Perceptions, Attitudes, and Choosing to Study Foreign Languages in England: An Experimental Intervention

Abstract

The declining interest in foreign languages in English-speaking countries has been attributed to negative societal attitudes and specific pupil attitudes and perceptions. While various initiatives have aimed to encourage language study, little research has systematically documented the relationship among perceptions, attitudes, and actually opting to study a language (henceforth, uptake). This article reports on an experiment involving 604 13/14-year-old pupils in 3 secondary schools in England that tested whether perceived relevance of languages can be improved through 2 different interventions (a panel discussion with external speakers versus a lesson with an external tutor) and whether pupil perceptions and attitudes can be linked explicitly to foreign language uptake at an optional level. Findings show that only pupils who participated in the panel discussion subsequently reported more positive attitudes and higher personal relevance of languages, though participating in either intervention may have contributed to higher uptake compared to a nonactive control group. Boys appeared to have generally more negative attitudes toward both language learning and advocacy than girls. Declared intentions to study or drop a language did not align with final decisions for one quarter of the pupils. Critically, perceptions of language lessons (French, German, or Spanish) and attitudes to languages were reliable predictors of uptake, though the strongest predictor was whether pupils considered languages to be important for themselves. Perceived wider importance of languages was not, in itself, a sufficient incentive.

Lots of Selves, some rebellious: Developing the Self Discrepancy Model for Language Learners

“…Studies looking at L2 motivation in the UK at Secondary schools (age 12e16) have generally shown poor motivation (e.g. Graham, 2006;Taylor & Marsden, 2014), along with low self efficacy (Williams et al, 2002), which, in SDT terms, is explained as a discrepancy between Actual/Own and Actual/Ideal (Higgins, 1987:334).…”

‘People can be smarter with two languages’: changing anglophone students' attitudes to language learning through teaching linguistics

“…Coleman et al 2007;Graham 2006;Taylor and Marsden 2014;Williams et al 2002). In UK schooling contexts, students often report a lack of enjoyment of the subject (Gayton 2013;Graham 2003).…”

“…Regarding school MFL learning, many studies report on students' dislike of languages as a school subject, perceiving them as hard, irrelevant, and/or boring (Board and Tinsley 2014;Guardian 2014;Taylor and Marsden 2014;Williams et al 2002). European comparative studies show that British school students show poorest motivation for language learning, with students across Europe favoring English as their foreign language, unsurprisingly (Eurostat 2012).…”

“…Recently, Taylor and Marsden (2014) designed a study to test which of two types of intervention was most effective in improving students' perception of the relevance of languages as a school subject: either a panel discussion with external speakers (all past language learners, not academics or language experts) talking about their experiences and (lasting) benefits of language learning, or a lesson with an external tutor. Results revealed that only those students who participated in the panel discussion improved their attitude and perception of the relevance of languages, suggesting some 'positive role model' effect on learner attitude.…”

“…We have discarded this assertion: some existing Governmental reports emphasize this rationale, but not interventions, and not Routes into Languages. Secondly, we have clarified that there are few interventions that are accompanied by research (see Taylor & Marsden 2014). …”