Cultivating ’multilingual identities’ in schools could help reverse national crisis in language-learning

Credit: Michael und Maartje via Pixabay More young people may choose to study foreign languages to GCSE if they are encouraged to 'identify' with languages at school, rather than just learning vocabulary and grammar, new research suggests. We are missing an opportunity to teach children about languages, as well as how to speak and write them Karen Forbes The University of Cambridge study found that pupils who learn about the value of languages, how languages shape personal identity, and their impact on social cohesion, feel much more positive about subjects like French, German and Spanish; compared with those who only learn the speaking and writing skills prescribed by the national curriculum. Researchers conducted a trial with 270 pupils at four English secondary schools over a full academic year. While all the pupils received traditional language lessons, some also participated in activities which explored the value of multilingualism and its significance in their own communities and lives. Pupils who were exposed to this extended programme showed significantly more belief in their ability to learn a language, and were up to 35% more likely to express positive sentiments about studying languages, by the end of the year. The researchers argue that encouraging young people to form 'multilingual identities' could help to reverse the national crisis in language learning. According to the British Council's annual Language Trends survey , only 51% of pupils opt to study a foreign language to GCSE: far off the Government's Ebacc target of 75% of pupils by 2022.