Pembelajaran Bahasa-bahasa Asia di Sekolah Swasta: Berbagai ...

Pembelajaran Bahasa-bahasa Asia di Sekolah Swasta: Berbagai Faktor yang mempengaruhi keputusan siswa untuk terus belajar bahasa Asian Languages in Independent Schools: Factors Contributing to Student Retention Rates

A report prepared for Independent Schools Queensland by Norm Hunter

2012

Despite our multilingualism, languages are the Cinderellas of the school curriculum; they are the dispensable component of the curriculum – the one that can most easily become non-compulsory, the one that can most easily disappear when time is sought for preparation for that production or that sporting event. (Michael Clyne)

Student: Why do I have to learn Chinese when I am never going to go there? Teacher: You don't have to go to China. China will come to you. (Jan Orton et al)

Children born into the world on any given day arrive already equipped with a universal potential for acquiring language, any language(s) to which they are exposed and with which they interact. In the case of these same children, within 2-3 years, this potential will have transformed itself into over 5 000 different languages being spoken. This suggests that a life lived monolingually misses out on something that is essentially human. (Richard Johnstone)

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Despite this project taking place at a particularly demanding time in the school year, when the Principals, teachers and students in the schools were contacted, they were unanimously enthusiastic about contributing to the project. Furthermore, they were generous with their time during the school consultations, a number of teachers making contact after the visit to offer further thoughts and advice. I wish to publicly thank them all, including the secretarial staff who managed the contacts, for their unfailing assistance and enthusiasm for this project. My thanks also to Danni Simmons, who ably assisted me in the school visits and the preparation of the report, and Rae Hunter for her invaluable secretarial assistance. Special thanks to Dr Chris Meakin, Dr Belinda Kennett, Dr Phillip Mahnken and Dr Geoff Woollams for the translation of the report title into Chinese, Japanese and Indonesian. Norm Hunter November 2012

Norm Hunter is the principal consultant of Thinkit Through, an educational consultancy with a particular focus on leadership, strategic thinking, mentoring and writing. He has a special interest in school culture, believing that it is the key to a successful school. Norm retired from the principalship of Hillbrook Anglican School in 2007, after 21 years during which he was a founding Co-Principal, then Principal. His work in creating an inclusive school culture with a shared vision, along with his contribution to Queensland and Australia's education community has been recognised through national Fellowships of the Australian College of Educators and the Australian Council for Educational Leaders, the awarding of the 2006 Australian College of Educators' Biennial Queensland Medal, and the Medal of the Order of Australia in 2007 for his services to educational leadership. In 2010, Norm was awarded the ACEL Queensland Excellence in Educational Leadership Award.

© Independent Schools Queensland (www.isq.qld.edu.au) 2013

This project was funded by the Australian Government Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations under the National Asian Languages and Studies in Schools Program (NALSSP).

DISCLAIMER The views expressed herein do not represent the views of the Australian Government Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations or Independent Schools Queensland.

Licensed under Neals

Contents

The Context

1

The Nature and Scope of the Project

2

Summary of Findings

4

Section 1 The Principals

5

Section 2 The Teachers

9

Section 3 The Students

16

Section 4 Key Findings

22

Conclusion

26

References

27

Appendix 1

28

The Context 1.

There are far more bi- and multilinguals in the world than there are monolinguals. Children in many parts of Papua New Guinea have acquired a local language, a language of regional communication and Tok Pisin during their childhood. The acquisition of several languages is also very common in Central European countries and in many parts of Africa, while in Singapore, Hokkien, Mandarin and English may be acquired simultaneously from different contexts from an early age. Children in the Basque Country acquire Basque and Spanish early in life and embark on English studies at school, while children in parts of Finland that have Swedish as their first language soon add Finnish to their repertoire and then learn English and German or French at school. Most European Union countries are embarking on a policy to make three languages part of the curriculum of all children. In predominantly English-speaking countries and others with monolingual elites, it is supposed that monolingualism is a normal state of affairs and people try to find something wrong with plurilingualism – whether it is expensive or confusing or impossible. This is part of what constitutes a 'monolingual mindset'. The assumptions about language and about literacy are based on monolingualism. (Michael Clyne, pp.26-27)

2.

Based on a number of sources, the number and percentage of students studying Asian languages in Australian schools are decreasing, and have been for some time. (Asia Education Foundation 2012; Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations 2010; Lo Bianco 2009)

3.

In October, during the course of this project, the Commonwealth Government released its Asian Century White Paper. This is a major document, and It calls for all Australian children to have the opportunity to study an Asian language, proposing tying school funding to this aspiration. The White Paper is not addressed in this Report: partly because it is not a policy document and offers no commitment to funding the aspirations expressed in it, and partly because there have been many policy-related Government reports on Asian language studies over the last twenty years or so, some having an impact and some not (Lo Bianco 2009). It is too early to know if this White Paper will initiate any policies or action, so it is largely left out of the Report.

Asian Languages in Independent Schools - 2012 Report

1

The Nature and Scope of the Project THE PROJECT

While some independent schools have viable language programs with a high percentage of students continuing to Year 12, this is not the case for the majority. Nor is it the case for Catholic or State schools (Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations 2012). Data collected over a number of years suggest that languages are very much on the fringe of the curriculum. Often language teachers have to constantly justify and promote their subject, while other subjects have inherent acceptance in the mainstream curriculum. Therefore it is hoped this project will provide independent schools with some new insights and practical ways to assist them to improve the retention and continuity of language learning through, and then beyond, the compulsory years. The aim of the project is to identify the factors that impact on students' decisions either to continue with languages beyond the years when language studies are compulsory, or to discontinue them. It is hoped that in undertaking eight case studies of schools with varying language retention rates from Primary to Year 12, and viewing them in the context of relevant research, the project Report will generate discussions and actions which schools can work on to build up the language programs in their own contexts. Perhaps the key lies in the first two words in the title of the recent Asia Education Foundation Report: Building Demand for Asia Literacy: What Works. (AEF 2012) Above all, it is hoped that this Report can help schools 'build demand' for languages in general, and Asian languages in particular. THE SCHOOLS

Eight schools were identified by the Independent Schools Queensland Program Officer (Languages) as having a demonstrated commitment to offering at least one Asian language through to Year 12 over a sustained period of time. While retention rates through to Year 12 vary from school to school, each consistently offers at least one Asian language in its suite of subjects beyond Year 10. The schools consulted were: •

Hillbrook Anglican School (Japanese; German)

•

The Rockhampton Grammar School (Japanese)

•

Somerville House (Japanese; French; Chinese; German)

•

Nambour Christian College (Japanese)

•

West Moreton Anglican College (Chinese – Mandarin; Japanese)

•

Redlands College (Japanese; German)

•

St Peter's Lutheran College (Japanese; Chinese – Mandarin; French; German)

•

Townsville Grammar School (Japanese; Indonesian; French; Italian; Spanish)

•

Individual teacher consulted from Iona College: Ursula Witham-Young (Japanese)


2

METHODOLOGY

A series of questions was designed, and in each school the same questions were asked of the Principal, the Head of Department, the language teachers, and students who have continued to study an Asian language through to their senior years of schooling. Six of the schools were visited personally, while interviews with Townsville Grammar School and The Rockhampton Grammar School were conducted by teleconference. The schedule of interview topics is included as Appendix 1. The interviews were conducted as discussions rather than structured interviews. Depending on how the discussions evolved, not all topics were addressed with every school (though most were), and some were explored in greater depth than others. A number of research papers and publications have been consulted, along with the input from the schools. These are acknowledged throughout the Report, and in the References section at the end of the Report. LINKS WITH RECENT RELEVANT RESEARCH

…this understanding and accompanying commitment to action by the Principals is a significant factor in the successful Asian language programs in their schools.

