Country reports. An analysis of developments in the diversity of language teaching;
and a compilation and analysis (effectiveness of measures, trends)For each country in the report (except for Liechtenstein, for which insufficient information was obtained) the following was to be presented:
• “A compilation and analysis (effectiveness, trends), in the form of a one-page summary per EU country, of measures taken to broaden the range of language teaching between the 1999/2000 and 2004/2005 academic years, with additional details attached if necessary;
• “An analysis, in the form of a one-page summary per EU country, of developments in the diversity of language teaching between the 1999/2000 and 2004/2005 academic years, covering the range of foreign languages that are compulsory or optional in primary and secondary education, with additional details attached if necessary.”
Preliminary notes
• The main source of data, unless otherwise stated, is the joint UIS (UNESCO Institute of Statistics) / OECD / Eurostat (UOE) questionnaires on education statistics, which constitute the core database on education and have been taken fron the Eurostat website. Data on regional enrolments and foreign language learning are collected additionally by Eurostat.
• Wherever possible the figure for the total used to calculate the percentages of pupils studying each language (Eurostat indicator educ_enrllng1, “Students in ISCED 1-3 by modern foreign language studied”46) is the same as the total recorded in the charts on numbers studying none, one or more languages in a given school year (Eurostat indicator educ_enrllng2, “Students in ISCED 1-3 by number of modern foreign languages studied”). Elsewhere, to complete series or to overcome discrepancies, the total is taken from other Eurostat sources.47
• The inclusion of a language in the statistics gives no idea at all of how many hours of instruction it received during the term: by halving the time devoted to a language, and teaching a second language in the available space, a country would seemingly have doubled its presence of languages… without having increased the total time devoted to them.
• “The average number of foreign languages learned per pupil in secondary education (ISCED 2 and 3) is obtained by dividing the total number of pupils learning foreign languages by the number of pupils at that level. A foreign language is recognised as such in the curriculum or other official document relating to education in the country. Irish, Luxembourgish and regional languages are excluded, although
46 For a complete list of Eurostat indicators, see
http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/pls/portal/docs/PAGE/PGP_DS_CODES/PGE_DS_CODES/POPULAT ION_SOCIAL_EN.XLS.
For definitions of ISCED indicators, see
http://circa.europa.eu/irc/dsis/employment/info/data/eu_lfs/Related_documents/ISCED_EN.htm
47 Especially from “Long-term indicators” / Education and lifelong learning / School enrolment /
pupils and students: Distribution of pupils/Students by level,
http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/extraction/retrieve/en/theme3/educ/educ_ilev?OutputDir=EJOu tputDir_254&clientsessionid=5493C25B120E487AA08AEDCEB78B1C0E.extraction-worker-
2&OutputFile=educ_ilev.htm&OutputMode=U&NumberOfCells=594&Language=en&OutputMime=text %2Fhtml&. See also indicator “educ_ilev”:
http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/portal/page?_pageid=1073,46870091&_dad=portal&_schema=PO RTAL&p_product_code=EDUC_ILEV#
provision may be made for them in certain Member States. Allowing for exceptions, when one of the national languages is taught in schools where it is not the teaching language, it is not considered as a foreign language.”48
• In some countries statistics on the study of the languages of national minorities are included. In others pupils belonging to such minorities are recorded as students of the national official language. In still other cases they are completely ignored. • The existence of the “other” category often renders it impossible to make valid
statements about changes in the number of languages offered in schools.
• In the tables the reference to the school year is marked by the year in which it ends, e.g. 1999/2000 is referred to as 2000.
• In the tables “average” means “Average number of languages studied per pupil in a given year”.
• In the tables a blank space means zero. 0·0% means a numerical value above zero.
