Aleksandra Olszewska

Olszewska, A., & Opsahl, T. (2024). "If you don't speak Norwegian well, they think you are stupid": Experiencing and responding to linguistic racism by Polish migrant workers.  Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies (JEMS). https://doi.org/10.1080/1369183X.2024.2444455

Olszewska, A.  , Coady, M., & Yilmaz, T. (2024). Special Issue: Refugee-background students in the context of multilingual policies and practices.  5 (2),  Journal of Multilingual Theories and Practices.  https://utppublishing.com/doi/10.1558/jmtp.28245

Olszewska, A.  (2023). Humanizing and multilingual arts-based research methods: Counter-stories of refugee-background students in Poland. In J. DeHart & P. ​​Hashes (Eds.),  Arts-based research across textual media in education expanding visual epistemology . Routledge.  http://dx.doi.org/10.4324/9781003294597-5

Olszewska, A.  (2023). Critical scholarship of hope: Language teacher education and schools in Poland. In B. Muszynska & H. Hansen-Thomas (Eds.),   Putting critical language pedagogy into practice . Routledge.  https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003399414-8

Coady, M., Marichal, N.,  Olszewska, A.,  Ankeny, R., Long, A., Shafiei, H., & Chakraborty, R. (2023). 'It's like fuel': Igniting rural English learner education through place-conscious professional development.  Journal of Research in Rural Education (JRRE).  https://jrre.psu.edu/sites/default/files/2023-03/39.01.pdf

Olszewska, A. , Coady, M., & Markowska-Manista, U. (in press, forthcoming in 2022). Language planning, linguistic imperialism, and English language teacher education in post-Soviet Poland: A review of literature. In L. McCallum (Ed.),  English Language Teaching: Theory and Practice across the Region.  Springer.

Golombek, P.,  Olszewska, A. , & Coady, M.R. (2022). Humanizing power of counter-stories: Teachers' understandings of emerging bilinguals in rural settings.  Teaching and Teacher Education .  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2022.103655

Olszewska, A.,  Bondy, E., Hagler, N., & Kim, HJ (2021). A humanizing pedagogy of engagement: beliefs and practices of award-winning instructors at a US university.  Teaching in Higher Education: Critical Perspectives.  https://doi.org/10.1080/13562517.2021.1920575 

Coady, M.R., Miller, D., Zeyuan, J., Heffington, D.V., Lopez, M.P.S.,  Olszewska, A.,  De Jong, E., & Ankeny, R. (2019). Can English language learner teacher effectiveness be observed?: Validation of an ELL-Modified Danielson Group Model.  TESOL Quarterly .  https://doi.org/10.1002/tesq.544

Coady, MR, Heffington, DV, Lopez, MPS, &  Olszewska, A.  (2019). Can a short term study abroad impact teacher dispositions towards English learners? Special topics issue. S. Yang & B. Ates (Eds).  International Journal of TESOL and Learning, 8 (2), 51-70. 

Coady, M.R., &  Olszewska, A.  (2019). A review of Teacher leadership for social change in bilingual and bicultural education, by DK Palmer, Bristol, UK: Multilingual Matters.  Kultura i Edukacja Journal ,  2 (124), 187-191.  https://doi.org/10.15804/kie.2019.02.12

Coady, MR,  Olszewska, A. , & Lopez, MPS (2018). Scholarly contributions to twenty-first century multilingualism. A review of Shifting lenses: Multilanguaging, decolonization and education in the global south, edited by L. Makalela, Cape Town, The Center for Advanced Studies.  International Journal of Multilingualism ,  15 (4), 472-474.  https://doi.org/10.1080/14790718.2018.1490743

• Olszewska, Aleksandra Ita (2026). “They say that we are refugees, so we are them”: The violent or life-saving act of naming? Ethnicities. ISSN 1468-7968. doi: 10.1177/14687968261453573. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv Vis sammendrag

