New publication: "Pursuing a degree in Modern Languages"

Politics and Identities in Language Teaching and Learning (Hachette, 2026) explores the political, institutional and professional factors that shape language education in higher education. Using the UK as a case study, it examines how language policies and strategies influence teaching, learning and the future of Modern Languages as a discipline. Bringing together critical and practice-oriented perspectives, the volume aims to foster informed debate and promote innovative approaches to language teaching and learning.

The volume includes a chapter by Maria Garcia-Florenciano and Simone Lomartire on pursuing a degree in languages. The chapter analyses the language learning narratives of five students who recently completed the final year of a BA (Hons) Languages degree. Participants reflect on events, experiences and interactions that have been instrumental in developing and maintaining an interest in language learning before and during their university experience. Narrative interview data in the form of accounts of language learning help illustrate the varied ways in which context contributes to shaping students’ motivation. The main aim is to examine how interest in language learning relates to self and identity, what goals and future images of themselves may drive students to learn languages at university, and whether their expectations are normally met. Concurrently, the chapter investigates how students’ experiences at the tertiary level and their engagement in additional learning activities and interactions may contribute to the construction of a bilingual/multilingual identity.