MFL Mentoring is a research-active and research-informed project. The MFL Mentoring team have published widely on language learning, policy and education. The project contributed to Cardiff University’s School of Modern Languages REF2021 submission.
The new curriculum in Wales offers the opportunity to rethink how modern foreign languages are taught and valued and, in so doing, to embed a holistic approach to language learning that would benefit not only modern foreign languages but also Welsh and English. This article will ask how the new curriculum could bring together the teaching of Welsh and modern foreign languages to promote a multilingual approach to language learning in Wales.
Gorrara, C., Jenkins, L., Jepson, E. and MacHin, T. 2020. Multilingual perspectives: preparing for language learning in the new curriculum for Wales. Curriculum Journal 31(2), pp. 244-257. (10.1002/curj.11)
Wales’ linguistic tapestry is diverse. Welsh and English hold equal status in Wales. According to the 2021 Census, 17.8 per cent of individuals in Wales speak Welsh (Welsh Government 2022a). In addition to this bilingualism are languages beyond English and Welsh. Over 34,000 learners aged 5 and over had a first language other than English and Welsh in 2022/23 (Welsh Government 2023a). Polish, Arabic and Bengali are the top three of over 150 languages spoken by learners in schools across Wales (Welsh Government 2023b). Indeed, the linguistic context in Wales offers rich opportunities for learners to become multilingual. While on a policy level such multilingualism is promoted, the reality on the ground is quite different.
Arfon, E., Gorrara, C., Jenkins, L., and Owen, G. Forthcoming. Languages Connect Us. An investigation into Learner Perspectives on International Languages in Secondary Schools in Wales. Forthcoming.