Theo van Els

Planning Foreign Language Teaching in a Small Country

Policymaking in the field of foreign language teaching has not been given much thought so far. Discussions of policy decisions, therefore, tend to be confused. In this article, a number of fundamental issues regarding planning foreign language teaching on a national level are dealt with. They relate to the levels at which policy decisions may be taken, but in particular to such issues as the role of needs; the choice of which languages to offer and which to learn; and the special role of different educational levels. Examples are drawn from the recent Dutch National Action Programme on Foreign Languages. Insight is also given into how this program was developed and is being implemented at the moment.Policymaking in the field of foreign language teaching has not been given much thought so far. Discussions of policy decisions, therefore, tend to be confused. In this article, a number of fundamental issues regarding planning foreign language teaching on a national level are dealt with. They relate to the levels at which policy decisions may be taken, but in particular to such issues as the role of needs; the choice of which languages to offer and which to learn; and the special role of different educational levels. Examples are drawn from the recent Dutch National Action Programme on Foreign Languages. Insight is also given into how this program was developed and is being implemented at the moment.

Towards a foreign language teaching policy for the European community: A Dutch perspective

Abstract The paper raises a number of issues concerning foreign language teaching (FLT) policy in the European Community, given its basic commitments to multilingualism, and its declaration (Jacoby, 1985) on FLT objectives in its member states. Among the issues discussed are the definition and weighting of FLT needs, including those which are not ‘pragmatic’ in any strong sense; the role of empirical research in FLT policy‐making, whether in determining needs or in measuring provision and achievement; the problem of international comparison of educational systems with regard to FLT performance; the question of compulsion versus choice; the phenomenon of language loss; and the relation between FLT during formal schooling and FLT in adult and continuing education.

Foreign Language Teaching Policies and European Unity: The Dutch National Action Programme.

Abstract In 1989 the Dutch Government commissioned the drawing up of a National Action Programme (NAP) on Foreign Languages in anticipation of the new demands of the European Single Market after 1992. The paper describes how the NAP was produced over a 10‐month period. There were distinct but complementary contributions from the Project Staff, the Resonance Group (n = 41) and the Working Group (n = 10). A series of empirical studies, including earlier work of the Dutch Needs Research Project, provided the data‐base for the project. A brief comparison is made with the Australian Governments National Policy on Languages. The substance of the Dutch NAP is then described. The empirical studies confirmed increasing demand for foreign languages, including ‘minor’ languages such as Russian, Japanese and particularly Spanish. Provision was also increasing, although not as quickly. A disturbing finding was that whereas all students now learn some English, 15% do not learn German and 40% do not learn French, even ...