Curriculum research review series: languages

This review has explored a range of evidence relating to high-quality languages education. It has drawn on research from different countries and organisations. It also builds from the same research base that underpins the EIF.

Languages are in a pressured, yet pivotal, position. The proportion of boys, disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND engaging in languages after key stage 3 is low. Staff expertise, curriculum planning, time allocation and transition are barriers at key stage 2. Transition and staffing continue to be a challenge throughout the system. Yet, languages are the key to not only the government’s EBacc ambition, but also to unlocking the world and its cultures to young people.

An effective languages curriculum focuses on the building blocks of language: phonics, vocabulary and grammar. It helps learners make connections between sounds, words and sentences as they produce and understand ever more complex sentences and texts. These ‘pillars’ of phonics, vocabulary and grammar contain much of the knowledge that beginning learners need. As language learners become proficient, so their sociolinguistic, pragmatic and discourse competence has a greater focus within curriculum planning.

Research on how we learn, and in particular cognitive science, has informed the thinking behind this research review. Specifically, the limited capacity in short-term memory to process information, the long-term memory consisting of schemata where knowledge is linked or embedded with what is already known, using spaced or distributed practice, and the expertise reversal effect showing that explicit teaching works best with beginning learners. In short, learners start becoming proficient in languages later on in their studies.

The study of languages opens pupils’ minds and opens doors of opportunity. It develops a deep cultural awareness that is difficult to grasp without an understanding of the linguistic heritage of countries. The goals of wanting pupils to broaden their horizons, converse with others, explore cultures and strengthen their economic prospects will only be reached when we build firm foundations of language learning.