27, no. 2 (Winter 1996): 54-56

To the Editor

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Highlights of the MLA's Study of Foreign Language Enrollments through Time

USING data from periodic surveys of foreign language registrations in postsecondary institutions in the United States, the MLA recently created a database containing information on several institutional characteristics and foreign language registrations in individual colleges and universities in selected years (1970, 1974, 1980, 1986, and 1990). The database permits assessment of changes through time in registration levels and the percentage of institutions that offer various languages or language clusters. Trends within groups differing by source of funding, institutional type, institutional size, administrative arrangements for language programs, and the presence or absence of a language requirement can be traced as well.

Course Offerings and Registrations in Language Clusters

Change in Course Offerings

Throughout the 1970–90 period, almost all institutions offered at least one of the three most commonly taught languages (Spanish, French, and German).
The percentage of institutions offering one or more of the other commonly taught languages (defined here as Russian, Italian, Japanese, Chinese, Portuguese, and Arabic) grew by 27% between 1974 and 1990.
The classical languages (Latin, Greek, and Hebrew) became somewhat more widely offered during the 1974–90 period.
The percentage of institutions offering one or more of the less commonly taught languages remained largely unchanged between 1974 and 1990.

Change in Total and Average Registrations

Both total and average registrations in the most commonly taught languages decreased during the 1970s and increased during the 1980s.
Total registrations in other commonly taught languages decreased somewhat during the 1974–80 period; thereafter, they increased substantially. Average registrations began to increase in the late 1970s and continued to do so throughout the 1980s.
Registrations in the classical languages fell during the 1974–86 period and then increased somewhat between 1986 and 1990.
Registrations in the less commonly taught languages did not increase until the 1986—90 period, when they grew by 29%.

Percentage of Institutions Experiencing Enrollment Growth

The percentage of institutions whose enrollments in the most commonly taught languages grew increased from just under a quarter in the early 1970s to almost two-thirds during the late 1980s.
In other commonly taught languages, the percentage of institutions experiencing enrollment growth increased throughout the 1974–90 period; in the classical languages, the percentage increased during the 1980s only; and in the less commonly taught languages, the percentage decreased between the last half of the 1970s and the first half of the 1980s and increased between the early and late 1980s.

Differences by Institutional Type

Course in one or more of the most commonly taught languages are most universally offered at two- and four-year institutions. Other commonly taught and classical languages are considerably more frequently taught at four- than a two-year institutions, while classical and less commonly taught languages are infrequently offered at two- and four-year institutions.
Throughout the 1974–90 period, average registrations are consistently higher in four- than in two-year institutions for every language cluster, except the less commonly taught languages, in which average registrations do not differ significantly.
Both total and average undergraduate foreign language registrations increased steadily between 1974 and 1990 in two-year colleges. Among four-year institutions, both figures decreased during the last half of the 1970s and then increased throughout the 1980s.
The percentage of two- and four-year institutions experiencing increased undergraduate enrollments in foreign languages grew steadily during the 1974–90 period, especially at two-year colleges.

Subgroup Differences in Two-Year Colleges

Courses Offered and Average Registrations

Very large and large two-year colleges (i.e., those with more than 5,000 students) are more likely than colleges with smaller student bodies to offer French and German, other commonly taught languages, and classical languages.
Two-year colleges in the Pacific Coast states are more likely than those in other regions to offer French, German, other commonly taught languages, and less commonly taught languages and consistently have higher average registrations in all languages and language clusters considered.
For every language and language cluster considered, mean registrations increase as institutional size increases.

Changes through Time

The percentage of two-year colleges offering French and German has tended to decline during the 1970–90 period in all institutional size groups, In French, the decline has been greatest among small colleges, while all but the very large colleges registered substantial declines in German.
The percentage of two-year colleges offering other commonly taught languages during the 1974–90 period declined only for very small colleges; it grew substantially in large and very large colleges.
The percentage of institutions offering Japanese also grew substantially during the 1974–90 period among large and very large colleges and in the Rocky Mountain and Pacific Coast states.
During the 1974–90 period both absolute and relative growth in registrations in all languages, the most commonly taught languages, and other commonly taught languages is far greater in very large colleges than in smaller ones. In addition, average registrations in other commonly taught languages more than doubled in colleges in the Pacific Coast region, growing substantially more than in other geographic regions.