List of countries
Austria
Belgium
Bulgaria
Croatia
Cyprus
Czech Republic
Denmark
Estonia
Finland
France
Germany
Greece
Hungary
Iceland
Ireland
Italy
Latvia
Lithuania
Luxembourg
Malta
Netherlands
Norway
Poland
Portugal
Romania
Slovakia
Slovenia
Spain
Sweden
Turkey
United Kingdom
AT - AUSTRIA
1. Policy Developments
General:Österreichisches Sprachenkomitee, ÖSKO (The Austrian Language Committee) was set up in 2003 by the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science in the context of national priorities based on the objectives of the European Commission’s 2004-06 Action Plan. It focuses on early language learning, better language teaching and building a language-friendly environment. In it, various organisations (e.g. schools, teacher training institutions, universities, adult educational institutions, the social partners) support the objectives and implement measures taken so far.
48 Source:
http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/portal/page?_pageid=1996,39140985&_dad=portal&_schema=PO RTAL&product=_YEARLIES&root=theme0/yearlies/c/cc/cca/cca13072&zone=detail
In 2004 the Ministry founded Österreichisches Sprachen-Kompetenz-Zentrum (the Austrian Centre for Language Competence) to contribute to language policy development and coordinate and implement innovative approaches in language education. This Centre set up SPIN, a nationwide structure to facilitate the exchange of information and of experience, and to give assistance in the implementation of innovative language projects. Co-operation with regional partners (e.g. regional school authorities, institutions for in- service training or adult education, individual schools and individual teachers) will strengthen collaboration and information exchange. A pilot regional network has been set up in Styria which may serve as a model for further regional networks.
In 2005/2006, thanks to the Muttersprachlicher Unterricht programme, 26,019 pupils of 18 immigrant backgrounds studied their mother tongue (at schools other than vocational schools, which are free to opt for such classes) as well as Austria’s official language.
Other pupils become multilingual thanks to their minority status. Slovenian is taught in Carinthia: in 2005/2006 CLIL was used at ISCED-1 level by 1984 pupils, for 67% of whom Slovenian was a second language; in ISCED-2 and ISCED-3 schools it was studied as a subject by 878 and 835 pupils. In the same year, smaller numbers studied or were taught through Croatian (492 L1, and 1691 L2) and Hungarian (660 L1, and 2062 L2) in Burgenland.
Primary:
Compulsory foreign language instruction from the 1st grade of primary school (at least 32 lessons a year) began in 1998 in all primary schools with a five-year transition period to allow for in-service teacher training. Apart from English and French, the languages of neighbouring countries are offered: Italian, Slovak, Slovenian, Czech, Hungarian; as is Croatian. Thus all primary schools were teaching foreign languages from the age of six by 2003-04. More than 90% of pupils learn one foreign language, which is usually English. There has been parental resistance to the introduction of an optional, second foreign language at this level (which in unassessed). There is also a shortage of language teachers at all education levels for languages other than English. Consequently most of the primary schools where more than one foreign language is offered tend to be located in locations where autochthonous minority language groups exist.
Since September 2005 a national model of Grundschulportfolios is in operation. This includes the Council of Europe ‘language passport’, language biographies and an associated dossier which guides the pupil’s learning trajectory. The Grundschulportfolio constitutes the preliminary stage of the Mittelstufenportfolio, which is relevant at the ISCED 2 level. The Vienna 20 project, emphasising multilingual language learning with an emphasis on Italian and Turkish bilingualism, is used in elementary schools. Apart from Italian and Turkish there are also 10 to 20-minute integrated instruction sequences in English and French aimed at the primary level. Native language instruction is offered in Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian and Albanian.
Post primary:
Since September 2000, a new curriculum has been phased in at the lower secondary level. It establishes teaching standards common to all foreign languages. The piloting of new standards for FL1 is in progress. At general secondary level (ISCED-2), the Hautpschule and the Realgymnasium, in grades 5 to 8 only one foreign language is compulsory (4 lessons per week in grades 5 and 6, and 3 in grades 7 and 8), though school autonomy allows for the introduction of a second foreign language49. Pupils that begin learning a second foreign language usually do so at the upper secondary level, and only in some schools. Ten
languages are taught, chiefly English, French, Italian, Spanish and Russian (plus Turkish in the Hautpschule). To graduate students have to pass oral and written language tests. Advanced tests are also available.
Pre-vocational secondary schools (Polytechnische Schulen) may offer two to four weekly lessons of English.