As the school interviews evolved, a number of themes began to emerge, and they became stronger as the project continued. It soon became clear that these themes are in keeping with much of the recent research on the topic; in particular the findings of the Building Demand for Asia Literacy: What Works Report (AEF 2012). This report suggests that there are three broad themes common to successfully building demand for, and engaging students in, studies of Asia and learning Asian languages. These are: (i)

A Persuasive Personal Encounter This may include visits or study tours, 'active' sister school relationships, a teacher they 'connected with' in the younger years, and exposure to inspirational speakers with relevant experience. These activities were all based on an 'unmediated face-to-face experience' such as home-stays and hosting.

(ii)

A Clear Course of Action This is facilitated through specific policies, or through the culture of the school, or preferably through both, with each attuned to the other. 'It should be relevant to the needs of the participant and his or her context; flexible, challenging, and productive of concrete results'. (p.3)

(iii)

Collegial Influence and Support This involves a 'built in' (not 'bolt on') culture of cross-curricular collaboration and reciprocal professional respect, deliberately and publicly modelled by the Principal.

Listening to the Principals in the schools consulted in this project, and reading their public statements in significant documents such as yearly reports and quarterly or weekly newsletters, all of them appear to have an intuitive understanding of the importance of these three themes, taking responsibility for building policies and practices that are integral to the life of the school. They appear to understand that regarding student engagement and retention in Asian (and European) languages in the school, they need to have 'a clear course of action', supported by provision for 'persuasive personal encounters', and 'collegial influence and support'. In every school these three themes were strongly at work. A key finding of this Report is that this understanding and accompanying commitment to action by the Principals is a significant factor in the successful Asian language programs in their schools. Asian Languages in Independent Schools - 2012 Report

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Summary of Findings 1. The role of the Principal is crucial. Without the strong commitment of the Principal, Asian languages are unlikely to play a meaningful role in the life of the school. 2. Asian language studies need to be woven into the culture of the school: 'built in', not 'bolt on'. 3. The themes that emerged in this project are resonant with the themes of recent major reports on the same topic. 4. Asian languages are more likely to be taken seriously as mainstream subjects when there is an established, agreed cross-curricular framework that encompasses all subjects. 5. Subject selection processes, time allocation and timetabling are all fundamental elements for student retention in Asian languages. 6. Student retention is greatest when the focus is on intrinsic rather than extrinsic motivation. 7. Of all the kinds of learning experiences, immersion-type activities are most likely to yield long-term results in student proficiency and confidence in their Asian language studies. 8. As in all teaching, the teacher factor is a major element in student engagement and retention. 9. The earlier young people engage with a language, the more likely they are to continue with language studies. 10. Delaying subject specialisation into the middle years of schooling appears conducive to greater student retention in Asian (and European) languages. 11. Parents play an important role in whether students take up, and then continue in, Asian language studies. 12. Skilful marketing plays an important role in student retention in Asian languages.


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Section 1 THE PRINCIPALS

1.1

It was clear that in every one of the eight schools the Principal played a key role in the status of Asian languages in the school, and therefore in the retention rates of students through to Year 12. This was affirmed by the Principals themselves, the teachers and students in all of the schools, and is supported in the research consulted for this report.

1.2

The Principal's Personal View

…the Principal in every school focused on the educational, personal and cultural benefits of studying the language, with little emphasis on the economic and utilitarian.

In every school, the Principal expressed a personal philosophical view about the importance of languages, particularly Asian languages, in the curriculum. Language offerings varied among the schools. Of the group of eight, two of the schools offered one language only, that being Japanese, and another offered two Asian languages only, Japanese and Chinese (Mandarin). The other five schools offered a mix of Asian and European languages. There was a clear priority given to Asian languages in all of the schools.

The academic backgrounds of the eight Principals appear to be irrelevant. They range from Science/Mathematics through to Humanities/The Arts, but each affirmed the importance of an Asian language in the education of young Australians in the 21st century. The reasons given by the Principals were consistent across the schools, ranging from educational, personal and cultural (different ways of seeing the world, personal enrichment, cultural enrichment through music, literature, art, food, etc.) through to utilitarian (geographical proximity, travel, economic links, job prospects). In their public statements and writing, the Principal in every school focused on the educational, personal and cultural benefits of studying the language, with little emphasis on the economic and utilitarian. These Principals seem either aware of or attuned to the relevant research about what influences students to want to study a language and then continue in it. (e.g. AEF 2012). Particularly for younger students, human and educational factors are important in their motivation, while utilitarian and economic factors have limited influence, and then mainly when the students are older. The Principals agreed that these priorities might be reversed when communicating with parents, who tend to take a more utilitarian view. One of the strongest common features in all the schools was the very strong commitment of the Principal – in words and actions at the school level – to the importance of languages in young people's education: in particular its potential to enrich the personal and social development of the students, and to a lesser extent the utilitarian importance of Asia in Australia's economic future. It was the former that was the most deeply held, and which students were most impressed by when they spoke about why they chose to study an Asian (or other) language through to Year 12. This approach is well supported in the research, particularly in relation to what motivates students to want to continue to study a language (AEF 2012; Dornyei 1994). There is a consistent theme of educational and human factors such as the prospect of making friends in other countries, natural or awakened curiosity about other countries and people, linguistic intelligence (Gardner 2006), a liking and respect for the teacher...and very little motivation due to economic reasons for studying a language. Asian Languages in Independent Schools - 2012 Report

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This is an important finding which perhaps offers some insights as to how student retention in the languages can be improved, especially in the younger years. 1.3

From Vision to Practice All of the Principals have been successful in having their personal view translate into the life of the school. For some this had been relatively easy because their predecessor(s) had implemented it already, including two schools where the foundation Principals had established it as part of the school culture from the beginning. For others, though, there was the demanding task of drawing teachers, parents and students into the vision, sometimes at the expense of other subjects. (In several of the The school's support for schools both Asian and European languages were run in Year students learning a second 11 even with low numbers – sometimes in composite with language is one of the Year 12 – while another subject such as Accounting had defining aspects of our higher numbers but was not run for that year.) This presents educational philosophy, and a difficult political problem for the Principal, but each of them there are very few schools appears prepared to address it openly in the context of the in Australia that can match culture of the school. this commitment to

1.4

languages.

School Culture

It was strongly agreed by Principals, teachers and students in all the schools that the ideal was to have the primacy of languages embedded naturally in the culture of the school. One Principal was confident to say, 'No-one argues about the place of languages in the school.' Perhaps the strongest expression of embedding language studies in the culture of the school was in the words of another Principal in his 2011 Report to the school community: The school's support for students learning a second language is one of the defining aspects of our educational philosophy, and there are very few schools in Australia that can match this commitment to languages. The Principal's words are carried through to school policy. Indonesian is offered from Years 4 to 12, Japanese, French and Italian from Years 7 to 12, and Spanish in Years 11 and 12. All students must study Indonesian from Years 3 to 6 (3 hours/week), then in Year 7 students must choose one Asian and one European language (4 hours/week), and in Year 8 and 9 one language (4 hours/week). Only after Year 9 does the language become an elective. The importance of languages being embedded in the culture of the school is strongly supported in the research. The Asia Education Foundation Report 2012 found that for languages to thrive, they need 'an effective school program' which works to ensure that languages have a 'respected place in the life of the institution'. This is described as: • Well supported by the school leadership in authentic and effective ways; • Acceptance and support from staff who don’t teach a language; • Acceptance and support from influential members of parent and advisory groups; • Growing or stable enrolments. (AEF 2012, pp.20-21)


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1.5

Economic Primacy All Principals were asked about a hypothetical situation – which for some of them has been real – in which economic times were tight and savings had to be found in the school's finances. If the number of students in Year 10 wanting to study a language in Year 11 the next year was small, and therefore uneconomic, would they still run it? Without exception the Principals said they would quarantine the languages – Asian and European – and find the savings elsewhere. In his study of highly successful organisations, Good to Great (2001), Jim Collins found that one of the most significant common indicators of such organisations lies in the answer to the question, 'What drives your economic engine?' If the answer to that question matches up with the espoused values of the organisation, it is likely to be a high performer. The responses given by all the Principals to the hypothetical suggest that they have a keen understanding of this.