  The refugee construct is multidimensional, encompassing legal, administrative, political, and social layers. On one hand, being granted refugee status can be a matter of life or death; on the other, classifying people as refugees can be a violent act of naming as it may become a tool of categorization. Grounded in Refugee Critical Race Theory (RefugeeCrit) and informed by humanizing and arts-based methods, this qualitative study examines how four Chechen refugee-background students (RBSs) in Poland construct understandings of the term refugee . Data for this paper derive from a larger study conducted in Poland, and include semi-structured interviews, field notes, multilingual self-portraits, and I Am From poems, as well as related multimodal and multilingual artifacts. The study’s findings demonstrate that RBSs construct several understandings of the term refugee : a) refugee versus foreigner versus stranger distinction, (b) being unaware of the refugee term, (c) unquestioned internalization of the refugee term, and (d) neutral or/and positive positionality toward the refugee term. These four responses are captured in the Refugee-background Students’ Response to Refugee Term (RRR) model , which foregrounds the dynamic tensions between circulating majoritarian narratives in school and community contexts, and students’ counter-stories. The RRR model reveals the complex, fluid, and context-sensitive nature of the refugee label while centering RBSs’ perspectives as a means to amplify their agency in research. The paper advocates for refugee-centered, arts-based, humanizing, and participatory research, as well as for contextualized uses of the refugee label that enable self-positioning and foregrounding RBSs’ agency.

• Olszewska, Aleksandra Ita; Coady, Maria & Yilmaz, Tuba (2024). Refugee-background students in the context of multilingual policies and practices: An introduction. Journal of Multilingual Theories and Practices. ISSN 2632-4490. 5(2). Fulltekst i vitenarkiv
• Olszewska, Aleksandra Ita & Opsahl, Toril (2024). ‘If you don’t speak Norwegian well, they think you are stupid’: experiencing and responding to linguistic racism by Polish migrant workers. Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies. ISSN 1369-183X. 51(9), s. 2146–2165. doi: 10.1080/1369183X.2024.2444455. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv Vis sammendrag

  Although Poles constitute the largest migration community in Norway, they sometimes remain invisibly present as well as tend to be stigmatized and overlooked in integration policies, specifically, language courses. As language is assumed to be crucial for professional success, knowledge of Norwegian or lack thereof may include or exclude individuals from professional spaces. Guided by the constructs of linguistic racism and Whiteness, this qualitative study drew upon narrative inquiry to gain in-depth understandings of Polish migrants’ experiences while navigating the workplace. 22 participants were recruited, each of whom was of Polish background, was employed in Norway, and used Norwegian at work. The data included semi-structured individual and focus group interviews, surveys and researcher’s reflexive journal. The findings provide nuanced insights into Polish migrants’ linguistic realities in the workplace. Specifically, the study demonstrates: (a) how participants experienced various types of linguistic racism and (b) responded by either challenging, opposing, rationalizing and/or denying linguistic racism. Results of this study can be helpful in addressing migrants’ needs in creating linguistically just workplace settings.

• Olszewska, Aleksandra Ita (2023). Humanizing and Multilingual Arts-Based Research Methods: Counter-stories of Refugee-background Students in Poland. I DeHart, Jason & Hash, Peaches (Red.), Arts-Based Research Across Textual Media in Education. Expanding Visual Epistemology - Volume 1. Routledge. ISSN 9781032279077. s. 54–72. doi: 10.4324/9781003294597-5. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv
• Olszewska, Aleksandra Ita (2023). Critical Scholarship of Hope. Language Teacher Education and Schools in Poland. I Muszyńska, Barbara & Hansen-Thomas, Holly (Red.), Putting Critical Language Pedagogy into Practice. Routledge. ISSN 9781003399414. s. 99–113. doi: 10.4324/9781003399414-8. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv
• Olszewska, Aleksandra Ita; Coady, Maria; Marichal, Nidza; Ankeny, Raisa; Long, Andrew & Shafiei, Hamed [Vis alle 7 forfattere av denne artikkelen] (2023). “It’s Like Fuel”: Igniting Rural English Learner Education Through Place-Conscious Professional Development. Journal of Research in Rural Education. 39(1), s. 1–18. doi: 10.26209/JRRE3901. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv Vis sammendrag

  Rural schools and communities across the United States are increasingly diverse—linguistically, racially, and culturally. As rural schools experience this diversity, the need for well-prepared educators (teachers, leaders, counselors, and coaches) has continued to grow. This three-year study consisted of a place-conscious educator professional development program aimed to support rural English learners (Els) and their families. Participants engaged in six hybrid graduate level courses with onsite meetings, coaching, and classroom support. Data for this study derived from participating educators’ coursework, focus groups, material archives, observations, and fieldnotes. Data were analyzed following open and axial coding techniques, collapsed into categories, and merged into themes. Data indicated that the collaboration that emerged from the professional development was relational, equal, and synergistic in nature. This collaboration appeared to be pivotal in creating and implementing new supports for ELs and more equitable education for EL students and families.