The Importance of the Pacific Coast Region

Average registrations and the percentage of two-year colleges offering each language or language cluster considered are consistently greater in colleges in the Pacific Coast region than in similar-sized colleges in other regions.
Growth in average registrations and the percentage of two-year colleges offering Japanese during the 1974–90 period is greater in Pacific Coast colleges than in smaller and large colleges in other regions.

Subgroup Differences in Four-Year Colleges

Courses Offered and Average Registrations

The percentage of institutions offering courses in the language clusters under study increases with institutional size.
Institutions housing foreign languages in larger administrative units are less likely than those with independent language units to offer French or German. Further, institutions with multiple language units are considerably more likely than those housing languages with other disciplines to offer Japanese, other commonly taught languages, and classical languages.
For every language grouping examined, average registrations in very large institutions are substantially larger than those in smaller institutions.
Average 1990 registrations in the most commonly taught languages were considerably larger in institutions with language requirements in 1987 than in institutions without language requirements.

Changes through Time

The percentage of institutions offering French and German has declined more strongly in institutions housing foreign languages within larger administrative units than in institutions with independent administrative units for languages.
The percentage of institutions offering other commonly taught languages grew fairly strongly during the 1980s in institutions with multilingual language programs and in those in which languages are part of larger administrative units.
The percentage of institutions offering other commonly taught languages grew substantially in small, medium-sized, and large institutions, while it grew modestly in very small and very large institutions. Between 1974 and 1990, the percentage of institutions offering Japanese grew consistently and substantially in all institutional size groups, with the greatest growth evident in large and very large institutions.
Between 1974 and 1986, the percentage of institutions offering less commonly taught languages declined in all size groups except institutions with fewer than 2,000 students; the percentage increased during the 1986–90 period, but not enough to compensate for the earlier losses.
Between 1974 and 1990, average undergraduate language registrations increased in institutions with more than 1,000 students but declined in very small institutions. Both absolute and relative growth is most marked in very large institutions.
In smaller institutions, average registrations in the most commonly taught languages declined between 1970 and 1974 and then held steady. In very large and large institutions, average registrations declined throughout the 1970s and then increased throughout the 1980s.
The absolute decline in average registrations in classical languages was greatest at very large institutions; the relative decline, however, was greatest at small and every small institutions.
Between 1974 and 1990, average registrations in other commonly taught languages grew strongly in very large institutions and moderately in smaller institutions. A similar pattern is evident for registrations in Japanese.
During the 1980s, average registrations in less commonly taught languages held fairly steady in very large and small institutions, decreased relatively sharply in medium-sized institutions, and grew just as sharply in large institutions.

Registrations per 1,000 Students

For registrations in all undergraduate language classes and other commonly taught languages, average registrations per 1,000 students are lowest in comprehensive institutions and highest in baccalaureate institutions. For the most commonly taught languages, classical languages, and less commonly taught languages, average registrations per 1,000 students are largest in baccalaureate institutions.
For registrations in all undergraduate classes, the most commonly taught languages, and other commonly taught languages, average registrations per 1,000 students are lowest in institutions where foreign languages are part of larger administrative units and highest in institutions with multiple language units.
Between 1986 and 1990, average registrations in less commonly taught languages decreased in small institutions and increased slightly in larger institutions, but small institutions continued to have the highest registrations per 1,000 students in 1990.

Characteristics of Institutions with Strong Language Programs

Four-year foreign language programs embedded in a larger administrative unit are considerably less likely than institutions with independent foreign language units to offer courses in the most commonly taught, other commonly taught, and classical languages. In addition, average registrations per 1,000 students were smallest in institutions housing foreign languages in larger administrative units and largest in institutions with multiple language units.
For all language grouping examined, baccalaureate institutions, 90% of which are small, have the largest average registrations per 1,000 students, consistently exceeding those for doctorate-granting institutions.
Very large, doctorate-granting institutions are more likely than smaller institutions to offer courses in classical, other commonly taught, and less commonly taught languages. In addition, registration levels in the four language clusters, and in all undergraduate and graduate classes combined, are substantially higher in very large than in smaller institutions.

ADFL Bulletin 27, no. 2 (Winter 1996): 54-56

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