This volume brings together theoretical perspectives and empirical studies on the ongoing Englishization of Nordic universities. A core objective is to contrast and address the gap between ideological representations of this phenomenon and the ways in which it unfolds in the practices on the ground. The book provides perspectives from five Nordic countries: Iceland, Norway, Denmark, Sweden and Finland, with one chapter from each country focusing on ideologies and another on practices. The book is intended to provide an up-to-date resource on the internationalization and Englishization of Nordic universities for scholars, policy makers and anyone wishing to gain an overview of current issues in the field.

This volume challenges the monolingual mindset by highlighting how language-related issues surround us in many different ways, and explores the tensions that can develop in managing and understanding multilingualism. The book features analysis and discussion on the use of languages across a range of contexts, including post-migration settlement, policy, education, language contact and intercultural communication.

People in the Nordic states – Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, and Iceland – rank as among the most proficient speakers of English in the world. In this unique volume, international experts explore how this came to be, what English usage and integration looks like in different spheres of society and the economy in these countries, and the implications of this linguistic phenomenon for language attitudes and identity, for the region at large, and for English in Europe and around the world. Led by Elizabeth Peterson and Kristy Beers Fägersten, contributors provide a historical overview to the subject, synthesize the latest research, illustrate the roles of English with original case studies from diverse communities and everyday settings, and offer transnational insights critically and in conversation with the situation in other Nordic states. This comprehensive text is the first book of its kind and will be of interest to advanced students and researchers of World/Global Englishes and English as a lingua franca, language contact and dialect studies/language varieties, language policy, multilingualism, sociolinguistics, and Nordic/Scandinavian and European studies.

This report presents the results of a comparative study of language training for adult immigrants in the Nordic countries. The purpose of the study has been to compare and analyse similarities and differences across Nordic countries and immigrant sub-groups concerning eligibility to participate in language training services, motivation and goals, barriers, and the perceived benefits of language training. The study covers the perceptions of providers of language training, participating immigrants and employers in Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden. The study shows that while there are differences in how the Nordic countries organise and deliver both formal and non-formal language training services, the systems are largely similar. The main difference found between the countries concerns eligibility to participate. For participants, goals, barriers, and motivations are largely similar.

The Nordic countries have a lot in common. We share the same values and culture in education, and vulnerable subjects face many of the same challenges across the Region. This makes it advantageous for us to work together on enhancing Nordic competencies and competitiveness and to generate Nordic added value by working together on these vulnerable subject areas. A Nordic approach will generate synergies that would not be possible to achieve at national level. Nordic work on Collaboration, Specialisation and Concentration (CSC) can help overcome the challenges faced by vulnerable study programmes all over the Region. From this starting point, the study looks at how work on CSC can help maintain sustainable, high-quality study programmes throughout the Nordic Region.

Inclusion for immigrant students with special educational needs (SEN) is a neglected area of research. This edited volume addresses this problem, providing up-to-date insights into the provided support and special needs education (SNE) for immigrant students in different contexts of the Nordic countries. This important book explores the diversity of student experiences, addressing both compulsory schools and vocational education, and examines how different Nordic countries conceptualise and approach support and SNE for immigrant students. Readers will get an opportunity to read various studies that address gaps in the realisation of inclusion and special need education. This book initiates a dialogue on generating new knowledge, approaches, and methods to expand the flexibility necessary to implement a fully inclusive education. The book offers research that includes strong theoretical and practical frameworks, interviews, interventions, assessments, case studies as well as offers future directions for inclusive and special needs education. By exploring the process of inclusion and special needs education in the Nordic countries, this book is an essential read for those who intend to deepen their understanding and to enact inclusion, and the development of special needs education for immigrant students.