A new curriculum came into effect in 2004-05 for all academic secondary schools, with three weekly lessons of the first foreign language over the four years, and the Gymnasien and Realgymnasien devote at least the same time to a second foreign language. The range of languages offered in the academic secondary schools50 was broadened in September 2006, to add Slovak and Polish to the existing ten.
In upper secondary vocational schools, all students have to study English and another foreign language in HAK51 (two or three hours a week each, for each of the five years) and HLW52 (three hours of week of each), and schools are free to introduce a third foreign language.
2. Data
Primary education (ISCED-1)
2000 2002 2005 2000 2002 2005
Pupils enrolled 389462 383785 356861 Pupils enrolled 389462 383785 356861
No foreign language 9·0% 3·1% 2·2% Arabic 0·0% 0·0% 0·0%
At least one foreign
language 91·0% 96·9% 97·8% English 90·6% 96·7% 97·4%
One foreign language 87·6% 93·3% 93·7% Spanish 0·1% 0·1% 0·1%
Two foreign languages 3·3% 3·5% 4·0% French 1·3% 1·1% 1·1%
Three foreign languages 0·1% 0·1% 0·1% Hungarian 0·3%
Four or more foreign
languages 0·0% 0·0% 0·0% Italian 1·0% 1·0% 1·0% Average 0·94 1·01 1·02 Dutch 0·0% Russian 0·1% 0·2% 0·2% Swedish 0·0% Slovak 0·2% Slovenian 0·8% Other 1·4% 1·6% 0·8% Average 0·94 1·01 1·02 FLOTE 0·04 0·04 0·05
Comment: By 2001-2002 virtually all pupils studied English throughout their primary
schooling. However, the FLOTE value remained very small (0·04-0·05). The appearance in 2004/2005 of students of Hungarian, Slovak and Slovenian does not mean more languages are taught (they were previously classified under “other”); they are languages of national minorities.
Lower secondary education (ISCED-2)
50 Allgemeinbildende Höhere Schulen 51 HAK: Handelsakademien.
2000 2002 2005 2000 2002 2005
Pupils enrolled 379627 387796 388644 enrolled 379627 387796 Pupils 388644
No foreign language 1·2% 1·0% 0·3% Arabic 0·0%
At least one foreign language 98·8% 99·0% 99·7% Chinese 0·0% 0·0% 0·0%
One foreign language 90·7% 90·0% 90·4% Czech 0·0% 0·0% 0·1%
Two foreign languages 8·0% 8·9% 9·1% English 98·7% 99·0% 99·1%
3 foreign languages 0·1% 0·1% 0·2% Spanish 0·1% 0·2% 0·4%
Four or more foreign languages 0·0% 0·0% French 4·6% 5·1% 5·2%
Average 1·07 1·08 1·09% Hungarian 0·2%
% studying more than 1
language 8·1% 9·0% 9·3% Italian 2·9% 2·9% 2·9% Japanese 0·0% 0·0% Russian 0·3% 0·5% 0·5% Other 0·4% 0·6% Average 1·07 1·08 1·08 FLOTE 0·08 0·09 0·09
Comment: Virtually all study at least one foreign language and about 9% study two. The FLOTE value is stable at about 0·09 (mainly French).
Upper secondary education (ISCED-3)
2000 2002 2005 2000 2002 2005
Students enrolled 359909 356263 397520 Students enrolled 368070 367471
No foreign language 4·4% 4·9% 3·6% Arabic 0·0% 0·0%
At least one foreign language 95·6% 95·1% 96·4% Chinese 0·0% 0·0%
One foreign language 61·3% 61·3% 59·6% Czech 0·2%
Two foreign languages 30·8% 30·2% 32·5% English 95·6% 95·0% 96·3%
Three foreign languages 3·5% 3·5% 4·2% Spanish 3·0% 4·0%
Four or more foreign languages 0·1% 0·0% Finnish 0·0%
Average 1·34 1·33 1·37% French 24·7% 23·3% 25·0%
% studying more than 1
language 34·4% 33·8% 34·8% Hungarian 0·1% Italian 9·3% 9·6% 10·7% Japanese 0·0% 0·0% Russian 0·7% 0·7% 0·7% Slovak 0·0% Slovenian 0·2% Other 0·3% 0·3% 0·2% Average 1·34 1·3 1·37 FLOTE 0·38 0·38 0·41
Comment: Over a third study two (or three) languages. This is English in virtually all cases. French is studied by a quarter of the pupils, and Italian by a tenth. The FLOTE value is highest at this level (0·41 in 2004-05) though no new languages were apparently offered in 2005 (except for Finnish), while Japanese, Arabic and Chinese seem to have been discontinued.
