Hard going but worth it: a snapshot of attitudes to reading among languages undergraduates

ISBN: 1-905788-09-6
July, 2006

This report presents the findings of a questionnaire survey into attitudes to reading among languages undergraduates in seven UK universities. The survey set out to elicit information on students’ pre-university experience of reading in the foreign language; their attitudes to reading in both their first language and the foreign language and the difficulties experienced with foreign language reading. 601 questionnaires were returned by students of Spanish, German, French, Italian, Portuguese, Chinese, Arabic and Russian. Conclusions and recommendations in the report focus on improving transition into higher education; paying attention to the learning experiences of ab initio students; raising awareness of strategies and promoting more extensive reading.