Conceptualisations of Linguistic Diversity: Critical Multilingual Awareness in Swedish Teacher Education
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.63310/edu.2026.1.64755Keywords:
critical multilingual awareness;, multilingualism, teacher educatorsAbstract
Linguistic diversity is a defining feature of Swedish schools, where a substantial proportion of pupils have a migration background, underscoring the need for teachers who can support pupils with diverse linguistic experiences. Teacher education programmes have nevertheless been criticized for insufficiently preparing student teachers for multilingual classrooms. This study examines how teacher educators in primary school teacher education programmes at three Swedish universities conceptualise language and multilingualism within their disciplines and how they express critical multilingual awareness (CMLA) in their teaching. The study is grounded in a critical and dynamic understanding of language(s), in which CMLA highlights the social, political, and economic conditions shaping linguistic diversity. The empirical material consists of individual interviews with 21 teacher educators. The findings show that although teacher educators generally acknowledge the importance of linguistic diversity and often view multilingualism as a resource, their critical awareness of the wider conditions influencing it remains limited. Multilingualism is frequently framed as a challenge linked to subject-specific linguistic demands, while broader social and political dimensions of language are less visible. Overall, the findings indicate a need to strengthen critical perspectives on language in teacher education to better support linguistic diversity in schools.
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