BE - BELGIUM
1. Policy Developments
General:Belgium is a federal state with three constituent governments each of which develops its own educational policy. In the Dutch community a comprehensive language policy programme is proposed which will add a foreign language to the core curriculum at the secondary level, provide initiatives to improve teachers’ skills with respect to the communicative approach; and will provide solutions to guarantee more continuity. It also introduces CLIL into secondary education.
Similar measures apply to the French-language community. The adoption of the 24/7/1997 “Décret définissant les Missions prioritaires de l’Enseignement Fondamental et de l’Enseignement Secondaire et organisant les Structures propres à les atteindre” laid down the measures and reforms implemented since then (for example, the 2002 Decree on university training and the creation of the IFC, the 2002 Decree on the monitoring of the educational system, and the setting up of the Monitoring Committee, etc.). The competences and skills required in each educational level have thus had to be clearly defined. With regard to language learning, as a result of all the above, priority is given to communicative skills, learning autonomy and intercultural awareness. After a 1998 CLIL decree, a recent Decree establishes a new framework, and structures more precisely its development and implementation.
The government of the German-speaking Community drew up an educational reform plan to coordinate developments in the other Belgian Communities and in neighbouring states. In August 1998, the Foundation Decree set up the responsibilities entrusted to school providers and staff and the general provisions of an educational and organizational nature for mainstream primary and secondary schools. It was followed (in April 1999) by a Decree on basic mainstream education (pre-primary and primary) and in December 2002, by a decree fixing (for primary and lower secondary mainstream education) key skills which have to be acquired by all pupils. A decree on the use of languages in education became law on 19 April 2004 and gives a legal base to CLIL provision in secondary education.
Primary:
In the Dutch community a decree issued in May 2004 made French compulsory in the 5th and 6th (final) years of primary schooling (age 10-11). The decree introduced the possibility of having language awareness lessons and also lessons of initiation into the French language. Both approaches can start in nursery school. No other foreign language is taught in its primary schools. In the Dutch schools in the Brussels region French has long been compulsory from the third year (age 8).
In the French community, a foreign language (English, Dutch or German) has been compulsory since 1998 from the 5th grade. In the French schools in the Brussels region Dutch has long been compulsory from the 3rd grade (age 8). English, Dutch or German can be started as CLIL in nursery schools in Wallonia (only Dutch can similarly be started in such schools in Brussels).
In the German-speaking community, the 2004 decree made French language activities for (10-40 minutes daily) compulsory in pre-primary school sections, while in primary schools French is compulsory in all 6 years of primary schooling.
Post primary:
2. Data
Primary education or first stage of basic education (ISCED-1)
2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 Pupils enrolled 742016 725185 719986 713500 705267 696609
No foreign language 62·8% 61·2% 60·4% 59·2% 59·7% 56·4%
At least one foreign language 37·2% 38·8% 39·6% 40·8% 40·3% 43·6%
One foreign language 37·2% 38·8% 39·6% 40·8% 40·3% 43·6%
Average 0·37 0·39 0·40 0·41 0·40 0·44 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 Pupils enrolled 742016 725185 719986 719986 705267 696609 German 0·3% 0·3% 0·4% 0·3% 0·3% 0·4% English 3·8% 4·3% 4·4% 4·2% 4·5% 4·6% French 18·3% 20·0% 20·7% 20·2% 20·2% 19·2% Dutch 14·7% 14·3% 15·0% 16·1% 15·3% 19·4% Average 0·37 0·40 0·40 0·41 0·40 0·44 FLOTE 0·33 0·35 0·36 0·37 0·36 0·39
Comment: The FLOTE value, and the proportions studying each foreign language rose
slowly, largely because the demographic decline gives increasing weight to the upper grades of primary schooling, where foreign language teaching is generalised English is hardly taught in Belgium at this level. Data for Dutch are from the French community, and those for French are for the Dutch community. If these two languages are excluded from the FLOTE index, its value becomes 0 throughout the period.
