Professor Zhu Hua

Professor of Language Learning and Intercultural Communication

International Centre for Intercultural Studies, IOE, University College London

Keynote Speaker

Bio

Zhu Hua is Professor of Language Learning and Intercultural Communication, Director of International Centre for Intercultural Studies at the Institute of Education, University College London (UCL), UK. She is an elected Fellow of Academia Europaea, Academy of Social Sciences, UK and the International Academy for Intercultural Research. She is Chair of British Association for Applied Linguistics (BAAL) 2021-2024. Her main research interests span across multilingual and intercultural communication and child language.

Keynote Speech Title

Rethinking Languages in Schools: Complexity, Context and Collaboration

Speech Abstract

The national conversation about languages education in England is often framed as a ‘crisis’, with declining uptake and attainment and concerns about long-term future of language learning. Yet some schools are bucking this trend: languages are not simply surviving but thriving. What makes the difference?

Drawing on research with over 100 secondary schools including 2 enhanced case studies, this talk explores the complex interplay of factors shaping languages education in different school contexts. I explore how leadership vision, teacher recruitment and retention, parental engagement, pupil motivation, and accountability pressures interact to shape the reality of language learning in these schools.

Seeing schools as complex, adaptive systems offers a different way of understanding both challenges and possibilities. Rather than looking for one-size-fits-all approaches, we can develop more context-sensitive strategies that build on what schools already do well and response to their particular circumstances. Collaboration between schools and with higher education institutions will be a key to building stronger, more sustainable language provision.

This talk will challenge us all to shift the narrative from ‘crisis’ to complexity, context and collaboration. We can focus on addressing contextualised national priorities and celebrating success where language learning is flourishing.