Pre-service teachers’ understanding of linguistically sensitive subject teaching and academic language: Influencing factors in university education

Subject teaching and learning are hardly possible without language competence; teachers are therefore required to conceptualize subject lessons in a language-aware manner. Many universities in Germany respond by offering additional modules or integrating language support into subject didactics—often without accompanying empirical research. This study examines pre-service teachers’ understanding of Linguistically Sensitive Subject Teaching and academic language, as well as factors influencing this understanding in the context of university teach¬ing, including both learning and individual beliefs. Different conceptual knowledge bases lead to diverging under¬standings of these concepts among pre-service teachers.