Appendix 3: Questionnaire: Discontinuing students 2009

Section 1. BACKGROUND INFORMATION

(Questions marked * are mandatory)

Please complete a SEPARATE questionnaire for EACH language studied.

Q1. Please give your student ID.*

(Your ID will be deleted from the survey database after responses are analysed to better protect your anonymity.)

Q2. Which year of your ANU degree (full-time equivalent) are you in at the moment?

(Please select ONE option from the pull-down list.)

First year

Second year

Third year

I finished my degree

Have discontinued or deferred all ANU studies

Other (please specify)

Q3. Does/did your degree require compulsory language study?

Yes

No

Q4. How much freedom did you have to choose whether or not you study a language as part of your degree?

Not at all free

To some extent free

Totally free

Q5. Are you, or have you been, concurrently enrolled in more than one language course in your ANU degree?

Yes

No

Q6. If yes, please specify the language(s):

(AND please complete another questionnaire for each language studied.)

Q7. Which language that you studied at ANU are you completing this questionnaire for?

(Please select ONE option from the pull-down list.)

Arabic

Chinese

French

German

Greek

Latin

Hindi

Indonesian

Italian

Japanese

Korean

Persian

Sanskrit

Spanish

Thai

Turkish

Urdu

Vietnamese

Other (please specify)

Q8. Would you have preferred to study a different language had it been available?

Yes

No

Q9. If yes, please specify which language:

Q10. Did you study (formally or informally) any languages (including English as a second language) before enrolling at university?

Yes

No

Q11. If yes, please specify which language(s) and at what level (primary school, secondary school, community centre, overseas experience, etc.):

Q12. If you had studied languages before enrolling at university, how would you rate your experience of learning that language?

Not at all rewarding

Not very rewarding

Somewhat rewarding

Very rewarding

Extremely rewarding 

Q13. Have you been an exchange student?

Yes

No

Q14. If yes, please specify when, where, how long and which language(s) were spoken:

Q15. What languages do you speak with your immediate family?

Please provide the following information with respect to your family and friends’ experiences of other languages (Please tick the relevant circles and leave the rest blank):

○	Speaks a language (native or non-native) other than English.
○	Converses regularly with you in a language other than English.
○	Has learned a second (non-native) language well enough to get by in a country where it is spoken.

Q16. Partner.

Q17. Children.

Q18. Parents.

Q19. Siblings.

Q20. Grandparents.

Q21. Other relatives.

Q22. Close friends.

Q23. Other friends.

Q24. Acquaintances.

Section 2. REASONS FOR STUDYING A LANGUAGE

(Answer ONLY for the language that you specified in Q6)

How important were the following reasons for your initial decision to study a language at university?

Not at all important

Not very important

Of some importance

Very important

Extremely important

Not applicable

Q25. I have a family background in this language.

Q26. I’m interested in the history and culture of the language.

Q27. My friends are studying this language.

Q28. To travel to where this language is spoken.

Q29. To live or work in the country where this language is spoken.

Q30. To communicate with native speakers of the language.

Q31. To participate in cultural activities of the language group.

Q32. For religious reasons.

Q33. For employment reasons.

Q34. To complete my degree.

Q35. To help me in my other studies.  

Q36. My family encouraged me to study it.

Q37. Because I had previously studied the language.

Q38. Because I had previously spent time in a country where the language is spoken.

Q39. Because of the reputation of this language at ANU.

Q40. I thought it would be an easy subject.

Q41. I enjoy language learning.

Q42. To understand people and cultures outside of my own.

Q43. Other reasons (please specify and rate them, eg. ‘I like the sound of the language—very important’):

Section 3. EXPERIENCE OF LANGUAGE STUDY

(Answer ONLY for the language that you specified in Q6)

How interested were you in the following aspects of the language when you first enrolled at university?

Not at all interested

Not very interested

Somewhat interested

Very interested

Extremely interested

Q44. Reading the language.

Q45. Writing the language.

Q46. Speaking the language.

Q47. Understanding other speakers.

Q48. The culture of the language.

To what extent did your first-year or second-year language course meet your expectations in the following areas?

Much worse than expected

A little worse than expected

As expected

A little better than expected

Much better than expected

Q49. Teachers’ knowledge (average across teachers).

Q50. Teachers’ teaching skills.

Q51. Teaching/learning materials (including the textbook).