Lower secondary education (ISCED-2)
2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 Students enrolled 292876 246910 251381 260220 262079 262632
No foreign language 19·3% 6·2% 5·9% 7·5% 6·8% 6·9%
At least one foreign language 80·7% 93·8% 94·1% 92·5% 93·2% 93·1%
One foreign language 58·1% 67·5% 64·4% 63·1% 63·9% 66·0%
Two foreign languages 22·6% 26·8% 29·7% 28·9% 29·0% 27·1%
Three foreign languages 0·0% 0·0% 0·0% 0·4% 0·4%
Average 1·03 1·21 1·24 1·22 1·23 1.20
% studying more than 1 language 22·6% 26·8% 29·7% 29·3% 29·3% 27·1
2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 Pupils enrolled 292876 246910 251381 260220 262079 262632 Arabic 0·2% 0·2% Chinese 0·1% 0·1% Danish 0·0% 0·0% German 1·4% 1·6% 1·3% 0·9% 1·0% 0·7% English 39·3% 44·8% 43·7% 43·5% 43·7% 42·2% Spanish 4·2% 5·0% 0·0% 0·1% French 47·1% 57·2% 53·6% 52·6% 53·2% 53·1%
Greek 0·1% 0·1% 0·0% Italian 1·4% 1·7% Japanese 0·1% 0·1% Dutch 24·6% 32·7% 25·9% 25·1% 25·1% 24·1% Portuguese 0·2% 0·3% Russian 0·3% 0·3% Swedish 0·1% 0·1% Other 0·1% 0·1% Average 1·19 1·44 1·25 1·22 1·23 1·20 FLOTE 0·80 1·00 0·81 0·79 0·79 0·78
Comment: Differences in the averages for 2000, and again for 2001, make the
percentages for these two years suspect. The rest of the series is stable in both tables. The FLOTE value is even higher than at primary level (close to 0·80), again due to the study of the national languages as second languages and despite the marked drop in he number of languages apparently offered (especially in 2001/2002).
Upper secondary education (ISCED-3)
2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 Students enrolled 547488 469716 468529 472998 482223 490009
No foreign language 21·8% 12·3% 11·9% 12·4% 12·9% 12·9%
At least one foreign language 78·2% 87·7% 88·1% 87·6% 87·1% 87·1%
One foreign language 18·5% 18·3% 18·9% 18·8% 18·3% 18·5%
Two foreign languages 41·4% 48·9% 48·8% 49·1% 49·1% 50·4%
Three foreign languages 17·9% 20·2% 20·0% 19·3% 19·4% 17·8%
Four or more foreign languages 0·3% 0·4% 0·4% 0·3% 0·3% 0·3
Average 1·56 1·78 1·78 1·76 1·76 1·74
% studying more than 1 language 59·6% 69·5% 69·2% 68·7% 68·8% 68·8%
2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 Students enrolled 547488 469716 468529 472998 482223 490009 Arabic 0·0% 0·0% Chinese 0·0% 0·0% German 18·1% 20·4% 19·9% 18·8% 19·1% 18·1% English 68·7% 79·1% 76·1% 76·0% 75·9% 75·7% Spanish 3·1% 3·5% 2·3% 2·5% 2·4% 2·4% French 45·3% 52·2% 51·2% 50·3% 49·8% 49·7% Greek 0·0% 0·0% Italian 0·5% 0·5% 0·1% 0·1% 0·1% 0·1% Japanese 0·0% 0·0% Dutch 25·7% 29·5% 28·5% 28·8% 28·7% 28·1% Portuguese 0·0% 0·0% Russian 0·1% 0·0% 0·0% Swedish 0·0% 0·0% Other 0·1% 0·2% Average 1·62 1·85 1·78 1·77 1·76 1·74 FLOTE 0·93 1·06 1·02 1·01 1·00 0·98
Comment: As before the percentages for 1999/2000 and 2000/2001 are suspect. Again, the totals for each year seem to refer to a different school population. Both the average per pupil and the FLOTE value are even higher than at lower levels of education (about 1·7- 1·8, and 0·9-1·0, respectively). Only at this level is there a measurable value for FLOTE once French and Dutch are removed: 0·20, thanks to German (18%) and Spanish (2%). In recent years the number of languages studies has dropped. Eight languages were last taught in 2000/2001, and Russian in 2001/2002.