1.6

Subject Selection

They indicated that they would use every creative possibility in timetabling in order to keep languages alive through to Year 12.

When asked about timetabling of languages for student subject selection, all the Principals said that they engage in what one of them called 'strategic timetabling', which means offering the languages on more than one line, wherever possible not timetabling languages against one another, keeping options as open as possible and only relegating subjects to a line when all student requests have been processed. They indicated that they would use every creative possibility in timetabling in order to keep languages alive through to Year 12. 1.7

The Teacher Factor A number of Principals referred to the difficulty of engaging qualified and proficient teachers of Asian languages. This particularly related to Indonesian, but was common to all. It was an indication of the school's – and his – commitment to Asian languages that one Principal explained that he employed a teacher of an Asian language before a position became available at the school. As will be seen later, students in a number of the schools said they discontinued their study of an Asian language quite early because of the perceived lack of proficiency of the teacher in the language, or the inability of the teacher to engage the students. Principals had recognised this, and to all of them a high quality teacher of an Asian language was seen as a prized asset. Again, this is evident in the relevant research: Good teaching is the single most important controllable variable in successful language learning. (Johnstone R. in Lo Bianco 2009)

In balance with this, it must be noted that research indicates that the 'teacher factor' operates powerfully for all subjects, not just languages (e.g. Hattie 2009). If anything, that strengthens the findings for language studies: In that way it is no different from any other school subject.


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The 'teacher factor' is further addressed in Section 2, and again in Section 3, where student perspectives are canvassed. 1.8

The Political Dimension

...students spoke about the Principal's 'passion' for languages, and how that had an impact on the students and non-language teachers.

A number of the Principals had recognised the political importance of having the school's governing body – the Board or School Council – fully informed and supportive of the school's approach to languages, particularly when economic imperatives can mitigate against offering them, especially in the senior school when numbers can be small. One Principal had framed a School Council Strategic weekend retreat under the theme 'Engaging with Asia'; another spoke about constantly affirming with the school Board the important role languages play in differentiating the school from competitors.

The political role of the Principal actually goes beyond the relationship with the school's governing body, important as that is. In the school's outreach to parents and potential families, the Principal is viewed as the face of the school. During some of the consultations, teachers spoke about how their Principal 'sold' the importance of languages in general, and at times Asian languages in particular. Also, in several of the schools, students spoke about the Principal's 'passion' for languages, and how that had an impact on the students and non-language teachers.


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Section 2 THE TEACHERS

2.1

Influence of The Principal There was consensus among all of the teachers across all of the schools that the role of the Principal is crucial to the way languages are approached by students, parents, and other teachers at the school. All saw their Principal as supportive, while some felt more could be done, particularly in time allocation and timetabling options for languages.

2.2

Marketing It was not just Principals who saw marketing as an important element in encouraging students to take up and then continue their language studies. Teachers too saw 'selling' languages in general, and Asian languages in particular, as crucial to retaining students. They saw the Principal as a key person in this, but in all the schools the Head of Department and language teachers themselves had taken on an important responsibility to market their subject to students, parents, and other teachers. Language teachers saw marketing to non-language teachers as especially important. One primary teacher of Japanese explained that she had the students for a dedicated time each week, but the class teacher had made clear that she saw this as a distraction from more important agendas, such as preparation for NAPLAN, and the mainstream subjects such as Mathematics and English. This may not be an isolated case. The Asia Education Foundation Report of 2012 lists a number of structural impediments to language learning in the primary years, one of which is: The language lesson material will probably be taught by a specialist teacher with whom the classroom teacher may or may not work to integrate and reinforce the content of the language lessons. (p.18)

Examples of the internal and external marketing of languages in the eight schools were widespread, taking in many possibilities that include staff meetings, parent evenings, the school website, the Principal's Annual Report, and the weekly newsletter. An example from one school's newsletter in the week they were visited for this project, about their home-stay program: We recently said good-bye to three lovely Japanese students who have spent the last eight weeks studying at (our school). We were very privileged...to meet so many students who are brave enough to step out of their comfort zones to learn and extend their own abilities. Through their eyes we see so many things differently that we take for granted every day... (School weekly newsletter 2012)


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This is quite typical of weekly newsletter articles that extol the value of languages directly or indirectly. What is also typical in these articles is the skilful advocacy of why students should study a language, not just the description of an event. In the article above, the last two sentences do exactly this, homing in on the intrinsic, human benefits of the language experience. A teacher in one of the schools reported some success in attracting students into Japanese by presenting it to them and to their parents as an exercise in 'decoding'. She explained that decoding in an unfamiliar environment is an important life skill for the 21st century in many contexts, not just a language. A major theme across all participants in the project is the view that the ideal is to have languages embedded in the culture of the school: 'built in', not 'bolt on'. If languages have the same status as English, Mathematics, Science and other academic subjects, teachers believe the way is clearer for students to continue a language throughout their school years.

…the ideal is to have languages embedded in the culture of the school: 'built in', not 'bolt on'.

The statement by the Principal quoted earlier in Section 1.4 is a good example of this. It emphasises the importance of the Principal in establishing and maintaining the status of languages in the school. Furthermore, the willingness and ability of the Principal to navigate politically through the competing agendas of all subjects, particularly course selection for Years 11 and 12, are major factors in the way students, teachers and parents view languages in the school. The Asia Education Foundation Report of 2012 makes clear that the place of languages in the school culture has emerged in the research as an important issue in the status of Asian languages in schools. It refers to: ...the interest and will to make the inclusion of studies of Asia and the teaching and learning of Asian languages core, standard educational business, treated with as much care and attention as, for example, Mathematics. (AEF 2012, p.8)

2.3

Cross-curricular Frameworks

As did Principals, teachers saw an agreed school-wide cross-curricular educational framework as conducive to retaining student numbers in languages…

As did Principals, teachers saw an agreed school-wide crosscurricular educational framework as conducive to retaining student numbers in languages, whether European or Asian. Teachers in schools that had developed an acknowledged framework such as Habits of Mind, Dimensions of Learning or Multiple Intelligences, or had developed their own cross-curricular framework, said that languages found a place there, and the status of Asian and European languages was enhanced through it, matching that of other academic subjects in the eyes of students and teachers. This clearly links with the findings in 2.2 (above), as an agreed school-wide cross-curricular framework soon becomes an important dimension of the school culture. A cross-curricular framework was seen as particularly advantageous by secondary teachers because it naturally engaged teachers across various subject disciplines in conversations about student learning, building mutual respect for one another's subject area, and finding commonality in the skills, processes and values that they teach. One of the schools has attempted to raise the profile of languages through a crosscurricular framework by conceptualising its curriculum as four 'prongs': literacy, numeracy, ICT, and a second language. Asian Languages in Independent Schools - 2012 Report

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Despite consistent and skilful marketing, teachers in the majority of the schools acknowledged that it is a constant struggle to have students and parents see languages – especially Asian languages – as having equal status with other subjects, particularly in the higher levels of secondary. 2.4

Subject Selection

…teachers were grateful to Principals and Directors of Studies who gave support for languages in course selection in various ways that maximised the ability of students to continue to study a language for as long as possible.

