The Doubters' Dilemma: Exploring student attrition and retention in University Language & Culture programs

Abstract

What makes students decide to study a language at university? What makes those same students decide to continue or stop studying a language? As university academics and administrators supporting language and culture (L&C) studies, how do we quantify these decisions of students in ways that provide effective input into resourcing? How do we know if there are more students giving up on their L&C studies than on their studies in other disciplines, and whether this indicates a problem with L&C teaching? Is there anything that can, or should, be done to help students stay in L&C programs?2At the very least, universities should be able to measure accurately the rates at which students leave or stay in L&C majors. Ideally, universities should also understand exactly which factors—such as teaching style, workloads, or student characteristics—affect attrition and retention, and which are most influential.