Exploring language attitudes in a German-English bilingual school in Australia - a case study with a mixed methods approach

This thesis explores language attitudes in a German-English bilingual school in Australia. Bayswater South Primary School has been selected for this case study, which investigates language attitudes as a reciprocal societal and an individual phenomenon through a survey of students’, teachers’ and parents’ language attitudes within and outside of their school environment. The insights gained from a mixed methods approach to qualitative and quantitative data are used to evaluate participants’ responses within the school’s strategies and policies to support language teaching and learning, as well as an environment that enhances positive attitudes towards the German language. The thesis also explores how these insights could inform the broader context of ‘foreign’ language education in Australia, including against the background of what has been referred to as Australia’s “monolingual mindset”. This study’s findings indicate that the school’s strategies for promoting and fostering affective aspects of language education and instilling an awareness of the benefits of bilingual education are pivotal for creating the survey participants’ positive language attitudes or rectifying negative ones. Equally important for the same purpose are the school’s strategies of encouraging and cultivating community involvement and engendering recurring attitudinal investigations to support a continuous cycle of trial, evaluation, adjustment and refinement. These strategies support the cycle of positive reinforcement between the participants’ favourable language attitudes and the school’s positive bilingual learning environment. The insights gained from my study can ultimately inform decision-making processes about language policy and practice in other Australian schools. Bayswater South Primary School can function as a role model for schools, which would like to implement a bilingual program or existing bilingual schools that seek guidance for high quality bilingual education.