Understanding the plurilingual research in context

Abstract

Despite the vast body of research on plurilingualism which has emerged over the past years, it seems that few studies analyse the role of the plurilingual researchers when working in collaborative projects. The main purpose of this article, therefore, is to examine how research on plurilingualism is developed in a context where researchers from different language backgrounds work together in plurilingual collaborative research teams. Framed by the European project ENROPE, which enables networking structures for researchers in the field of language education and plurilingualism, the study was conducted during a plurilingual intensive study week in Barcelona (June-July 2021). The participants of the study are researchers, professors and PhD candidates from different European Universities developing research on plurilingualism. Relevant factors, such as the role of the English language and the role of languages other than English in plurilingual contexts, specific collaborative strategies and practices or the plurilingual identity are analysed. Initial results regarding the benefits and drawbacks of collaborating in plurilingual teams are discussed.