreign language learning. Nevertheless, though interpreting is highly stressful, not much research on emotions has been conducted is this area. Hence, this research investigated foreign language anxiety and enjoyment in interpreting class and [...] Read more.
It is generally acknowledged that emotions play important roles in second/foreign language learning. Nevertheless, though interpreting is highly stressful, not much research on emotions has been conducted is this area. Hence, this research investigated foreign language anxiety and enjoyment in interpreting class and self-efficacy in learning interpreting among Chinese university majors of interpreting. Analyses of 67 mixed-form questionnaires revealed the following major findings: (a) More than half of the participants felt anxious in the interpreting class, (highly) enjoyed the interpreting class and had (great) self-efficacy in learning interpreting well; (b) Interpreting classroom anxiety, enjoyment and self-efficacy were significantly related to one another and students’ self-rated interpreting competence; (c) Interpreting classroom anxiety negatively predicted students’ self-rated Chinese–English interpreting competence, while social enjoyment positively predicted students’ self-rated English–Chinese interpreting competence; and (d) A number of factors were reported for students’ anxiety and enjoyment in interpreting class and self-efficacy in learning interpreting. Based on these findings, some implications were discussed. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Multilingualism in Higher Education)
15 pages, 654 KiB  
Article
Effects of Learner Variables on Chinese Bilingual Undergraduates’ Intercultural Sensitivity and Effectiveness
by Meihua Liu
Educ. Sci. 2022, 12(12), 873; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci12120873 - 29 Nov 2022
Viewed by 1558
Abstract
This study investigated the effects of learner variables on Chinese bilingual undergraduates’ intercultural sensitivity and effectiveness. A total of 439 students from different universities answered a battery of questionnaires. Major findings were: (a) the participants reported a moderate to high level of intercultural [...] Read more.
This study investigated the effects of learner variables on Chinese bilingual undergraduates’ intercultural sensitivity and effectiveness. A total of 439 students from different universities answered a battery of questionnaires. Major findings were: (a) the participants reported a moderate to high level of intercultural sensitivity and a moderate level of intercultural effectiveness; (b) no significant gender difference occurred in intercultural sensitivity and effectiveness, except for Interaction Engagement and Respect for Cultural Differences; (c) intercultural sensitivity and effectiveness were significantly positively related to and predicted each other; (d) confidence in learning English, self-efficacy in learning English and English classroom anxiety significantly predicted students’ intercultural sensitivity; and (e) English classroom anxiety, English learning motivation, and self-efficacy in learning English significantly predicted students’ intercultural effectiveness. Based on these findings, a path model was constructed which explains the relations among affect, intercultural communication sensitivity, effectiveness and competence. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Multilingualism in Higher Education)
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