Teachers in all the schools – as did students – saw the issue of subject choice in course selection as working against languages, both European and Asian. Every school had examples of students who were high achievers in an Asian language in Year 10, but who did not continue it into their Senior course. Various reasons were offered for students not continuing, including a belief that they needed to do other subjects because of their tertiary aspirations, that it wouldn't further their planned career, and in the case of the VHA students of Japanese at one of the schools, they had a clash in the proposed timetable with another subject they were also doing well in, and Japanese lost out in the student's final decision. This issue is developed further in Section 3, but teachers were grateful to Principals and Directors of Studies who gave support for languages in course selection in various ways that maximised the ability of students to continue to study a language for as long as possible. The longest any of the schools made a language study compulsory was Year 9. None of the schools felt that it should be compulsory beyond then. Teachers at one of the schools lamented a policy at their school that encourages students in Year 12 to drop one of their six subjects and focus on their 'best' five only, as five subjects are all that are necessary for the student to be eligible for an OP. They said that the language was often the one that students dropped, and added that this practice may disadvantage rather than advantage students in their OP, as their five 'best’ subjects do not become evident until the scaling process against the Queensland Core Skills Test is completed at the end of Year 12. The language teachers at this school certainly feel that this policy impacts on student retention from Year 11 to Year 12. 2.5

Strategies to encourage student retention Teachers across all of the schools agreed on some common strategies that they feel contribute to student retention: •

Native Speakers: Having a native speaker involved in classes, particularly to engage in conversation, was widely seen as a strategy that engages students in language learning. This was particularly affirmed by the teachers of Asian languages.

•

'Sister' Schools: The general view among teachers is that this is a strong strategy for having the school engage with Asia, but it doesn't necessarily play a role in boosting numbers in the language unless the students have personal experiences with the students of the sister school.

•

Home-stay and Exchange Visits: These are seen by teachers as conducive to encouraging students in learning languages, and Australia's proximity to Asia makes these particularly attractive. All of the schools had home-stay and exchange arrangements, and the general consensus was that the longer the time spent in the country, the more the students developed their language capabilities and their affinity with the language.


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One of the schools has a 10-week exchange program with schools in Japan and China, all in school time, so the students are immersed in the language and culture for a full school term. One student who has done this described it as a life-changing experience, and all claimed that their language proficiency increased greatly. All of these strategies are affirmed in the Asia Education Foundation Report (2012) under the section 'A Persuasive Personal Encounter', and Lo Bianco (2009) also refers to a number of overseas immersion projects, and states: In broad terms, the research concludes that immersion methodology is a valid, effective and durable mode for second language learning as well as for imparting the general curriculum to learners. (p.31)

Lo Bianco places particular focus on a 1984 study which demonstrated that:  Immersion students learn the second language well, outperforming students who study that language only as a subject. After several years immersion students' performance on some measures comes close to the score levels for native speakers.  Immersion students' English language skills are more or less the same as the performance of students taught only in English.  Immersion students' mastery of academic subject matter is on a par with students taught that academic subject matter only in English. (Lo Bianco, p.32)

In support of immersion-type programs, a teacher in one of the schools referred to the Irish Medium Education schools in Ireland and the Gaelic Medium Education schools in Scotland, suggesting that they had maximum student involvement in the second language without students' academic results in other subjects suffering. A teacher in one of the schools not included in this project was interviewed because a number of teachers had spoken of her ability to generate significant student numbers in an Asian language. She explained that she tried wherever possible to convene classes as mini-immersion sessions, using English for specific tasks but only where necessary. She said that initially students struggled with it, but with perseverance and encouragement they came to appreciate it and enjoy the classes. This teacher spoke about a particularly successful variation of the immersion concept: a three-day Japanese immersion camp for students of Japanese from Years 9 to 12. She said students found the first day difficult, but that by the end of the third day they were thriving and very pleased with what they had achieved: a powerful example of intrinsic motivation at work.


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The case for immersion was put well in the 2011 School Report by the Principal quoted earlier: The school continues to support Language Immersion Tours and in December, (teacher's name) will lead a three-week Italy tour, comprising a number of Year 10 and 11 students. In addition to visiting Rome, Sorrento, Pompeii, the Isle of Capri, Florence, Lucia, Pisa, Maranello, Verona, Venice and Milano, students will do a five-night home-stay with an Italian family and attend language classes to enhance their levels of fluency. A similar visit takes place to Japan, though it had to be cancelled that year due to the tsunami. This Principal evokes a theme that was referred to by teachers and students across all the schools: visits to the mother country of the language are enjoyable, but they need to have a deeper purpose. In this case, there is a clear aim that raises the Italy trip above a 'tourist' excursion: the title (Language Immersion Tour) and the home-stay and language classes 'to enhance their levels of fluency' make this clear. While full immersion courses may be difficult to organise and staff, partial immersion experiences are achievable, and several of the schools engage native speakers to temporarily facilitate immersion, particularly in primary classes, by sometimes conducting a normal lesson – e.g. Mathematics – in the language other than English. There is support for this approach in the research. For example, an extensive trial in Europe found that: With immersion only, students often continue to make grammatical errors in language use, but when explicit teaching (of the language as a subject) is added to immersion, either before or alongside the use of the target language as a medium of instruction, significant improvements (in language use) have been recorded. (Lo Bianco 2009, p.33)

There was a common view among the teachers in all the schools that immersion-type courses and experiences – full or partial – are the most effective way to learn a language, whether Asian or European, and also most likely to engage students to continue to study the language. •

Participation in language promotion through local, state and national writing and speaking projects and competitions: Teachers from several of the schools suggested that one of the ways to engage and motivate students is to involve them in local, state and national language competitions in spelling and writing. They felt that this was a fulfilling experience for the students and probably helped in retaining them in the subject.

•

Gender Factors: There was widespread agreement among teachers that lessons needed to be devised with activities likely to appeal to both male and female learning styles. This was seen as particularly important for boys, who tend to continue their language studies in fewer numbers than girls. Integration of ICT into learning experiences was seen as helpful, as was subject matter such as sport. Activities involving music, dance and movement were seen as particularly popular among both genders.


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•

Information and Communication Technology: This was raised in some schools as important, both in their current practice and in its potential. One school was working toward being able to link its classes with classes in its Asian sister school that is in a similar time zone. In relation to student motivation and retention, teachers …teachers in several of the in several of the schools saw strategic integration of ICT schools saw strategic into language classes as a means of engaging students. At integration of ICT into the same time, they all emphasised that the use of language classes as a means of engaging students. software and applications (apps) needed to be geared at real learning, not just entertainment, or it was unlikely to have any long-term effect on the students. Teachers in several of the schools commented that there are some very effective resources available now in these kinds of formats.