• Golombek, Paula; Olszewska, Aleksandra & Coady, Maria (2022). Humanizing power of counter-stories: Teachers’ understandings of emergent bilinguals in rural settings. Teaching and Teacher Education : An International Journal of Research and Studies. ISSN 0742-051X. 113. doi: 10.1016/j.tate.2022.103655. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv
• Olszewska, Aleksandra Ita; Coady, Maria & Markowska-Manista, Urszula (2022). Language Planning, Linguistic Imperialism, and English Language Teacher Education in Post-Soviet Poland: A Literature Review. I McCallum, Lee (Red.), English Language Teaching Policy and Practice across the European Union. Springer. ISSN 9789811921520. s. 51–67. doi: 10.1007/978-981-19-2152-0_4. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv

Se alle arbeider i NVA

• Devold, Leiv Igor & Olszewska, Aleksandra Ita (2026). Polsk kultur i Norge  | Nasjonalbiblioteket. doi: https:/www.nb.no/tv/polsk-kultur-i-norge/. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv Vis sammendrag

  I Norge bor det over 120 000 mennesker med polsk bakgrunn. De første polske innvandrerne kom allerede på 1800-tallet. I denne samtalen vil filmskaper Igor Devold, litteraturviter Julia Aagenæs Wiedlocha og språkforsker Aleksandra Olszewska vil diskutere hva slags avtrykk polsk innvandring har satt i norsk kultur. Samtalen vil være på engelsk.

• Opsahl, Toril & Olszewska, Aleksandra Ita (2026). B2 or not B2? Vitenskapelig nyansattes erfaringer med språklæring og språkkrav. doi: https:/www.uib.no/lle/177399/konferanse-om-nordens-spr%C3%A5k-som-andrespr%C3%A5k#program. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv Vis sammendrag

  Innlegget er basert på individuelle intervjuer med universitetsansatte som (relativt) nylig har tiltrådt i vitenskapelig stilling ved norske universiteter eller vitenskapelige høyskoler, og i den forbindelse måttet bygge opp og dokumentere norskkompetanse tilsvarende B2 i det felles europeiske rammeverket. Det analytiske rammeverket som ligger til grunn for studien, er tematisk og narrativ analyse som avdekker og løfter fram deltakernes levde erfaringer (f.eks. Connelly & Clandinin, 1990; De Fina, 2021). Deltakerne deler erfaringer om språkbruk på arbeidsplassen, om kurs og lærestoff og med prøvesitusjoner de har gjennomført for å dokumentere at de tilfredsstiller språkkravet. Kravet viser seg å stå i et spenningsforhold til de språkpraksisene som de facto er i bruk i arbeidshverdagen, og i et spenningsforhold til engelsk, og til mer eller mindre uskrevne forventninger om bl.a. nabospråkforståelse. Resultatene støtter opp om liknende funn fra tidligere studier (f.eks. Gujord et al., 2022; Kirilova & Lønsmann, 2020), men løfter kanskje enda tydeligere fram noen særskilte perspektiver som er viktige for ansatte i vitenskapelige førstestillinger. En del kurs- og opplæringstilbud som er rettet mot voksne andrespråksinnlærere, legger opp til individuelle tilpasninger relatert til førstespråks- og landbakgrunn, som av og til virker fremmedgjørende for deltakere med erfaring fra et internasjonalt akademia. Sammenhengen mellom det formelle norskkravet og utfordringene og mulighetene som norskkompetanse potensielt kan gi for trygghet, mestring og avansement, oppleves også tidvis som vagt kommunisert. Studien peker mot et behov for en enda tydeligere anerkjennelse av ulike kompetanseprofiler og differensiering av ev. opplæringstilbud for universitetsansatte.

