Boosting language learning: Tes interview with Professor Marsden

Posted on 18 May 2022

Professor Emma Marsden explains how teachers can improve their delivery of MFL lessons and therefore boost uptake

Image credit: Jon Tyson, Unsplash

Professor Emma Marsden has been interviewed in the Tes about how her research and the work of the National Centre for Excellence for Language Pedagogy (NCELP) can help to boost uptake of modern foreign languages.

In the interview, Professor Marsden explores the reasons for the falling numbers of students choosing to study modern foreign languages (MFL) at GCSE level, including the perception of MFL as being more difficult than other subjects. She also outlines the new changes to the GCSE curriculum, which were based on the research-informed recommendations of the NCELP team, and ultimately suggests some practical ways to increase student engagement and make language learning more attractive and accessible.