•

Effective Teaching: The teacher factor was raised by all three groups: Principals, teachers and students. Two words tended to dominate the discussion among the teachers: proficiency and passion. The teachers who took part in this project all had examples from both ends of the scale: teachers who inspired students to continue their language studies, and teachers who turned students off. It would surprise noone to hear that Principals, teachers and students see the quality of the teacher as a major factor in language learning because it is well established in research that this applies in all subjects. Researchers such as John Hattie (2009) have affirmed this across age groups, socio-economic and cultural groups, and subject disciplines. It suggests that the quality of teacher education courses in languages is important, as is continuing professional learning, particularly in gaining greater proficiency in the language. The teachers consulted also stressed the importance of their relationships with the students. Again, as is shown in research such as Hattie's, this applies across all learning environments, not just languages. Teachers referred to human qualities, many of which are representative of emotional intelligence: empathy, trust, respect, a sense of humour, and care. While these are important, teachers stressed that without strong proficiency in the language, teachers were unlikely to engage students in the long term. Based on the schools involved in this project, and on the research consulted, there is no doubt that the teacher factor is a major influence in whether students continue their language studies through into the senior years. The combination of proficiency in the language, passion for it, engaging pedagogy and strong personal relationships with the students, seems to promote student motivation. It seems too that all three ingredients need to be present: if one is missing the likelihood of success in engaging and retaining students drops considerably.

there is no doubt that the teacher factor is a major influence in whether students continue their language studies through into the senior years.

It was suggested by a number of teachers (and students) that in the younger years lessons should be 'fun' for at least some of the time so that students will enjoy the language and look forward to the lessons. Though rote and drill-type exercises were seen as necessary, there is a need to weave a sense of fun and enjoyment into these with activities like quiz competitions, puzzles and games that younger students in particular relate to.


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2.6

Time Allocation All the teachers consulted for this project raised the issue of time allocation. Their message was consistent: the more time given to the second language up to Year 10, the greater the chance of retaining students in the subject for their senior studies. At the same time, there was wide variation in time allocation to languages among the schools consulted. In one school, Indonesian is compulsory from Years 3 to 6, after which students choose from four languages but must study at least one Asian and one European language. Languages then become electives from Year 10 on into the senior school. This school has strong retention rates in languages through to Year 12. In contrast, another school requires students to study a language through to Year 8, with one 40-minute lesson a week in Years 5, 6 and 7, and for one term out of four in Year 8. Students still continue the Asian language on into their senior studies, but the teachers felt that many more would if the time were increased in the earlier years so students could engage more fully and have greater proficiency and confidence in the language before they have to make their elective subject choices. The other schools had variations on their time allocations, but the message from the teachers was consistent: the more time, the greater the chance for students to gain proficiency, and therefore the greater the chance of retention.

…the message from the teachers was consistent: the more time, the greater the chance for students to gain proficiency, and therefore the greater the chance of retention.

Along with time allocation, a number of teachers raised the importance of continuity: as one teacher worded it, 'seeing them every day'. Teachers in all the schools agreed that they needed to have several shorter sessions with the students each week rather than one longer one with a gap of a few days up to a week before they saw the students again. The problem of time allocation is prevalent in the research, and is in general agreement with the views of these teachers (e.g. Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations 2012; AEF 2012). It suggests that if schools are serious about improving student retention rates in Asian languages, they will need to address the issue of allocating sufficient time, especially in the early and primary years of schooling.


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Section 3 THE STUDENTS

3.1

High Achievers or a Cross-section? The students interviewed were positive, articulate and insightful. It appeared that they must all be high achievers, but the teachers in every school confirmed that while there were a good number of top achievers in the group, the common thread was that these were students who were 'turned on' by studying a language, and were a cross-section in terms of levels of achievement. This was exemplified by one student who said, 'I don't mind if I don't get an A. I just like Japanese', and a student in another school who was studying Japanese in Year 12, but was not doing an OP-eligible course. The students were consistent in their view that you don't have to be especially 'bright' to succeed in an Asian language, but you do need to 'hang in there' and persevere, especially in the younger years.

3.2

Starting Early It was typical for students to say that they had enjoyed studying a language from when they were young and first encountered it in primary school or earlier. In most of the schools, students spoke about having positive experiences in primary school which 'turned them on' to the language, and this was important in them continuing with it throughout their school years. Students across most of the schools affirmed this, offering the view that if students were doing well in the language in the early years and finding it fulfilling they were likely to continue their studies into the higher grades. These students' views are supported in the relevant research. The Asia Education Foundation Report refers to 'some outstanding examples' of early childhood and primary language programs in Australian schools, with the result that: A range of positive outcomes were identified, including cognitive and social benefits and greater confidence of children continuing language study in primary school. (AEF 2012, p.19)

Lo Bianco (2009) also affirms the students' views, urging schools and educators to engage students in language study as early as pre-school...to make the most of what young learners are naturally disposed to do with languages, especially their greater openness to new sounds, to experimentation, role play and other activities which early language learning requires but which older learners are often less willing to do. (p.60)

A consistent message from the schools consulted, and from the relevant research, is to start early with exposing students to language studies, including as early as pre-school.

A consistent message from the schools consulted, and from the relevant research, is to start early with exposing students to language studies, including as early as pre-school. 3.3

The Teacher Factor The students across all the schools strongly and universally agreed that the teacher was a major factor in whether they continued their language studies.


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Just what the students meant by this varied. Some referred to the personal qualities of teachers – 'I liked being in her class'; or 'He made us feel good about our work' – while others referred to the strategies teachers used. Strategies that were mentioned often were interactive experiences like role play, multi-modal activities, music, food, dance, guest native speakers, immersion activities, games to learn the scripts, and technology. Variety and interest were the common themes. Technology was mentioned on several occasions by students as it was by teachers. Especially in the early and primary years, the use of iPads with applications that helped students to learn Asian scripts was seen as particularly engaging. A teacher of Japanese at this school asked the question, 'Is kanji really so difficult, or is it the way it's presented to the students?' She was speaking in the context of using applications on iPads with students, and felt that there was real potential here for engaging students to 'hang in there' with learning the script, and even enjoying it. Again, the 'teacher factor' is evident in the research. It appears that, as in other subjects: Good teaching is the single most important controllable variable in successful language learning.

(Johnstone R. in Lo Bianco 2009)

Resonating with this, the Asia Education Foundation Report 2012 describes 'good' language teaching as: • • • • •

Having a good command of both the target language and English Knowledge about learning processes Pedagogical craft knowledge Having ample opportunities for their own professional learning and growth And, above all, having a confident belief that the language can be taught and a commitment to doing so. (p.21)

Based on what they said during the consultations, the students who contributed to this project would add to that list something about the human qualities of the teacher and the relationship between the teacher and the students. Students of all ages across the schools affirmed these feelings about the subject that good teachers evoked. Something of this is well captured in a list of 'Ten Commandments for Motivating Language Learners' compiled by Dornyei and Csizer: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.

Set a personal example with your own behaviour Develop a good relationship with the learners Increase the learners' linguistic self-confidence Make the language classes interesting Promote learner autonomy Personalise the learning process Increase the learners' goal orientedness by providing specific, hard but achievable goals 8. Familiarise learners with the target culture 9. Create a pleasant, relaxed atmosphere in the classroom 10. Present the tasks appropriately. (Dornyei Z. & Csizer K. 1998)


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3.4

Perceptions of Difficulty 'Asian languages are hard' was a constant theme evoked throughout the consultations.

