In a new report, The Swedish Higher Education Authority, UKÄ, analyses how language relates to internal quality assurance at Swedish higher education institutions. Based on a survey of 42 higher education institution reviews, 138 evaluations of doctoral programs carried out between 2017 and 2022, and including a brief international outlook, the report is one of UKÄ’s thematic analyses.

The analysis finds that language-related issues are highlighted in more than half of the institutional reviews and nearly a third of the doctoral program evaluations. Among recurring problems described in the report are inadequate translation of information and steering documents into English, the exclusionary effects of Swedish-only administrative meetings, unequal teaching opportunities for doctoral students, and the relative absence of international students, doctoral students and employees in governing bodies and administrative groups. One of the possible consequences of these problems, the report concludes, is that language choice affects the opportunities of international groups students, doctoral students and employees to participate in the inner life of higher education institutions.

– Choosing language – in practice choosing between Swedish and English – affects the degree to which international students, doctoral students and employees can influence their education and contribute to the development of their departments and their higher education institutions, says Erik Falk, one of the authors of the report.

Language law and internationalization in conflict

The report also describes a legal conflict of objectives. The Higher Education Act states that students and staff should be involved in quality work and that higher education institutions must work on internationalisation to improve the quality of their education and research. At the same time, universities and higher education institutions are authorities which are covered by the Language Act, which states that Swedish is the nation’s administrative language.

More English not always a solution

The report observes that many reviewers support using English, especially in administrative contexts and meetings, to enable broader participation, but notes the uncertainty around knowing whether the use of English is always compatible with the requirements of the Language Act. The report also points to the need of following up whether the Language Act supports the development of Swedish terminology within teaching and research, which is another of its objectives.

Clear differences in regulation and practice regarding language issues

The international outlook shows that the Nordic countries and France handle language issues in very different ways, including areas such as legal frameworks and language requirements for employees. At the same time, the issue of international groups' participation in internal quality assurance and administration is markedly less prominent in external reviews compared to Sweden.

– The international outlook shows – perhaps surprisingly given the proximity between the systems in the Nordic countries - clear differences in both regulation and practice regarding language issues within higher education. No single and clear solution for handling the language issue in relation to internal quality assurance and internationalisation can be identified, says Caroline Tovatt, another of the report's authors.

Download The Role of Language in Higher Education Institutions’ Quality pdf, 774 kB.
Assurance Processes as a PDF pdf, 774 kB.