Benchmarking Modern Languages in UK Higher Education: Insights from the Language Teaching Community

TY - JOUR

T1 - Benchmarking Modern Languages in UK Higher Education

T2 - Insights from the Language Teaching Community

AU - McNeill, Arthur

AU - Sporing, Marion

AU - Hartley, Linda

PY - 2004

Y1 - 2004

N2 - The SCOTLANG-based research project on modern languages benchmarking in the post-compulsory sector investigated aspects of the highly sensitive and politicised issue of benchmark standards in modern languages. This article looks at the results of focus-group discussions held with higher education practitioners in Scotland at a time when the Quality Assurance Agency (QAA) had initiated its first languages subject group consultations in order to set up language degree standards for the whole of the UK higher education sector. It lists a number of ideas voiced by practitioners, both in support of and against benchmarking, but concludes that, in general, there is a positive outlook towards benchmarking and standardisation.

AB - The SCOTLANG-based research project on modern languages benchmarking in the post-compulsory sector investigated aspects of the highly sensitive and politicised issue of benchmark standards in modern languages. This article looks at the results of focus-group discussions held with higher education practitioners in Scotland at a time when the Quality Assurance Agency (QAA) had initiated its first languages subject group consultations in order to set up language degree standards for the whole of the UK higher education sector. It lists a number of ideas voiced by practitioners, both in support of and against benchmarking, but concludes that, in general, there is a positive outlook towards benchmarking and standardisation.

U2 - 10.1080/09571730485200181

DO - 10.1080/09571730485200181

M3 - Article

SN - 0957-1736

VL - 30

SP - 12

EP - 18

JO - Language Learning Journal

JF - Language Learning Journal

IS - 1

ER -