'The more fluent you become, the more rewarding it is',

Students who have continued their Asian language studies through into the senior years acknowledged that a conscientious approach is needed to master Asian scripts, especially in the early years of learning the language. At the same time, many said they enjoyed the challenge: 'It's rewarding knowing you can do it', and 'I enjoyed the challenge. That's why I kept going'. Some also said they found learning the characters of the script interesting. Several students suggested that there is a 'tipping point' (Gladwell 2000) in learning Japanese or Chinese scripts. One said, 'The more fluent you become, the more rewarding it is', and that while she found it difficult at first, there was a point where she realised she could do it and wouldn't be intimidated by it any more. Other students agreed with this. Some students disagreed that Asian languages were more difficult than other subjects. Their view was that they were different and that can scare some students, but if you made an effort you could do it. Students did agree that Japanese and Chinese were rigorous academic subjects, and that they needed a conscientious approach and some 'stickability'. Returning to research: in the context of intrinsic student motivation, Dornyei makes special mention of 'learned helplessness' which relates particularly to the early years of students learning a second language. He describes: ...a resigned, pessimistic state that develops when the person wants to succeed but feels that success is impossible or beyond him or her...It is a feeling of 'I simply can't do it', which, once established, is very difficult to reverse. (Dornyei 1994, pp.276-277)

A number of teachers and students in the eight schools related their own examples of this from their experiences, suggesting the importance of early success and feelings of self-efficacy and achievement in young students when they begin to study a second language. Dornyei acknowledges 'learned helplessness' applies to most subjects, but he asserts that it is more prevalent in language studies than any other areas. 3.5

Why don't more students study an Asian language?

Sometimes it comes down to having to make a difficult decision.

The students who were consulted were all students who have continued their language studies through to the senior school, and they were insightful and keen to share their ideas about why so many of their fellow students dropped out of the language when it ceased to be compulsory. •

There is a lot of choice after Year 8, and then again after Year 10. Sometimes it comes down to having to make a difficult decision. One student expressed some sadness that she had had to discontinue Art in order to study Japanese.

•

The perception that an Asian language is difficult extends to the belief by many that it is harder to achieve high results in the Asian language, and that you can achieve better results in other subjects with less work.


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•

In one of the schools we spoke with some students who had achieved well in the language but still gave it up for their senior studies. While the main reason was timetable clashes, several of them identified 'peer pressure', without using that term, as a reason to discontinue studying Japanese. One student said it wasn't 'cool' among her friends. She became visibly saddened when she recounted this, and said that she was young then, and wished she had been stronger and able to withstand the pressure from her friends and continue her studies in Japanese. This theme appears in the research too. In the Asia Education Foundation Report 2012, a Principal is quoted: The big thing with languages (at the school) is it's not a sexy thing. It's not a thing that sells. It's not Maths, English, Science. It's not like you can get the kids studying Chinese out at an RSL function in their uniform doing the national anthem with the band. Or they're not bringing a trophy home for sport. Or they're not hanging a beautiful picture or anything like in Art. So it's a really hard one for this school. (p.9)

•

There was an unexpected but recurring theme from the students in every school, which in most cases arose without prompting. They said that now, in Year 12, some of their friends had confided that they wished they hadn't dropped the Asian language when they made their subject choices in Year 8 or Year 10. They said they were too young back then, and now saw the richness and relevance of the experiences their fellow students who continued were having, and regretted that they were missing out on this.

The issue of subject selection at a young age when the language option can be so easily abandoned was a major theme in this project. It was expressed by teachers and students in all the schools, and the regrets of the senior students expressed above are cause for serious consideration about how to postpone that choice for as long as possible. At least one Principal believes that maintaining a language study for all students well into the middle years has brought positive results in retention rates for senior language studies. •

The students reported that many of their fellow students questioned why they should learn another language when English is spoken 'everywhere' in the world. Others saw no use for a language in their future career. Still others said they struggled with English, so they needed to master it first before giving consideration to another language.

An interesting piece of research emerged during the project which challenges the perceptions of students 'not needing a language for my future career', and 'English is spoken all over the world' so why should they learn another language? Kate Fitch, an academic in the School of Media Communication and Culture at Murdoch University has published a paper in the Public Relations Review (2012) examining public relations employer perceptions of 'intercultural competence in employing and developing staff'. Fitch found that: Several participants agreed a second language offered an awareness of other cultures and a degree of reflexivity about their own culture. In this situation, the particular language was not relevant: 'Even if it was French, I don't mind...just showed me they could go outside the box'. (Fitch 2012, p.7) Asian Languages in Independent Schools - 2012 Report

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Fitch quotes another employer, an Australian now working in a regional role in Asia, who offered the view that learning a language at school helps in understanding other cultures, and the ability to work with others as 'it gave me a sense of awareness of cultural difference and knowing and recognising signals, particularly non-verbal cues, when dealing with people of other cultures'. (Fitch 2012, p.7) The interesting thing to draw from Fitch's work is that while the employers valued a second language in an employee, it didn't matter which one it was: the value was in the awareness of cultural subtleties and differences that come from learning a second language. This is more likely to resonate with parents and older students, but it is an angle that didn't arise in the school consultations or in other research, and though it was a small and limited study, it may have a place in the broader picture of marketing language studies. 3.6

…the value was in the awareness of cultural subtleties and differences that come from learning a second language.

Why do it? Common reasons students saw for studying an Asian language through to Year 12 were: • • • • • • • •

• •

Found it interesting, including learning the characters. Found it a 'change of pace' from other subjects. (This was prevalent among students doing Mathematics/Science courses in the senior school). Liked the teacher (particularly important in the early years of learning the language, but not confined to then). Like learning about the culture of another country. The visits to the country of the language studied. Making friends from another country through home-stays and visits. Like words more than numbers. Some students felt it would be helpful in their career. Some older students referred to the need to understand the global nature of society now, and to the belief that having studied a language would give them confidence in travelling. Several students said they liked the smaller classes: an unintended benefit caused by low retention rates in some of the schools. Quite a number of students said that their parents had Quite a number of influenced their continuation in their language studies. students said that Some had parents who spoke a second language, or had their parents had influenced their travelled, putting a lot of value on a second language. A continuation in their small number of students had lived in an Asian country language studies. with their parents, and this had aroused interest in the student studying the language at school.

One female student who had lived there said, 'I just love the culture of Indonesia!' Another said, 'I just felt an affinity with the people of that country.' A third student who had lived in Japan said she was starting to speak the language at four years of age and wanted to continue it when her parents returned to Australia.


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A student at one of the schools said that her father had forced her to continue with her language studies into her senior years, and she resented it at the time. She went on to say, 'I'm so glad he did that. I've got so much out of it.' This resonates with the 'unexpected but recurring theme' in 3.5 (above). It is an important message from this project that students are making subject choices at an age when many, perhaps most, are too young to appreciate the value of continuing their language studies, so they drop it, only to regret the decision later when they have the maturity to appreciate the value of it. The parent factor is clearly understood and embraced by the teacher from the school not included in the eight. She explained that especially in the younger classes, but through to Year 12, she constantly emails parents of her students with information on the Japanese course, advice on ways to assist the students in studying Japanese, the valuable and relevant things they are learning in class, and what they will be learning next week. At her previous school, that teacher ran a short introduction to the Japanese course: two evenings at two hours each. Forty parents attended, and also enjoyed some Japanese food, dress and music, all provided by the students. She agreed that she was engaging in relationship-building as much as information-giving with the parents in order to 'sell' the subject, and felt that it was a successful strategy that the parents gained from as well as the students. This teacher saw marketing of her subject as a natural and continuing part of being a teacher of Japanese, acknowledging the need to confront the perceptions of difficulty with positive and uplifting experiences that clearly impress parents. For some students the study of a language in their senior years is very important. One student was new to the school we were visiting. She explained that her previous school had decided not to run the language she wanted in Year 11 due to small numbers, so she left the school and moved to this one in order to continue her study in the language. The teachers said it was an important gain for the school, as she is a high achiever.

