Foreign Language Learning and Its Impact on Wider Academic Outcomes: A Rapid Evidence Assessment

The Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) commissioned this Rapid Evidence Assessment (REA) with a view to understanding what is known from the research literature concerning learning a foreign language (FL) and its impact on students' wider academic outcomes. The key questions addressed examine...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inEducation Endowment Foundation
Main Authors Murphy, Victoria A, Arndt, Henriette, Baffoe-Djan, Jessica Briggs, Chalmers, Hamish, Macaro, Ernesto, Rose, Heath, Vanderplank, Robert, Woore, Robert
Format Report
LanguageEnglish
Published Education Endowment Foundation 01.07.2020
Subjects
Attribution Theory
Cognitive Development
Comparative Analysis
Correlation
Cultural Awareness
Decision Making
Educational Attainment
Educational Benefits
Educational Policy
Evidence
Instructional Effectiveness
Language of Instruction
Meta Analysis
Metalinguistics
Outcomes of Education
Research Reports
Second Language Instruction
Second Language Learning
Second Language Programs
Teaching Methods
Transfer of Training
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Summary:The Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) commissioned this Rapid Evidence Assessment (REA) with a view to understanding what is known from the research literature concerning learning a foreign language (FL) and its impact on students' wider academic outcomes. The key questions addressed examine: (1) the research identifying what approaches to teaching FLs are being used and what variables impact on the effectiveness of these approaches; (2) the research which has examined the influence of learning a FL (or knowing another language) on other aspects of attainment; and (3) the impact of using a non-native language as the Medium of Instruction (MoI) on language learning and academic attainment. To address these questions, this REA first identified relevant extant synthesis literature (systematic reviews and/or meta-analyses) which we then updated by locating and reviewing more recent research that adopted either a Randomised Controlled Design (RCT) or a Quasi-Experimental Design (QED) as these research designs enable the determination of underlying causal relationships between variables. The research discussed in this report will lead to a greater understanding of the key findings in the literature, together with the trustworthiness of these findings, and will in turn enable strategic decision making regarding future research programmes, funding for research, and policy making.