BG - BULGARIA
1. Policy Developments
General:
The Public Education Act (1991) was amended in 1999 when, among other things, the public education syllabus was changed. On February 9th, 2005, the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Bulgaria adopted the National Strategy and the Action Plan for the Implementation of ICT in Bulgarian Secondary Schools. Further developments relating to the Lisbon Strategy were adopted on 25 February 2005 by the Bulgarian Parliament, and included a Program and Action Plan for increasing the enrolment rates for those of compulsory school age. The Programme set strategic priorities for improving data on enrolment rates by providing equal access to education for all. Further development of foreign language instruction is identified in the National Programme as one of the main priorities in the development of education in Bulgaria. The National Programme states that this is to be reflected in school curricula.
Primary:
In 2002, compulsory study of a first foreign language from the 2nd grade was introduced for all types of school. This curriculum was subsequently abandoned, and the last cohort of students that follow it are currently in the 6th form.
Post primary:
In recent years certain specialized upper-secondary schools have introduced a third foreign language. The traditional Bulgarian intensive foreign language year, which has proved to give very good results, is to be preserved. The intensity of foreign language training in this year will vary in different types of school as follows:
- in specialized (upper-)secondary schools - 17 teaching hours per week; - in vocational secondary schools – 15 teaching hours per week;
- in other types of school – 6 teaching hours per week.
All students will receive identical comprehensive education in the 8th grade, that is, they will have the same core education subjects with the same number of teaching hours in all schools. The numbers of teaching hours will vary with respect to foreign language (and other subjects), according to the type of school.
2. Data
Primary education or first stage of basic education (ISCED-1)
2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005
No foreign language 77·2% 71·8% 64·7% 62·5% 50·6% 33·5%
At least one foreign language 22·8% 28·2% 35·3% 37·5% 49·4% 66·5%
One foreign language 21·5% 27·2% 34·9% 37·1% 48·8% 65·9%
Two foreign languages 1·4% 1·0% 0·4% 0·4% 0·6% 0·6%
Three foreign languages 0·0% 0·0% 0·0% 0·1% 0·0%
Average 0·24 0·29 0·36 0·38 0·50 0·67 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 Pupils enrolled 392876 374361 349616 328372 310023 286309 German 2·0% 2·2% 2·6% 2·1% 2·7% 3·1% English 13·9% 18·7% 24·8% 28·0% 40·3% 53·5% Spanish 0·2% 0·2% 0·2% 0·2% 0·2% 0·2% French 1·1% 1·3% 1·4% 1·1% 1·6% 2·0% Italian 0·1% 0·1% 0·1% 0·1% 0·1% 0·0% Russian 1·9% 1·6% 1·5% 1·2% 4·3% 7·4% Other 4·8% 4·6% 4·7% 0·2% 0·1% 4·5% Average 0·24 0·29 0·35 0·33 0·49 0·71 FLOTE 0·10 0·10 0·11 0·05 0·09 0·17
Comment: Within a general context of a decline in pupils enrolled (392000Æ286000) those studying at least one foreign language have increased greatly (23%Æ67%). Nearly all study just one during the school year. The average has gone up from 0·24 to 0·67.
The expansion in these values in Bulgaria is almost entirely due to the spread of English.