…she left the school and moved to this one in order to continue her study in the language

Changing schools is a big decision for a young person, and it demonstrates how important it was to her to continue her language studies into the senior school. It appears that once a student has 'hooked into' a language, it will take a lot to shift it. The fact that language studies have favoured status in the calculation of Australian Tertiary Admissions Rank (ATAR) rankings was well understood by the students, and they agreed that while it was a bonus, it had little or no influence in whether they chose to continue their language studies. As observed earlier, a sweep through what the students say indicates a trend of prioritising personal experiences over economic and utilitarian reasons as to why they are motivated to continue their language studies. As also observed earlier, the predominance of these kinds of intrinsic motivational factors over external factors in student retention in second languages is strongly supported in the relevant research (e.g. Dornyei 1994; Lo Bianco 2009; AEF 2012). From Principals, teachers and students, and from research, these findings offer a key indicator to schools that are serious about engaging and then retaining students in language studies, including Asian languages. They suggest that as far as student engagement and retention are concerned, a focus on the effectiveness of the teacher, especially in the younger years, is crucial; and directly linked with this, they suggest that intrinsic motivators that appeal to young people significantly outweigh the kinds of extrinsic and utilitarian reasons that adults tend to view as important in language studies.


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Section 4 KEY FINDINGS

These key findings are strongly representative of the consultations, and are equally represented in the relevant research. This means that though the range of school consultations was relatively small – eight schools and a teacher from a ninth school – schools can be confident that to a very significant degree, what was gleaned from the school consultations is consistent with what is revealed in research. It should give the findings presented in this Report reliability and credibility for schools who want to act to improve their retention rates for Asian language studies. 4.1

The Principal The role of the Principal is crucial. In every school it was clear that the Principal has a personal philosophical conviction that languages, and Asian languages in particular, have much to offer young people: both for their personal and social development, and for their preparation to make their way in the world of the 21st century. All Principals had found ways to have this personal conviction taken up by the school community, and become an accepted element of what the school offers its students. They marketed the languages to the students, teachers and parents; they engaged in creative timetabling to give languages a strong chance of being taken up by students who wanted to continue; and they resourced the languages, with the school engaging native speakers for classes, they ran small classes when necessary, and subsidised activities like immersion camps. In essence, the Principals were prepared to take philosophical, financial and political action to ensure that languages have a meaningful and respected place in their schools.

4.2

School Culture Schools where students are likely to continue with a language study in their senior years are schools that have deliberately woven the importance of languages into the culture of the school. It is a natural, 'built in' part of what they do, not an extra 'bolt on' activity that is seen as apart from the school's core curriculum. The schools consulted had Principals who saw this as part of their mission, and language teachers who saw it similarly.

4.3

Symmetry with Research The three key themes identified in the Asia Education Foundation Report 2012 – a persuasive personal encounter; a clear course of action; and collegial influence and support – were strongly prevalent in all the schools that took part in this project. There is strong symmetry between this report and the AEF's findings, as well as other relevant research, perhaps giving greater credibility to this project than consultations with a limited number of schools might suggest.

4.4

A Cross-curricular Framework Language studies tend to have a greater chance of success in student retention when the school has an agreed cross-curricular framework drawn from established models such as Habits of Mind, Multiple Intelligences, or Dimensions of Learning, or has developed its own model, perhaps a hybrid of some established frameworks mixed with their own ideas, adapted to the school's own context and culture.


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The majority of the schools consulted had such a cross-curricular framework, and the Principals and teachers in these schools felt that its holistic nature enables languages to have an accepted status in the curriculum equal to that of English, Mathematics, Science, and other mainstream subjects. 4.5

Subject Selection, Timetabling and Time Allocation Subject selection, timetabling and time allocation were common elements in the issues teachers and students saw confronting language studies as the students moved through their school years. In general, the later language studies became optional, the more students were likely to continue. The highest year level that languages remain compulsory was Year 9 in two of the schools. The deferral of the ability to opt out of a language seems to be related to the growing confidence and proficiency the students attain the longer they study the language, and this appears to have a positive impact on retention rates in language studies. Linked to this was time allocation, and again, all things being equal, the more time students have in the language per week, the greater the likelihood they will continue their language studies. In the schools consulted, the time allocation for languages – in the early years especially – varied greatly. In two schools, language exposure varied from three hours a week in one, to forty minute a week in another. Teachers in the latter school had still managed to maintain a creditable retention rate into the senior years, but they lamented that it was a struggle given the time allocations in the early years.

4.6

Motivation There was widespread agreement among Principals, teachers and students, and supported in the research, that the motivational factors that encourage students to engage with a language and then stick with it are mainly intrinsic, not extrinsic. Intrinsic factors related to their personal development, their friendships, their sense of fulfilment and enjoyment, their relationship with the teacher, their sense of curiosity, and their natural facility with words. The view that students will choose to study an Asian language because of Australia's geographical proximity to Asia, or trade links with China, Japan or other Asian countries, was not supported in the schools or in the research. It may impress some older students, and it does impress their parents, but the older students have already made their subject choices, most having decided at a young age not to continue their language studies.

4.7

Immersion Teachers and students in all the schools spoke in favour of immersion or partial immersion-type experiences as benefiting students and engaging them in continuing their language studies. Ranging from a ten-week stay attending a school in Japan, through a three-day immersion camp in Year 9, to native speakers engaging in a subject lesson in the language, these experiences rated highly with students and teachers. Visits to the Asian country, sister schools, home-stays and exchanges were all seen as conducive to maintaining student involvement in language studies, and are all examples of immersion-type experiences.


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One of the regional schools reported great success through a service learning exercise in which fifteen students did community work in a rural area of Vietnam. These kinds of projects are built into the school's curriculum as part of the culture, and the Principal and teachers believe the links with Asian countries promote Asian language studies by their students. Research across a number of studies strongly supports this, rating immersion experiences as particularly powerful influences on student motivation and proficiency in the language. 4.8

The Teacher Factor Principals, teachers and students consistently rated the influence of the teacher on students' attitude to language studies as very high. This was particularly so in the early and primary years, where the teacher's interpersonal relationship with the students was influential. The ways the teacher made it 'fun' and 'interesting', and the teacher's proficiency in the language were also important. Students consistently reported making decisions about continuing their language studies into higher grades based on whether or not they 'liked' the relevant teacher of the language, though they agreed that this applied to other subjects too. Principals saw the importance of having 'good' teachers of Asian languages on staff: 'good' equating to engaging the students, helping them to achieve well in the subject, and influencing them to continue their language studies into the higher grades in the school. Teachers who had a track record of strong retention rates emphasised the need to have strong personal relationships with the students, building multi-modal and varied experiences into the classroom, providing immersion experiences, and ensuring there were enjoyable and uplifting experiences for the students in terms of how they viewed their progress in the subject. Research shows the teacher factor as important in all phases of schooling and all subjects, and it presented strongly in the school consultations for this project.

4.9

Starting Early Many students had stories of experiences in their younger years that influenced them to want to learn a language. One told of living in Japan with her parents and beginning to learn the language when she was four years old, which gave her the desire to keep learning it. Other students spoke of their first experiences in the language in primary school, and how influential this was in their continuing – or not continuing – their language studies. There was agreement across all the schools and in the research, that with other things being equal, early exposure to a second language is likely to influence students to want to continue their language studies.

4.10

Delaying Subject Specialisation There was qualified agreement that the longer subject specialisation could be delayed into the middle years of schooling, the more likely students were to continue Asian language studies. This was qualified in that no school delayed it beyond Year 9.