• Olszewska, Aleksandra Ita & Opsahl, Toril (2024). “If you don’t speak Norwegian well, they think you are stupid”: Experiencing and responding to linguistic racism by Polish migrant workers in Norway. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv Vis sammendrag

  Although Poles constitute the largest migration community in Norway, they sometimes remain invisibly present in language policies and practices (Opsahl, 2021). Studies have also shown that Polish migrants tend to be stigmatized (van Riemsdijk, 2013; Sapieżynska, 2022), exploited on economic basis (Rye & Andrzejewska, 2010), and overlooked in integration policies, specifically, language courses, which are aimed at non-EU citizens only (Gmaj, 2018). As language is assumed to be crucial for professional success, the knowledge of Norwegian or lack thereof may include or exclude individuals from professional spaces in Norway (Kraft, 2019). This qualitative study (Merriam & Tisdell, 2016) adopts an emic perspective and examines how Polish migrants to Norway linguistically navigate the workplace and make sense of their experiences. Guided by the constructs of linguistic racism (Dovchin, 2020; Olszewska, 2022; Tankosić & Dovchin, 2021) and Whiteness (Andersson & Rye, 2023; Fylkesnes et al., 2024; Thomas et al., 2023; van Riemsdijk, 2010), this paper drew upon narrative inquiry (De Fina, 2021) to gain in-depth understandings of participants’ perspectives and stories. Through convenience and purposeful sampling, 22 participants with a wide array of jobs were recruited, each of whom was of Polish background, was employed in Norway, and used Norwegian at work. The data included semi-structured individual and focus group interviews, surveys, and researcher’s reflexive journal. However, interviews played the leading role as “[at] the root of in-depth interviewing is an interest in understanding the lived experience of other people and the meaning they make of that experience” (Seidman, 2013, p. 9) which aligned with the goal of our work. Findings of this study provide nuanced insights into Polish migrants’ linguistic realities in the workplace. Specifically, the study demonstrated: (a) how participants experienced various types of linguistic racism and (b) how participants responded by either denying, rationalizing, opposing, and challenging linguistic racism. Results of this study can be helpful in addressing Polish migrants' needs in creating linguistically just workplace settings for Polish migrants by, for example, designing and organizing workshops for Norwegian employers. A better understanding of Polish migrants’ perspectives in Norway may lead to a more inclusive integration and better mutual understanding between Poles and Norwegians.

• Olszewska, Aleksandra Ita & Opsahl, Toril (2024). “’If you don’t speak Norwegian well, they think you are stupid’: Linguistic discrimination and Polish migrant workers in Norway”. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv
• Olszewska, Aleksandra Ita (2024). My Educational Journey and Radical Multilingual Spaces of Hope for Refugee-background Students: An exemplary school in Poland. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv
• Olszewska, Aleksandra Ita & Coady, Maria (2024). Radical multilingual and multicultural spaces of hope for refugee-background students in Poland. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv
• Olszewska, Aleksandra Ita (2024). “I am from Islam and K-pop”: Refugee-background students’ identities and multilingual identities in becoming. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv
• Opsahl, Toril; Garbacz, Piotr; Golden, Anne; Olszewska, Aleksandra Ita; Szymanska, Oliwia & Solarek-Gliniewicz, Magdalena [Vis alle 8 forfattere av denne artikkelen] (2023). L2 Communication in workplace settings. The case of Polish migrants in Norway (NorPol). Fulltekst i vitenarkiv
• Olszewska, Aleksandra Ita (2023). “If you don’t speak Norwegian well, they think you are stupid”: Linguistic discrimination and Polish migrant workers in Norway. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv
• Olszewska, Aleksandra Ita (2022). “JustWork”: In pursuit of linguistic justice in the workplace for Polish migrants to Norway. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv
• Olszewska, Aleksandra Ita (2022). Refugee- and migrant-background students, identities, and language education: Humanizing research & arts based methods. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv
• Olszewska, Aleksandra Ita; Schulte, Leonie; Omar, Laila; Nichols, Briana; Opsahl, Toril & Khan, Kamran (2022). Panel - Language and the temporalities of migration. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv Vis sammendrag

