‘Cold spots’ in language degree provision in England

Muradás-Taylor, Becky; Taylor, Philip ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1663-9426. 2024 ‘Cold spots’ in language degree provision in England. The Language Learning Journal, 52 (1). 92-103. https://doi.org/10.1080/09571736.2023.2257705

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Abstract/Summary

People have been raising the alarm about a language education crisis in the UK, particularly in England, for twenty years. Yet the crisis continues: the number of young people studying languages at school is low, especially in socioeconomically less-privileged areas. University programmes – particularly in universities with below average entry tariffs – are closing, but we do not understand the regional impact of this decline. This paper fills that gap by identifying ‘cold spots’: areas of the country where no universities offer language degrees. The programming language R was used to analyse the location of universities at various entry tariffs, and areas of the country further than a commutable distance of 60 km were identified. Large cold spots were found in the North, East and South West of England for universities offering languages at below average entry tariff, with the cold spot in the South West also present at higher entry tariffs. This is a social justice issue, since most students attend university close to home, with students from less-privileged socioeconomic backgrounds and some ethnic minority backgrounds more likely to commute. This leads to a key strategic recommendation: to open language degree programmes at one lower tariff university in each cold spot.

Item Type:	Publication - Article
Digital Object Identifier (DOI):	https://doi.org/10.1080/09571736.2023.2257705
UKCEH and CEH Sections/Science Areas:	Water Resources (Science Area 2017-)
ISSN:	0957-1736
Additional Information. Not used in RCUK Gateway to Research.:	Open Access paper - full text available via Official URL link.
Additional Keywords:	higher education, university, social justice, widening participation, entry tariff
NORA Subject Terms:	Education
Date made live:	09 Nov 2023 15:34 +0 (UTC)
URI:	https://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/536107

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