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4.11

Parents There was a definite parent factor in the consultations, both positive and negative. Parents who spoke a second language, had lived in another country or had travelled, were seen to place a higher value on language studies than those who hadn't. Parents of students in urban schools were seen as more supportive of their children studying a language than those in regional areas, though that was a generalised view. Indeed, one regional school has had significant success in student retention in languages, partly helped by skilfully marketing the value of language studies to parents, including those on the land. The Asia Education Foundation Report 2012 reflects the importance of parents in the students' decisions firstly to study a language and then to continue with it: The specific target groups with relation to building demand for learning Asian languages are students, and the parents of intending or actual students. Evidence points to parents as exerting a very powerful impact on both the choice to study, and on students' subsequent persistence with language learning. (p.3) The same report continues: Scattershot generalised publicity campaigns will not have the effect of persuading young Australians or their parents that learning an Asian language is a good idea. The target is not the community at large...The target group for the building of demand for Asian languages should be students and their parents – and not parents in general, but parents of students who are considering learning a language or who need support to persist with it. (p.21) The Asia Education Foundation Report cites an example from a Melbourne school where for the students studying Italian: One of the most common attributes of successful, interested learners was strong parental support and encouragement. (p.22) and, of students studying Chinese at another school: The one common characteristic of all the students is that...their families are keen for them to learn Chinese, and encourage them in their learning tasks. (p.22)

4.12

Marketing All the schools acknowledged the importance of skilful, targeted marketing of Asian languages. They understand not only what to market, but to whom they should market it. From the Principal ensuring support for Asian languages from the School Board, through to the teacher constantly emailing parents with updates on what the students are doing in class, enlisting parent support for keeping the students on task, and showing the value of what they are learning, marketing is a fundamental, on-going way of life in these schools. They appear to understand that essentially marketing is about relationships, so really they are doing what any good school should do: they are building trust and confidence in the school community that above all else the school is working towards the growth and development of the young people in their care. As seen above, like so much of this Report, that is strongly affirmed in the relevant research.


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Conclusion Over the last twenty years or so, much has been written and many reports have been published about Asian language studies in Australian schools. There is a good deal of commonality in their findings, and a lot is known now about the nature of successful Asian language programs. Yet the number of students studying Asian languages is declining, and has been doing so for some years. Where it is hoped this Report might contribute to changing this trend is in presenting the thinking, words, and aspirations of the Principals, teachers and students in the schools that were involved in this project, and at the same time showing how closely that resonates with the relevant research. There are also some findings that do not appear in the previous research, and which may add further to our understanding of the issues involved. Perhaps the biggest message that emerged from the project is the reminder that above all, schools are deeply human places, where adults and young people work together to tap potential, and build hopes and dreams. The key appears to reside in the commitment of Principals, teachers, parents and students to generating the kinds of school cultures that can tap into this, and guide the school toward support and promotion of Asian languages, so they are a natural part of the mainstream life of the school. Michael Clyne has suggested that: Our monolingual mindset is strongly encouraged by the way languages are treated in some schools. All Australian children deserve a pleasurable experience of learning at least one language other than English, which should stimulate their interest in acquiring more. And all Australians deserve the pleasures and benefits of being plurilingual, in at least English and one other language...We are, after all, a microcosm of the world in its cultural diversity. ...(In Australia) we live in a linguistically diverse society, but only perhaps a quarter (in Sydney and Melbourne a little over a third) of the population are able to participate fully in the diversity. The quality of the social relations in our nation, which I believe to be tolerant and harmonious by international standards, as well as our understanding of much of the rest of the world, would be enhanced and enriched by sharing our multilingualism. For social, cognitive, economic and cultural (reasons), it is not multilingualism but monolingualism that is too costly for us. It is time for (multilingualism) to be reinstated. (Clyne pp.181-182)

Perhaps this offers schools some direction on where the leverage for increased retention rates lies: less in economic and utilitarian agendas about present and future trade links, but rather in a focus on how Asian language studies can contribute to the all-round human development of young people, empowering them to take their place in, and contribute to, the increasingly global society of the 21st century, and to become better people along the way. It is being done successfully in the schools involved in this project, and the message is clear. It is there for those schools that are serious about taking it up. And that is their challenge.


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References Asia Education Foundation Report 2012: Building Demand for Asia Literacy: What Works; University of Melbourne; Victoria. Clyne M. 2005: Australia's Language Potential; UNSW; Sydney. Collins J. 2001: Good to Great; Random House; Sydney. Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations 2012: The Current State of Japanese Language Education in Australian Schools; Education Services Australia; Carlton South, Victoria. Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations 2012: The Current State of Chinese Language Education in Australian Schools; Education Services Australia; Carlton South, Victoria. Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations 2012: The Current State of Indonesian Language Education in Australian Schools; Education Services Australia; Carlton South, Victoria. Dornyei Z. 1994: 'Motivation and Motivating in the Foreign Language Classroom' in The Modern Language Journal, Vol. 78, No. 3 (Autumn, 1994), pp.273-284. Dornyei Z. & Csizer K. 1998: 'Ten Commandments for Motivating Language Learners: Results of an Empirical Study'; Language Teaching Research, 3, pp.203209. Fitch K. 2012: 'Industry Perceptions of Intercultural Competence in Singapore and Perth' in Public Relations Review (2012); http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.pubrev.2012.06.002 Gardner H. 2006: Multiple Intelligences: New Horizons; Basic Books; New York. Gladwell M. 2000: The Tipping Point; Abacus; London. Hattie J. 2009: Visible Learning; Routledge; London. Johnstone R. In Lo Bianco J. 2009: Australian Education Review: Second Languages and Australian Schooling; ACER; Camberwell, Victoria. Lo Bianco J. 2009: Australian Education Review: Second Languages and Australian Schooling; ACER; Camberwell, Victoria. Orton J., Tee J., Gong J., McCulloch J., Zhao Y. & McRae D. 2012: Profiles of Chinese Language Programs in Victorian Schools; CTTC & University of Melbourne; Melbourne, Victoria.


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Appendix 1 ASIAN LANGUAGES IN SCHOOLS: FACTORS CONTRIBUTING TO STUDENT RETENTION RATES INTERVIEW TOPICS 1. What is the school's attitude to LOTE? A formal policy? 2. What is the school's attitude to Asian languages? A formal policy? 3. How are (Asian) languages presented to students in Year 10 course selection? 4. Are there common performance/ability factors about the students who continue to Year 12? 5. Are there gender factors? 6. Are there socio-economic factors? 7. What are the common reasons for students continuing to Year 12? 8. What are the common reasons for students not continuing to Year 12? 9. Student perceptions of the value of (Asian) languages? 10. Parent perceptions of the value of (Asian) languages? 11. Non-language teacher perceptions of the value of Asian languages? 12. Ideas on why other 'non-practical' subjects (Drama/Art/Legal Studies) appear to achieve better retention? 13. How important is the role of the Principal? 14. How important is the role of other positional leaders such as Directors of Studies? 15. Are there differences in perception about Asian language studies in rural and urban school communities? 16. Are there differences in the status of Asian languages in co-ed and single-sex schools? Asian Languages in Independent Schools - 2012 Report

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Independent Schools Queensland PO Box 957 Spring Hill Q 4004 Telephone: 07 3228 1515 Fax: 07 3228 1575 Web: www.isq.qld.edu.au Copyright: Independent Schools Queensland 2013

Pembelajaran Bahasa-bahasa Asia di Sekolah Swasta: Berbagai ...

Pembelajaran Bahasa-bahasa Asia di Sekolah Swasta: Berbagai ...

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