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Article published In:
Australian Review of Applied Linguistics
Vol. 40:3 (2017) ► pp.280–310

Continuity in foreign language education in Australia

The Language Bonus plan

| University of Western Australia
| Stockholm University

This article discusses the validity of the bonus for languages other than English (known as the Language Bonus) established in Australia to boost participation in language education. In subjecting this incentive plan to empirical investigation, we not only address a gap in the literature, but also continue the discussion on how to ensure that the efforts made by governments, schools, education agencies and teachers to support language study in schooling can have long-term success. Using data from a large-scale investigation, we consider the significance of the Language Bonus in influencing students’ decisions to study a language at school and at university. While this paper has a local focus – an English-speaking country in which language study is not compulsory – it engages with questions from the broader agenda of providing incentives for learning languages. It will be relevant especially for language policy in English speaking countries.

Keywords: language policy, Language Bonus, incentives, motivations, participation in languages education, enrolment trends, foreign language learning
Article outline
  • Introduction
  • Language education in Australia
    • The Language Bonus point plan
    • Incentives and motivation
  • Methodology
  • Results
    • Profile of respondents
    • General attitudes
    • Enrolment trends and impact of the bonus on study continuity at high school
    • Impact on admission to university
    • Impact on study continuity at university
    • Awareness about the incentive plan
    • Equity issues
  • Discussion
    • Attitudes
    • Enrolment trends and impact on study continuity at school
    • Admission to university
    • Study continuity at university
    • Awareness of the plan
    • Equity
  • Conclusions
  • Notes
  • References
Published online: 7 May 2018
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/aral.17029.car
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