  The proposed panel addresses the ways in which language and time are not only mutually constitutive, but also critical and as-yet underresearched dimensions of migration and displacement. We examine how contact with dominant sociocultural and linguistic frameworks influence the temporal and spatial trajectories of persons experiencing (forced) migration. Processes of migration, displacement and ‘reception’, as well as interactions with institutions and institutional actors each draw on, and are shaped by, valuations, perceptions and relationships with language and time. Analysing the dynamic intersections of linguistic and temporal frameworks is therefore critical to understanding how people in contexts of migration and spaces of arrival/reception make sense of and navigate related processes of belonging, integration and future-making. As such, the proposed panel explores the multiplex ways in which language and temporal (im)mobility interact within contexts of migration and displacement and across various actors from policy makers, researchers, service providers and local community members, to the individuals living through migration and displacement. The panel combines insights from education studies, linguistic anthropology, sociology and migration studies, and case studies ranging from the experiences of Syrian refugees in Canada and Germany, displaced Chechen youngsters in Poland, and internally displaced indigenous youth in Guatemala. Through the diversity of disciplinary approaches and geographical foci, together, the contributions illuminate how access to sociocultural and linguistic resources engender new forms of mobility and agency, and demonstrate how state policies intervene with migrant (im)mobilities, impacting affective relationships to the past, present and future.

• Olszewska, Aleksandra Ita (2022). “They say that we are refugees… so we are them”: Refugee-background students’ reaction to the refugee term. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv Vis sammendrag

  The notion of refugee is a multidimensional entity, consisting of legal, administrative, political, historical, and social dimensions (Voutira & Doná, 2007). While legal terms matter as being granted refugee status “can often mean the difference between life and death for asylum claimants” (Wooley, 2017, p. 379), classifying people as refugees is an oppressive act of naming as it becomes a tool of people’s categorization (Paris, 2019). The purpose of this paper is to propose and discuss a model called Refugee-background Students’ Response to Refugee Term (RRR), which attempts to unpack and problematize the legal construct of refugee. This qualitative study was conducted with four Chechen refugee-background students (RBSs) in Poland. Inspired by previous participatory and arts-based research studies (e.g., Busch, 2010; Prasad, 2013), the data sources encompassed interviews as well as language self-portraits, I Am From poems, and handprints created by the participants which provided a multimodal, multilingual, and democratic platform for their voices. Framed by RefugeeCrit, counter-storytelling, and humanizing research (Delgado, 1989; Fine, 2017; Paris, 2011; Solórzano & Yosso, 2002; Strekalova-Hughes et al., 2018), participants’ responses were shaped by majoritarian stories and counter-stories told about and by refugees. The study’s findings have shown that RBSs enact an array of reactions to the term refugee as they navigate their realities. Specifically, RBSs’ responses to the refugee notion included the following positionalities: being unaware, unquestioned internalization, neutral positionality, acceptance, and positive approach. The RRR framework illustrates the complicated nature of the refugee construct and may be applied as a tool to voice and discuss refugees’ own perspective related to the refugee notion.

• Olszewska, Aleksandra Ita & Coady, Maria (2022). Radical multilingual spaces of hope for refugee-background students in Poland: Transformative language policies and practices. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv
• Olszewska, Aleksandra Ita (2022). Multilingual identities of immigrant-background students: Polyphonic counter-stories in self-portraits and poems at the intersection of cultures and languages. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv
• Coady, Maria; Olszewska, Aleksandra; Marichal, Nidza & Ankeny, Raisa (2021). “It's like fuel”: Rural educator collaboration for English learners. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv
• Coady, Maria & Olszewska, Aleksandra (2021). Exemplary leaders of multilingual students: A cross national study. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv
• Olszewska, Aleksandra (2021). Getting there: The life and work of a graduate student. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv
• Olszewska, Aleksandra (2021). Let’s call the whole thing off? Fulltekst i vitenarkiv
• Olszewska, Aleksandra (2021). “I am from Islam and K-pop”: Refugee-background students’ identities and language identities in becoming. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv
• Olszewska, Aleksandra (2021). Multilingual spaces of possibilities and becoming: Refugee background students in Poland. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv
• Olszewska, Aleksandra (2021). Counter-stories from multilingual Chechen youth: Refugee- background students’ identities and language identities in becoming. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv
• Olszewska, Aleksandra (2021). “I know seven languages”: Refugee-background youth’s counter stories for social justice. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv
• Olszewska, Aleksandra (2021). Multilingual identities in refugee-background students’ voices. Counter-stories from Poland. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv
• Olszewska, Aleksandra (2021). Multilingual policies and practices with immigrant and refugee-background students: School at crossroads in Poland. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv

Se alle arbeider i NVA