LANGUAGE

Independent Learning Module -The Decline in Foreign Languages in UK



Table of Contents

Introduction and rationale1

Aims & Objectives2

Scope and limits2

Methodology and method/s3

Research method3

Research approach4

Literature search5

Importance of foreign language5

Foreign Language Assistants Program6

General Certificate of Secondary Education7

Baccalaureate planned to reverse the decline8

Conclusions and Recommendations10

Scholarly Development10

References12

Independent Learning Module -The Decline in Foreign Languages in UK

Introduction and rationale

Foreign languages have declines in the United Kingdom and this has gone down to alarming statistics. In spite of the importance of teaching and learning foreign languages, the schools in the UK have failed in this regard. The teaching of foreign languages in the UK has been harmed significantly and this harm which has been induced over a period of time cannot be undone. There are several reasons for this. Most schools undermine the importance of foreign language learning at a secondary school level, others do not have the staff that is skilled to teach various languages, and there are still others who are either oblivious to the issues in teaching foreign languages or do not have the funds to train teachers to meet the needs of the students (Graddol, 2004, p. 1329).

Although, most languages have suffered as a consequence of this, it is German and French languages which have suffered the most. In this context, it is imperative to state that the importance of foreign language learning and teaching is not limited to the schools and the efficacy of the schooling system in the UK, instead it is something that has implications for the representation of the country in the international labour force, its ability to represent the country in the international affairs and the future of the country (Chiswick, 2001, p. 391). The attitude of British government on the teaching and learning of foreign languages has been widely criticized for its short sightedness and dismissive approach. Hence, in this learning module I will present the current situation of foreign language teaching in the UK and highlight the importance thereof.

Aims & Objectives

The aims of the independent learning module are as follows:

To study the importance of foreign languages in schools.

To study the decline in the foreign languages in the UK and its relationship with the willingness to learn foreign languages.

To study the various reasons behind the decline in the foreign languages and the measures taken to address the issue.

To gauge my own understanding of the acquired knowledge on the decline of foreign languages in UK.

Scope and limits

The research is focussed on the decline in foreign languages in UK. Being a person whose mother language is French and with the intention to concise the scope of the research, I will be focussing on the decline of French in UK. A major limitation of this report is that it is based on secondary or the unstructured sources of data. If I had more time I would have conducted research to garner primary sources of data. In addition, since the research studies the decline in foreign languages in the UK, the results of the study cannot be generalized over ...