Only 7% of College Students Enrolled in a Language?

[Decidida]

Is this true?

Only 7 percent of college students in America are enrolled in a language course.
https://www.theatlantic.com/education/a ... es/392876/

Is this why?

Less than 1 percent of American adults today are proficient in a foreign language that they studied in a U.S. classroom. That’s noteworthy considering that in 2008 almost all high schools in the country—93 percent—offered foreign languages, according to a national survey. In many cases, as Richard Brecht, who oversees the University of Maryland’s Center for Advanced Study of Language, said on Thursday: “It isn’t that people don’t think language education important. It’s that they don’t think it’s possible.”

This really caught me by surprise. Any comments on this?

[aokoye]

As someone who has spent the majority of their adult life in college and someone who has a number of friends who either work in higher education or who have gotten at minimum a master's I'm entirely unsurprised.

But students, especially those in college, are often discouraged from language courses or studying abroad because of stringent requirements in another subject matter.

I suspect that is a huge part of why so few college students in the US are in foreign language classes. Along with that, college is extrodinarily expensive here. There are plenty of students who financially just can't afford to take classes that aren't in their major.

[MacGyver]

So? Why should it matter? If you are going to Uni to be a doctor/engineer/lawyer etc, etc. then why would you enroll in a language course?

Yes, learning another language opens you up to new worlds and different ways of thinking. But taking a few 101 type courses in French when all you really want to do is learn physics, that's not going to get you very far at all.

[aokoye]

Since at least one or two courses of a language are required for a bachelor's degree (in my state) , I don't see how they are getting 7%. And it's not like you stay enrolled in that course all how many years of college so maybe when they did the study there was only 7% but if you see how many college student took a language course, it would be much higher.

I suspect part of the issue too is that not all Associates, BS, BFA, and BM students are required to take a language as part of their degree. Additionally, while showing proficiency of at least one reading requirement is required for a lot of masters and doctoral programs, I suspect X for reading classes weren't counted in the study (I don't have time to skim through all 82 pages of it). There are also some schools that count AP and IB foreign language courses for college credit (and that thus fulfill those requirements).

From the second page of the study that the numbers were taken from:

Approximately one-third of the responses came from two-year colleges, and two-thirds from four-year institutions. No language courses were offered in 7.5% of responding two-year colleges and in 6.7% of responding four-year institutions.

edit: they may not have been counting associates, masters, and doctoral students in the number of total US college students.

[dampingwire]

Only 7 percent of college students in America are enrolled in a language course.
https://www.theatlantic.com/education/a ... es/392876/

I can't comment on why that might be surprising as the US and UK systems differ. In the UK I'd be surprised if more that 7% of students in tertiary education were studying any given subject you care to name.

Less than 1 percent of American adults today are proficient in a foreign language that they studied in a U.S. classroom. That’s noteworthy considering that in 2008 almost all high schools in the country—93 percent—offered foreign languages, according to a national survey. In many cases, as Richard Brecht, who oversees the University of Maryland’s Center for Advanced Study of Language, said on Thursday: “It isn’t that people don’t think language education important. It’s that they don’t think it’s possible.”

This part is unlikely to be specific to the US. I'd say it reflects the situation in the UK too. However, it is probably true of most subjects that are taught in school. I can easily imagine that 90+% of the people who study physics or technical drawing or geography retain much more than a superficial knowledge of that subject. Depending on how you measure it, there may be an exception for English. If you don't need something and you don't use it, you're probably going to forget it.

[Xenops]

Since at least one or two courses of a language are required for a bachelor's degree (in my state) , I don't see how they are getting 7%. And it's not like you stay enrolled in that course all how many years of college so maybe when they did the study there was only 7% but if you see how many college student took a language course, it would be much higher.

That didn't sound right to me either, as even my secluded state of Idaho requires language courses for a degree. I looked on the original report: https://apps.mla.org/pdf/06enrollmentsurvey_final.pdf

And a key graph is shown here:



Note the words: "(Excluding Enrollments in 2-Year Colleges)". This is key to me: many students, as a method to save cash in college, go to a community college for their first two years, and there take of their general courses before they transfer to a four-year university. Many of them would also take their language courses at this time, and would not count in the survey's values.

[Decidida]

Thanks every one!

This is interesting too, if it is true. But I think it might not be as simple as it sounds.

https://www.insidehighered.com/news/201 ... ient-study

According to information from the Modern Language Association, the percentage of four-year colleges and universities that require students to take courses in languages other than English dropped 17 percentage points between 1995 and 2010, to about half of all institutions. MLA attributes the trend largely to a shift away from course requirements and toward choices within distribution requirements.

At the same time, more institutions seem to be requiring foreign language study for acceptance. Twenty-one percent of colleges and universities required high school study in 1995, compared to 25 percent in 2010.

“The general trend that we have noted is institutions moving toward major-specific requirements and away from general language requirements,” said Rosemary Feal, executive director of the MLA. “Entrance requirements are increasing, whereas exit requirements, including ‘seat time,’ have also been on the decline. That’s not to say it’s a good trend-- far from it.” Students aren’t getting as much language practice as they used to when they study internationally, since time abroad has been decreasing, she said, and English-speaking international programs attract many students these days.

[Decidida]

Approximately one-third of the responses came from two-year colleges, and two-thirds from four-year institutions. No language courses were offered in 7.5% of responding two-year colleges and in 6.7% of responding four-year institutions.

For a college not to offer any foreign language at all is surprising to me, even at 6-7%.

[Decidida]

This part is unlikely to be specific to the US. I'd say it reflects the situation in the UK too. However, it is probably true of most subjects that are taught in school. I can easily imagine that 90+% of the people who study physics or technical drawing or geography retain much more than a superficial knowledge of that subject. Depending on how you measure it, there may be an exception for English. If you don't need something and you don't use it, you're probably going to forget it.

Am I wrong to think of "foreign languages" as a whole, in the same way I think of "maths" or "social sciences", rather than as an individual subject?

Foreign languages have a interesting role of sometimes being listed as electives and sometimes as required courses in all levels of education. Having done a lot of remedial tutoring, I do hate to see barriers placed upon people that halt their potential instead of inspiring and assisting them. The USA is ramping up their math requirements, and seeing both the pros and cons of doing that. I don't think I agree that advanced math is more critical for everyone than foreign language is critical for everyone.

[CarlyD]

Language used to be a requirement for graduation here. Now all language classes are under the heading of Humanities and you can substitute Art, a different English class, Interior Design or Theater Arts instead. I could see many students who really aren't interested in language to begin with taking an easy Art or History of Film class instead.