Staff Thesis 1172 views
Closing the gap between policy and practice in relation to Welsh Second Language: A study of how best Welsh as a second language can be supported in being implemented successfully in the context of English-medium schools.
Alex Lovell
Swansea University Author: Alex Lovell
Abstract
It appears that there is a consensus in the field of education in Wales that the teaching and learning of Welsh as a second language is generally not effective (W. G. Lewis, 2010b, para. 1). This has been supported in recent Estyn annual reports which have found a gradual decrease in standards in We...
| Published: |
2019
|
|---|---|
| Online Access: |
https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa50742 |
| URI: | https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa50597 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| Abstract: |
It appears that there is a consensus in the field of education in Wales that the teaching and learning of Welsh as a second language is generally not effective (W. G. Lewis, 2010b, para. 1). This has been supported in recent Estyn annual reports which have found a gradual decrease in standards in Welsh Second Language. The Davies review (2013, p. 1) of Welsh Second Language at Key Stages 3 and 4, One Language for All, has reinforced this consensus, noting that Welsh Second Language is the subject with the lowest attainment levels. Davies (2013, p. 1) stressed that fundamental change was needed, as it is “the eleventh hour for Welsh second language.” Although a number of Welsh language and education policies had been implemented by the Welsh Government within the last four decades, and although there appear to be individual cases of excellent teaching of Welsh in English-medium secondary schools (Estyn, 2014b, p. 44), it appears that the provision of the current system for teaching Welsh as a second language is still insufficient to produce speakers who can use the Welsh language beyond the classroom.Given the Welsh Government's ambitious aim (2017b) to reach a million speakers by 2050, it is now clear that the current provision of Welsh Second Language is not sufficient to increase the number of people who use Welsh. It therefore appears that there is a need to consider new ways of supporting the successful delivery of Welsh as a second language in English-medium schools, if the Welsh Government's ambitious vision is to be achieved. In considering the gap between policy and practice, the case for a far-reaching change to the way Welsh Second Language is taught and learned is proposed, as well as the main argument of the thesis that there needs to be a renewed focus on Welsh by learning and teaching content and language in an integrated way in English medium schools in Wales. |
|---|---|
| Item Description: |
Full text available via DOI: 10.23889/Suthesis.50742 |
| Keywords: |
Welsh second language, Welsh, CLIL, second language acquisition, bilingualism, bilingual education, policy and practice. |
| College: |
Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences |