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Statistics in Focus Population and social conditions

Authors: Lene MEJER, Sadiq Kwesi BOATENG,

Paolo TURCHETTI

49/2010

More students study foreign languages in Europe but perceptions of skill levels differ significantly Linguistic diversity in Europe: language learning at school and how adults perceive their foreign language skills

At its meeting in Barcelona in 2002 the European Council set the target of 'mastery of basic skills, in particular by

teaching at least two foreign languages from a very early age' 1 . Since then, linguistic diversity has been encouraged

throughout the EU, in the form of learning in schools, universities, adult education centres and enterprises.

This issue of Statistics in Focus highlights the following findings: • Significantly more primary school pupils were learning a foreign language in 2008 than in 2000. This is also the case in lower secondary education but there the progress was more modest. • By contrast, no progress was made in the number of languages studied in upper secondary education from 2000 to 2008. • Students in upper secondary general education study more languages than students in the vocational stream at the same level. • English is by far the foreign language most studied at all levels of education, followed by French, German, Russian, and, to a lesser extent, Spanish. • More than one-third of adults aged 25 to 64 perceive2 that they do not know any foreign language. A slightly smaller proportion say that they know one foreign language. • The best known foreign language by far is perceived to be English, followed by German, Russian, French and Spanish. • A higher proportion of the younger adult population claim to speak foreign languages than of the older generations, except in some Eastern-European

Member States.

• Likewise, a correlation was found between a high level of education and a higher perceived

proficiency in foreign languages. Figure 1: Average number of foreign languages studied, primary education*, 2000 and 2008

0.00.20.40.60.81.01.21.41.61.82.0

EU27 BE BG C Z D K D E EE IE EL ES F R IT CY LV LT L U H U NL PL R O SI S K F I SE UK IS N O M K2000 2008
Source: Eurostat, Education statistics, UOE data collection (educ_ilang)

Notes:

- MT, AT, PT missing, FR 2008 missing * primary education = ISCED level 1

- the average number of languages learned is calculated using the number of pupils learning languages divided by the number of

pupils, in primary education.

The starting age for learning languages as well as the number of languages learned explain the figures (see also methodological notes)

2

49/2010 - Statistics in Focus

Two data sources are used in this issue of Statistics in Focus. First, the Eurostat data on foreign language learning (education statistics, UOE data collection) for the 2007/08 school year. All foreign languages (including all 23 official EU languages) that are taught

as 'foreign languages' in schools are included. Second, data from the adult education survey module on

self-perceived language skills of the population aged 25 to 64 years old are also used. The adult education survey was carried out between 2005 and 2008, with 2007 used as a common reference year. Further information on data sources is given in the notes on 'Methodology'. More and more primary school pupils are learning a foreign language, less so in lower secondary education Figure 1 shows a marked upward trend in the average number of foreign languages studied by primary school pupils. Between 2000 and 2008 the average number of languages studied in the EU increased by roughly a third (from 0.6 to 0.8). There were significant increases in some countries, such as Greece, Bulgaria, Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom, although the trend was also positive in most other countries. These increases are basically due to the fact that, over the years, studying at least one foreign language at primary school level has become compulsory in every European country with the sole exception of Ireland 3 However, the age at which a foreign language is taught for the first time varies significantly from one country to another. Figure 1 illustrates the number of languages studied, taking into account the whole period of primary education. Therefore, in countries where all children are taught a foreign language as a compulsory subject from the first year of primary education onwards, on average one language (or more) is studied. This is the case for Italy, Luxembourg and Norway. On the other hand, in several countries compulsory learning of a

first foreign language begins some years after the start of primary education, lowering the average number of

languages studied (see the notes on 'Methodology' 4 In lower secondary education (figure 2), learning at least one foreign language is compulsory in every country. The number of languages studied averaged

1.4 in 2008, up from 1.3 in 2000. In most EU

countries the average number of foreign languages studied per pupil ranges from 1.0 to 2.0. The trend between 2000 and 2008 differs significantly between countries. In some, the average number of languages studied increased (as in Belgium 5 , Germany, Italy,

Latvia, Lithuania, Hungary, Romania, Slovenia and

the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia), whereas in others it decreased, as in Denmark, Greece, Spain, Poland, Finland, the UK, Iceland and

Norway.

One interpretation of this pattern could be that,

whereas at primary level the starting age is getting earlier, in secondary education the number of years for which foreign languages is a compulsory subject (and/or the number of languages studied) is decreasing slightly. Figure 2: Average number of foreign languages studied in lower secondary education*,

2000 and 2008

EU27 B E BG CZ DK D E EE IE EL E S F R I T CY LV LT L U HU NL PL RO SI SK FI SE U K IS N O M K 2000
2008
Source: Eurostat, Education statistics, UOE data collection (educ_ilang)

Notes:- MT, AT, PT missing

* lower secondary education = ISCED level 2

- the average number of languages learned is calculated using the number of pupils learning languages divided by the number of

pupils, in lower secondary education.

The starting and ending ages for learning languages as well as the number of languages learned explain the figures (see also

methodological notes).