Q52. Learning environment and facilities.

Q53. Advice and feedback from teachers.

Q54. Approachability and availability of teachers.

Q55. Support from fellow students.

And to what extent did the language course meet your expectations in the following additional areas?

Much less than expected

Less than expected

As expected

More than expected

Much more than expected

Q56. Workload associated with learning to read the language.

Q57. Workload associated with learning to write the language.

Q58. Workload associated with learning to speak the language.

Q59. Workload associated with learning to understand other speakers.

Q60. Overall difficulty of the course.

Q61. Difficulty of learning grammar in particular.

Q62. Enjoyment of language learning.

Q63. How much I learned about reading the language.

Q64. How much I learned about writing the language.

Q65. How much I learned about speaking the language.

Q66. How much I learned to understand other speakers.

Q67. How much I learned about the culture of the language.

Q68. Others (please specify and rate them):

Q69. Please comment on any expectations that were not met?

Q70. If you were studying the Bachelor of International Relations (BIR) or Bachelor of International Commerce (BIC) or any other degree where a language component was compulsory, to what extent had your language study supported your BIR or other studies, especially in terms of cross-cultural understanding?

Much less than expected

Less than expected

As expected

More than expected

Much more than expected

Not applicable

Q71. If you were studying any International Relations (IR) or International Commerce (IC) or any other course as major within BA where a language component was compulsory, to what extent had your language study supported your interest in IR or IC or other courses, especially in terms of cross-cultural understanding?

Much less than expected

Less than expected

As expected

More than expected

Much more than expected

Not applicable

Section 4. REASONS FOR DISCONTINUING LANGUAGE STUDY

(Answer ONLY for the language that you specified in Q6)

Q72. How much freedom did you have in continuing to study this language and not another?

Not at all free

To some extent free

Totally free

Q73. Was there anything compelling or forcing you to study this language?

Yes

No

Uncertain

Q74. Please expand on the reasons for your answer in Q73. (e.g. family, religion, career track, degree only, etc.)

Q75. If you had had the choice of not studying a language, would you have chosen to study it anyway?

Yes

No

Uncertain

Q76. Please expand on the reasons for your answer in Q75.

Please indicate the importance of the following reasons in your decision not to continue studying the language this year:

Not at all important

Not very important

Of some importance

Very important

Extremely important

Not applicable

Q77. Health reasons.

Q78. Financial reasons.

Q79. I wasn’t satisfied with my progress.

Q80. My expectations were not being met.

Q81. I did not enjoy the course content.

Q82. I did not like the way the language was taught.

Q83. Class sizes were too big.

Q84. I found the course too difficult.

Q85. I found the workload too high.

Q86. Not enough class time was spent on speaking the language.

Q87. I did not get good marks/grades.

Q88. My friends also discontinued the language course.

Q89. People discouraged me from continuing language study.

Q90. I fell behind in my studies and couldn’t catch up.

Q91. Problems with daily travel.

Q92. Timetable clash.

Q93. Other study commitments.

Q94. Paid work commitments.

Q95. Family commitments.

Q96. I felt uncomfortable speaking the language in front of others.

Q97. I did not fit in with other students in the course.

Q98. It worried me that other students in the class seemed to speak better than I did.

Q99. I didn’t think I would get to use the language outside university.

Q100. I ceased all my studies.

Q101. Other reasons (please specify and rate them):

Q102. Would you consider studying a language again?

Yes

No

Q103. Which aspects of language study do you enjoy least?

Q104. Which aspects of language study do you enjoy most?

Q105. Is there anything that would have made you continue with your language studies?

Q106. Please explain your answer:

Q107. Is there anything else you would like to share about your experience of language study?

Section 5. THE NEXT STAGE OF THE PROJECT

Q108. Would you like to receive a copy of the survey report when it is available?

Yes

No

Q109. If yes, please insert your email address so that we can contact you:

Q110. Would you be available for a follow-up interview about your experiences of language study?

Yes

No

Q111. If yes, please insert your email address and telephone number so that we can contact you (if you already provided your email address in your previous answer, please write ‘as above’):

Email

Phone number

THANK YOU FOR TAKING YOUR TIME TO COMPLETE THIS QUESTIONNAIRE.

Please press the ‘Submit’ button only when you are satisfied with your responses, as you will not be able to change your answers once the survey has been submitted.