The Cercle de Lingüística Aplicada (CLA) is an established research group recognized by Generalitat de Catalunya as a consolidated group.
The most recent projects that have been conducted within the CLA have focused on the role of multilingualism and interculturality in secondary and tertiary education.
In general, the CLA is interested in analyzing the development of language awareness, plurilingual education, the profile and training of non-native English language teachers, the introduction of English as a medium of instruction in content learning, the development of intercultural competence, and the impact of internationalization in multilingual practices in higher education.
The research of the CLA is structured around two lines: basic research and transfer of knowledge.
- Basic research development and its applications
The main objective of the CLA in this area is describing and explaining the relationship between policies, ideologies, and communicative practices in higher education, as well as their relationship with multilingualism, interculturality, and internationalization. The attainment of this aim can contribute to understanding the success or failure of certain higher education policies. The second objective is developing materials that can be used as a model of reference for good practice in the training of higher education staff.
- Transfer of knowledge: the Observatori del Plurilingüisme a les Universitats Catalanes (OPUC)
The foundation of the Observatori del Plurilingüísme a les Universitats Catalanes contributes to the development of multilingualism and internationalization in Catalan universities, providing them with information as well as with ideas and models of reference for appropriate multilingual practices.