Dutch or English in Higher Education? Why Not Both?

Abstract

The present investigation analyzed the role of receptive multilingualism with Dutch and English in the inclusion of international employees in Dutch higher education by answering the research question: How could a receptive Dutch language course facilitate the inclusion of international employees in higher education institutions? In previous research statistical evidence of the role of receptive multilingualism in inclusion has been absent. Therefore, the present investigation provided quantitative and qualitative tools to investigate the undiscovered sociolinguistic domain of receptive multilingualism. Consequently, Dutch universities could facilitate the inclusion of international English-speaking employees without excluding native Dutch-speaking employees. A quantitative analysis tested a sample of 6 international employees participating in a receptive Dutch course with the independent variable receptive Dutch language skills and the dependent variable inclusion. The online questionnaire consisted of 16 items on inclusion and 2 items on receptive Dutch language skills. A Pearson’s correlation test presented a strong positive correlation between receptive Dutch language skills and inclusion for the pre-test and a moderate positive correlation for the post-test. Although the statistical tests were not significant, a qualitative analysis with international employees demonstrated that most participants felt more included after improving their receptive Dutch language skills. The qualitative analysis consisted of 7 semi-structured in-depth interviews followed by a thematic analysis. Additionally, the qualitative analysis provided insights on the opportunities and challenges of inclusion, the receptive Dutch language skills and the receptive Dutch course facilitated at Utrecht University. These insights on receptive multilingualism and inclusion could maintain the importance of the English language in Dutch higher education institutions, resulting from the internationalization of Dutch universities, and strengthen the position of the Dutch language, adapting to recent political developments.