Languages Connect Us: An Investigation into Learner Perspectives on International Languages in Secondary Schools in Wales

The number of learners opting to study languages at GCSE other than Welsh and English has been in steep decline in secondary schools in Wales. This article seeks to understand the factors influencing learner perspectives on studying languages in Wales. It begins by providing an overview of language education policy and practice in Wales and the changes attendant on the phased introduction of a new Curriculum for Wales from 2022, as well as the learner motivation literature and Wales-based research. The core of this article centres around a quantitative analysis of a primary dataset of nearly 6,000 Year 8 and Year 9 learner responses in secondary schools in Wales. This dataset has been generated from a questionnaire distributed through a language mentoring scheme, active in two thirds of secondary schools in Wales. The analysis addresses questions related to why (and why not) learners in Wales choose to study International Languages when they come to choose options for examination at GCSE (the end of compulsory statutory education); the links between International Languages and other subjects, specifically English and Welsh in the new Curriculum for Wales; and the perceived difficulty of International Languages study at school. Our findings show that usefulness (for the future) and personal enjoyment were key motivators for learners in choosing an International Language at GCSE. Learners also had an appetite for learning new languages that were not offered at their schools. However, the links between English, International Languages and Welsh as languages were not evident to many learners. Learners did not perceive International Languages as necessarily more difficult than other subjects, and difficulty was not the main barrier for learners when not choosing International Languages at GCSE. The article ends by reflecting on strategies that could increase learner engagement with languages at a critical juncture in Wales with the introduction of a new curriculum and multilingual aspirations for language learning.