Statistics in Focus - 49/2010 3

A high percentage of students at upper secondary education are learning two or more foreign languages.

Table 1 shows that students continue studying

languages after leaving compulsory education when they move on to upper secondary education (ISCED level 3). Like the figures for primary and lower secondary levels, the percentage of pupils in upper secondary education learning foreign languages is

calculated as a proportion of all students in all years, but the proportion studying no, one or two or more

foreign languages is also reported by programme orientation. The aim is to classify each programme on the basis of its content. 'General orientation' means upper secondary type studies, whereas the vocational stream means education leading directly to a labour market qualification.

20002008none12 or more20002008none12 or more

EU**1.6 1.4 11.9 37.9 50.2 1.2 1.1 4.9 61.9 33.2

BE

2.2 2.2 1.2 10.9 87.9 : 1.3 24.9 25.6 49.5

BG

1.8 1.8 0.2 24.3 75.5 0.7 1.5 2.6 48.8 48.6

CZ

2.0 2.0 - - 100.0 1.1 1.3 2.0 66.1 31.8

DK

1.8* 1.6 - 38.9 61.1 0.9* 0.9 6.0 94.0 -

DE

1.4 1.4 : : : 0.4 0.5 : : :

EE2.3 2.3 0.7 1.7 97.7 1.8 1.8 10.4 11.9 77.8

IE

0.9 0.9 19.0 72.7 8.4 1.0* 1.0 6.5 90.9 2.7

EL1.1* 1.1 1.0 91.1 7.9 0.9* 0.8 20.8 78.3 0.9

ES

1.1 1.2 5.0 67.2 27.7 1.0 1.0 - 97.4 2.6

FR

1.9 2.0 - 9.8 90.2 1.0 1.1 1.9 88.2 9.9

IT

1.2 1.3 2.2 71.6 26.2 1.1 1.4 3.7 58.0 38.3

CY

2.0 1.8 - - 100.0 1.0 1.2 - - 100.0

L

V1.9 1.8 1.4 22.6 76.0 : : : : :

LT

1.9 1.5 1.8 44.1 54.1 1.6 0.9 24.7 61.3 13.9

LU3.0 3.0 - - 100.0 1.7 2.0 11.1 25.0 63.8

HU

1.2 1.4 1.7 55.2 43.1 1.2 0.8 21.7 77.6 0.7

NL1.6* 2.6 - 0.2 99.8 : : : : :

PL

1.9 1.5 : : : 1.1 1.6 : : :

RO

1.9 2.0 - 6.7 93.3 1.0 1.6 - 36.1 63.9

SI

2.0 2.0 1.8 1.9 96.3 1.3 1.3 5.6 63.0 31.4

SK

2.0 2.0 - 0.7 99.3 1.3 1.4 0.2 62.7 37.1

FI

2.8 2.7 - 0.4 99.6 : : : : :

SE

2.2 2.2 - 8.6 91.3 1.1 1.1 0.9 88.5 10.6

UK0.8* 0.6 50.7 43.0 6.3 : : : : :

IS

1.7 1.8 13.0 23.3 63.7 0.7 0.6 58.9 24.7 16.4

NO: 1.6 - - 100.0 : 0.6 37.0 63.0 -

MK : : - 49.9 50.1 : : : : : Table 1: Average number of foreign languages studied (2000 and 2008) and students by number of languages studied (%) at upper secondary level, 2008 countrygeneral orientation vocational orientation*** average number of languagesaverage number of languagesPercentage of students by number of languages studiedPercentage of students by number of languages studied Source: Eurostat, Education statistics, UOE data collection (educ_ilang) notes: *: DK: 2004 data; IE: 2005 data; EL: 2001 data; NL: 2001 data; UK: 2004 data. In 2000 ISCED 3 general included pre-vocational programmes. **EU: the EU weighted average is calculated by using the available country data. *** The vocational orientation includes the pre-vocational stream 4

49/2010 - Statistics in Focus

Every country reports significant proportions of

students learning foreign languages in general upper secondary education. Ireland and, particularly, the

United Kingdom are the only countries where

significant proportions of students at this level are not studying any foreign language (19 % and 51 % respectively) 6 . In 15 of the 22 EU countries for which data are available, more than three out of every four students in general upper secondary education programmes are learning at least two foreign languages. The percentages of students who are not learning any foreign language are higher in vocational programmes than in general programmes for most countries. In approximately half of the countries (7 out of the 15 for which data are available), more than 10% of the

students are not learning any foreign languages. In addition, only two countries (Estonia and Cyprus)

report more than 75% studying two or more languages, whereas half of the countries record more than 75% of students learning one language. The same table shows the average number of foreign languages studied per pupil in 2000 compared with

2008. In most countries the average number of

languages studied remained quite stable, or even decreased, in the general programme.

By contrast, in pre-vocational and vocational

education, the pattern was more variable and some improvements were seen in foreign language learning, for instance in Bulgaria, Italy, Poland and

Romania. Overall, the average number of languages

studied is significantly lower in vocational education and training than in general education at upper secondary level.

