S3 pupils’ career aspirations and views on language learning

This article is a shortened version of a report produced for the Scottish Executive Education Department (Doughty & McPake, 2005), based on a questionnaire survey of S32 pupils across a sample of Scottish secondary schools, which explored pupils’ career aspirations and how these related to their views on language learning. The responses of S3 pupils are significant because as part of proposed educational reforms pupils in this year group will have a greater say in their subject choices. The findings indicate that pupils’ career preferences are gendered and strongly influenced by portrayals of particular careers in the media, but that individual schools could also make a difference. The article makes a number of recommendations to help support language teachers and other stakeholders in giving appropriate advice to pupils with regard to the long-term benefits of language learning.