Why is the take-up of Modern Foreign Language A levels in decline?
Ipsos was commissioned in February 2014 by the Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ) to investigate the factors underlying a long-term decline in the uptake of Modern Foreign Language (MFL) qualifications at A level.
Ipsos carried out qualitative research among a range of stakeholder groups, including: face-to-face focus groups with students aged 16-18 and undergraduate language students; in-depth telephone interviews with employers of foreign language speakers; in-depth telephone interviews with MFL teachers and university lecturers; and in-depth telephone interviews with other stakeholders with an interest in languages.
In parallel, Ipsos developed and conducted an online survey of 453 teachers of MFL GCSEs and A levels. All data collection took place from 26 February to 27 March 2014.