EU**79-10-93-40-83-39-73-31-

BE BG

70en 8 ru78en26de87en37ru75en31ru

CZ

55 en 12 de 87 en 21 de 100 en 58 de 74 en 49 de

DK

67 en 99 en 79 de 92 en 35 de 72 en 22 de

DE56en 4 fr 96en26 fr 91en27 fr 43en 2 fr

EE67 en 21 ee 94 en 64 ru 96 en 65 ru 83 en 47 ru

IE

3 fr 1 es 66 fr 21 de 58 fr 17 de 66 fr 17 de

EL

93 en 24 fr 99 en 54 fr 95 en 8 fr 69 en 10 fr

ES98en 5 fr 98en38 fr 94en27 fr 76en15 fr

FR97 en 34 es 99 en 64 es 94 en 10 es

IT

99 en 2 de 100 en 75 fr 94 en 20 fr 92 en 32 fr

CY

56 en 2 fr 100 en 94 fr 90 en 34 fr 100 en 8 fr

LV67 en 12 ru 96 en 59 ru 97 en 51 ru

LT64 en 94 en 59 ru 88 en 39 ru 57 en 18 ru

LU

100 de 83 fr76 fr 67 de

HU

33 en 19 de 60 en 38 de 78 en 49 de 42 de 35 en

NL32 en 100 en 86 de

PL67 en 13 de 77 en 26 de 81 en 49 de 76 en 62 de

RO

41 en 18 fr 97 en 87 fr 96 en 83 fr 83 en 75 fr

SI

44en 2 de97en33de97en72de85en35de

SK45en 5 de74en31de98en69de70en54de

FI68en 5 se99en92se99en92se

SE

100 en 5 es 100 en 36 es 100 en 42 es 99 en 4 es

UK

69 fr 19 es 32 fr 12 de

IS64 en 16 da 99 en 96 da 73 en 44 da 34 en 19 da

NO100 en 100 en 25 es 98 en 24 de 63 en

MK

56 en 98 en 47 fr::::::::

Table 2: The two most studied foreign languages and percentage of students who study them, 2008

Country

educational level*

2nd language 1st language 2nd language1st language 2nd language 1st language 2nd language 1st language

primary upper secondary general vocationallower secondary Source: Eurostat, Education statistics, UOE data collection (educ_ilang) notes: The EU weighted average is calculated by using the available country data including Belgium. BE: in Belgium the official state languages are German, French and Dutch. LU: in Luxembourg the official state languages are German, French and Letzeburgesch.

EE: the national language taught in schools where it is not the teaching language is counted as a foreign language.Source:

Statistics in Focus - 49/2010 5

English is by far the most widely learned first foreign language at all levels of education Table 2 shows that English is the most widely studied foreign language at every level of education. French is the second most popular language studied in schools. German, Spanish and Russian are studied as well in specific countries.

In primary education the proportion of pupils

studying a second foreign language is, in most countries, almost negligible. This means that English is the only language learned at primary level except in a very few countries, such as Luxembourg where there are three official languages. In some countries only one language is studied at ISCED level 1, as in

Denmark where 67% of primary school pupils study

English.

In lower secondary education English is studied

everywhere. In several countries more than 90 % of

pupils are learning English. In addition, many pupils have an opportunity to study a second language, as,

for example, in Denmark, Italy, Cyprus, Romania,

Finland and Iceland where more than 75% are

learning two languages. At upper secondary level the pattern is the same, even if more students are taught a language other than English at this stage. In general, a higher proportion of pupils learn French or German than Spanish or

Russian.

There are only a few cases where other foreign

languages are taught. Those are normally related to the specific circumstances in the country concerned, such as Belgium (where Dutch and French are both compulsory in part of primary education), Danish in Iceland, Swedish in Finland and Estonian in Estonia (for the Russian-speaking population). Almost 28% of adults declare that they speak at least two foreign languages

According to a self-assessment of their language

skills by respondents participating in the adult education survey (see the notes on 'Methodology'), almost 28 % of 25-64 year olds claim to speak two or more foreign languages. On the other hand, more than

a third of the population consider that they do not speak any. An almost equal proportion said that they

speak one foreign language.

The most commonly spoken foreign languages,

according to the survey, are English, French, German,

Spanish and Russian (which are also the most

commonly taught in schools). Figure 3: Self-perceived knowledge of foreign languages (%)

0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%100%

TR HU RO PT ES BG EL FR IT EU* PL UK BE CZ HR DE AT FI CY EE DK SI SK LV SE NO LT

Two or more foreign languages

One foreign language

No foreign language

Source: Eurostat, Adult Education Survey (AES)

The majority of 25-64 year olds stated that English is the foreign language they know best, corresponding to the fact that English is also the foreign language most widely taught in schools. However, in a number of Eastern European countries Russian is the best known foreign language (for historical reasons).

French is perceived as the best known foreign

language by respondents in the United Kingdom 7 Both the number of foreign languages spoken and the self-assessed skill levels vary considerably between

countries. The highest shares of the population aged 25 to 64 who said that they speak two or more foreign

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