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MEMO/08/731 Brussels, 21 November 2008 Growing trend in teaching languages at schools in Europe: pupils learn foreign languages from an earlier age This second edition of Key Data on Teaching Languages at school in Europe produced by the Eurydice network gives a detailed picture of the language teaching systems in place in the schools of all 31 countries participating in the EU Lifelong Learning programme: 27 Member States, Lichtenstein, Norway and Iceland, as members of the European Economic Area (EEA) and Turkey. It covers aspects ranging from foreign language learning at a very early age, the variety of languages learnt, the taught time at various education levels, the proportion of language learners at each level, content and language integrated learning (CLIL) to the training of teachers of foreign languages from primary to secondary general education. It is the outcome of close collaboration between the Eurydice European unit, the Eurydice National Units and Eurostat, the Statistical Office of the European Communities. As a result of this collaboration, it has been possible to inter-relate reliable information from different sources in a way that offers original and illuminating insights into language teaching in schools. Around 40 indicators have been used to describe the situation of teaching languages in Europe. The data in the report relates to the school year 2006-2007 and covers the general education sector (public sector schools and grant-aided private ones). Some issues have been monitored by Eurydice since 1984 which gives an interesting historical perspective on trends regarding teaching languages. In addition, some information from the PISA 2006 international survey was used to go deeper into the reality of multilingualism at home and in schools. The main findings of the study are: 1) Teaching of foreign languages starts earlier but taught time remains limited in primary education Earlier learning of a foreign language as a compulsory subject has become a clearly visible trend across Europe in the course of the last three decades as shown by the figure below. In almost all European countries, compulsory learning of a foreign language now begins in primary education. Several countries include at least one foreign language from the first or second year of compulsory primary education (Italy, Luxembourg, Austria, France, Norway, Malta, Poland, Portugal, Estonia, Finland and Sweden). In some cases, there is even an earlier start: in all autonomous communities of Spain children learn a foreign language from the age of 3 and the German-speaking community in Belgium also applies that rule. Other countries generally start later (8-10 years old). Thanks to such reforms, the percentage of pupils in primary education learning at least one foreign language has risen almost everywhere in recent years. Duration of compulsory first foreign language teaching in pre-primary, primary and general secondary education (1984, 1994, 2003 and 2007) Ages Ages 1984 1994 2003 A foreign language is being phased in 2007 No compulsory foreign language teaching Belgium (BE fr): (a) Brussels wherever the language of instruction is French, and (b) French-speaking part of Wallonia. Belgium (BE nl): (a) Brussels wherever the language of instruction is Dutch, and (b) Flanders. Source: Eurydice (figure B3). However, even if foreign language teaching is becoming a general practice, the time devoted remains limited (in general less than 10% of the total taught time) and varies considerably between countries, from under 5% to 39%. The amount of time spent on language learning is generally greater in lower secondary education than in primary schools. 2 Minimum hours recommended for teaching foreign languages as a compulsory subject in primary and full-time compulsory general secondary education, 2006/07 Primary Education Lower secondary education No foreign languages as a compulsory subject Total Compulsory subject with flexible time Belgium (BE de): a) Public-sector schools b) grant-aided private schools. Czech Republic: a) Základní škola (former system); b) Základní škola (new system); c) Základní + Gymnázium (former system). Germany: a) Hauptschule; b) Realschule; c) Gymnasium. Luxembourg: a) ‘classical’ section; b) ‘modern’ section. Malta: a) Junior Lyceum, b) Secondary schools Netherlands: a) VMBO; b) HAVO; c) VWO. Austria: a) Hauptschule and Polytechnische Schule; b) Realgymnasium Romania: a) Gimnaziu + Liceu; b) Gimnaziu + Şcoala de arte şi meserii. Liechtenstein: a) Oberschule; b) Realschule; c) Gymnasium. Source: Eurydice (figure E3) 2) Encouraging trend towards teaching two foreign languages at school In 2006-2007, compulsory teaching of a foreign language at school for at least one year was a reality in all the countries involved, except Ireland and Scotland (United Kingdom). In the majority of countries, over half of the pupils in primary education learn at least one foreign language. In lower secondary education, 58% of pupils across Europe learn two or more languages. This is encouraging in the context of the goal of improving "the mastery of basic skills, in particular by teaching at least two foreign languages from a very early age" set by the Barcelona European Council in 2002 (most notably, the Czech Republic and Italy have introduced reforms since 2005 and now comply with that goal). 