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CALL FOR PAPERS - Dimensions 2026, Special Issue

Special Issue Topic: Plurilingual Language Learning: European and U.S. Perspectives 

Coeditors: Dr. Paula Garrett-Rucks (Georgia State University, U.S.) and Dr. Christiane Fäcke (University of Augsburg, Germany) 

Dimensions is the official peer-refereed journal of the U.S. Southern Conference on Language Learning and Teaching (SCOLT). This special issue will focus on plurilingual language learning and bridging language education fields from Europe and the United States. The intended purpose is to share an understanding of the terms plurilingual (individual) and multilingual (societal) widely used in Europe and internationally as they relate to the terms bilingual and multilingual (individual and societal) and translanguaging (action) that are more commonly used in the Anglophone world. This call for papers aims to inspire diverse researchers to share their understanding of theories, policies, practices, and what plurilingual language education might look like in different contexts (educational, geographical, political, etc.) comparatively or uniquely in their own state (U.S.) or country (Europe). Accordingly, this special issue focuses on the following questions: 

  1. Which issues are most pressing to language education fields between the U.S. and Europe and why? 
  2. In which way do social contexts, language policies, and language prestige influence language education in the U.S. and in Europe? 
  3. In what ways does learning world/foreign languages (e.g., Arabic, French, Japanese, or Spanish) compare in the U.S. to Europe? 
  4. What are the teaching practices in language education on both continents? How are plurilingual aspects respected and practiced and why? 
  5. Which instructional and multilingual/plurilingual practices are most beneficial to increase successful communication and relationship building? 

For additional information, please contact Editor-in-Chief, Dr. Paula Garrett-Rucks, at prucks@gsu.edu or Dimensions@SCOLT.org or Coeditor, Dr. Christiane Fäcke, at christiane.faecke@philhist.uni-augsburg.de. 

Please contact the editors early with intent to submit. Priority will be given to submissions received by the August 1st, 2025 deadline.