Understanding low outcomes in English language education in Austrian middle schools: the role of teachers’ beliefs and practices

Figures & data

Figure 1. Percentages of students from a migration background according to the BIFIE definition and students who are LX German users in middle school, academic secondary schools and averaged across school types (adapted from BIFIE 2020a).

Table 1. Rounded percentages of students in Austria with CEFR-level B1 or above in English in all, two, one or none of the areas of competence (BIFIE 2020a, 75).

School type	All	Two	One	None	Total
middle school	27%	3%	23%	48%	101%
academic secondary schools	69%	2%	21%	8%	100%
all	42%	2%	22%	33%	99%

Table 2. Teachers’ (n = 56) estimates of the percentage of their students who are German LX users by area. Numbers represent numbers of teachers, with select percentages in parentheses

	10% or less	Roughly 25%	Roughly 50%	Roughly 75%	90% or more	Total
rural	18	1	0	0	2	21 (37.5%)
sub-urban	3	7	0	0	0	10 (17.9%)
urban	8	4	2	7	4	25 (44.6%)
total	29 (51.8%)	12 (21.4%)	2 (3.6%)	7 (12.5%)	6 (10.7%)	56 (100%)

Table 3. Teachers’ (n = 56) beliefs about their students’ English language learning. Numbers represent numbers of teachers, with percentages in parentheses.

Statement	True for … of my students
	All	Most	About half	Some	None
My students are achieving the learning outcomes in English that they should at their level of schooling.	1 (1.8%)	16 (28.6%)	27 (48.2%)	12 (21.4%)	0 (0.0%)
My students are good language learners.	0 (0.0%)	8 (14.3%)	30 (53.6%)	17 (30.4%)	1 (1.8%)
My students like English.	2 (3.6%)	32 (57.1%)	17 (30.4%)	5 (8.9%)	0 (0.0%)
My students are motivated to learn English.	2 (3.6%)	20 (35.7%)	29 (51.8%)	5 (8.9%)	0 (0.0%)
My students regularly use English outside of the classroom.	0 (0.0%)	4 (7.1%)	7 (12.5%)	36 (64.3%)	9 (16.1%)
My students engage in hobbies and extracurricular activities in which English is used.	1 (1.8%)	2 (3.6%)	6 (10.7%)	31 (55.4%)	16 (28.6%)
My students regularly use English for travelling and holidays.	1 (1.8%)	2 (3.6%)	10 (17.9%)	34 (60.7%)	9 (16.1%)

Table 4. Teachers’ (n = 56) agreement with statements relating to their students’ English language learning and their own teaching practices. Numbers represent numbers of teachers, with percentages in parentheses.

Statement	Strongly agree	Agree	Neither agree nor disagree	Disagree	Strongly disagree
Learning English helps my students develop a better sense of language in general.	27 (48.2%)	25 (44.6%)	4 (7.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)
Learning English supports learning German for my students with German as a second language.	3 (5.4%)	24 (42.9%)	24 (42.9%)	4 (8.9%)	0 (0.0%)
I regularly use German in the English language classroom.	2 (3.6%)	17 (30.4%)	13 (23.2%)	20 (35.7%)	4 (8.9%)
I encourage students to use their first language in the classroom.	1 (1.8%)	9 (16.1%)	22 (39.3%)	21 (37.5%)	3 (5.4%)

BIFIE. 2020a. Standardüberprüfung 2019. Englisch, 8. Schulstufe Bundesergebnisbericht. Salzburg. https://www.bifie.at/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/BiSt_UE_E8_2019_Bundesergebnisbericht.pdf.

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