3 The teaching of two foreign languages in pre-primary, primary and general secondary education, 2006/07 A minimum of two foreign languages: Compulsory for all An entitlement for all For at least one year of Full-Time Compulsory Education (FTCE) Compulsory or an entitlement for all Solely after FTCE Compulsory or an entitlement for some During and/or after FTCE Source: Eurydice (Figure B4). Average number of foreign languages learnt per pupil, lower and upper general secondary education (2005/06) Lower general secondary education Upper general secondary education : data not available Source: Eurostat, UOE (figure C6). 3) English taught to over 90% of pupils across Europe at some stage of their education In 13 European countries, English is the mandatory first foreign language. Even when a choice of other languages is provided, pupils and their parents tend to favour English, which is now the most widely taught language in primary education. In the past five years, English teaching in primary education has increased by over 20 percentage points in Bulgaria, Germany, Greece, Italy and Portugal, doubled in Bulgaria and Greece and tripled in Germany. 4 Percentage of pupils learning English, primary education (2002, 2003, 2004, 2005 and 2006) (:) data not available (-) not applicable or nought Source: Eurostat (figure C5) English is even more dominant at secondary level and is learnt on average by 90% of all European pupils at some stage of their compulsory education. When a second foreign language is taught, it is usually French or German. In some countries, depending on the national context, other languages prevail: Spanish (France and Sweden), Italian (Malta), Danish (Iceland), Dutch (French-speaking community of Belgium), Swedish (Finland) or Russian (Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania). 4) Few countries recommend mobility as part of teacher education Whilst language learning is becoming a common feature in school education across Europe, it is often provided in primary education by general teachers. In secondary education, the degree of specialisation of teachers varies greatly from country to country. Education authorities in the majority of countries covered recommend that teachers' education include courses or activities enabling future teachers to teach foreign languages. At present, mobility is the exception rather than the rule: countries recommending a period of training abroad for future language teachers include Germany, United Kingdom, Norway, Austria, France, Ireland, Bulgaria and the German-speaking community of Belgium. 5 The full report Key Data on Teaching Languages at School in Europe is available on the Eurydice and the Executive Agency websites - In English http://eacea.ec.europa.eu/portal/page/portal/Eurydice/showPresentation?pubid=095EN http://eacea.ec.europa.eu/about/eurydice/index_en.htm - In French http://eacea.ec.europa.eu/portal/page/portal/Eurydice/showPresentation?pubid=095FR http://eacea.ec.europa.eu/about/eurydice/index_fr.htm Printed copies of the report in English and French will be available from January 2009. The German translation will be available shortly afterwards. This study is part of the Eurydice Key data series: a body of concise clear information, in the form of textual commentary combined with an extensive set of data figures. Other key documents of interest: - European Commission Communication on Multilingualism: an asset for Europe and a shared commitment (18 September 2008) http://ec.europa.eu/education/languages/news/news2853_en.htm - Council resolution on a European Strategy for multilingualism (21 November 2008) Background information on the Eurydice network The Eurydice network supports and facilitates European cooperation and the development and implementation of national policies in education by providing information on and analyses of European education systems and policies. It consists of 35 national units based in all 31 countries participating in the EU Lifelong Learning programme. A central coordinating unit is based in the EU Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency in Brussels. It produces regular studies on various aspects of European education systems and provides detailed descriptions of the systems in each participating country. http://www.Eurydice.org 6