Administering higher education policies in the Baltic states: balancing the language demands in multilingual society
LTReikšminiai žodžiai: Aukštasis išsilavinimas; Aukštasis mokslas; Daugiakalbystė; Estija (Estonia); Globalizacija, Baltijos šalys; Kalbos politika; Kalbų politika; Latvija (Latvia); Baltic countries; Globalization; Higher education; Language policy; Latvia; Lithuania; Multilingualism.
ENAlong with increased international migration, many nation-states are facing the dilemma of embracing a multi-cultural and multi-lingual society while protecting their cultural and linguistic heritage. Non-Anglophone universities are often the sites of this struggle as they aim to become world-class international universities operating largely in English, yet strive to reinforce national identities through language policies. This paper examines higher education policies vis-à-vis language in the Baltic states (Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania). The aim of the paper is to identify how universities have positioned themselves to respond to the complexity of local, national, and global pressures regarding the use of national language versus other languages. Glonacal agency heuristic [Marginson and Rhoades 2002, ‘Beyond National States, Markets, and Systems of Higher Education: A Glonacal Agency Heuristic.’ Higher Education 43 (3): 281–309] was used to frame the study. Content analysis of 16 policy documents revealed that while the practices might still lean towards English as the dominant foreign language in the higher education context, there are distinct strategic steps taken in the institutional and national contexts to support maintaining cultural and linguistic diversity in the Baltic States. [From the publication]
- Internationalisation of higher education and nation building : resolving language policy dilemmas in Lithuania / Tatjana Bulajeva and Gabrielle Hogan-Brun. Journal of multilingual & multicultural development. 2014, Vol. 35, iss. 4, p. 318-331.
- Language policy and the internationalization of higher education in the Baltic Countries / Rita Kaša and Ali Ait Si Mhamed. European education. 2013, Vol. 45, no. 2, p. 28-50.
- The Bologna process and the features of implementation of the internationalization of higher education in Lithuania / Regina Karvelienė. Socialiniai tyrimai. 2014, Nr. 2 (35) p. 53-65.
- Towards the internationalisation process of Lithuanian universities / Jolita Greblikaitė, Jurgita Barynienė, Živilė Paužaitė. European integration studies. 2015, No. 9 p. 73-85.
