2012 Survey AnalysisHarvard College Students

July 2012

The Survey

Comprised of sixteen questions including: “Are you fluent, conversational, or proficient in more than one language?”

“What helped you become proficient?”

The survey aimed to discern the respondent's levels of linguistic and cultural exposure. *

* See appendix for exact survey format

The Sample

The survey was primarily distributed among Harvard College class of 2014 and 2015 students.

The following is analysis of the thirty responses.

English83%

Other17%

Sample Primary Languages

Others: Spanish, Hindi, Armenian, Telugu, Polish

Several33%

Single67%

Number of Education Systems

Multilingual87%

Monolingual13%

Multilingualism

Averages

87 % of respondents were proficient in at least one language other than English.

The survey’s respondents were proficient in an average of 2.6 languages each.

Non-English, Second Language Choices

Interest36%

Strategic20%

Family/Heritage44%

Reason for Learning a Second Language

At home31%

At school50%

Other19%

Introduction to Second Language

Other: Generally self-driven motivation, influence of friends

Media20%

School16%

Family40%

Study Abroad24%

Method to Achieving Proficiency

Appendix: The SurveyHow old are you? *

What nationality are you? * What country are you a citizen of?

What ethnicity do you identify with? This can be the same as above.

In what city were you born? *

In what city were you raised? *

Where do you currently reside? *

What is your first language? *

What is your native tongue, the language you are most comfortable speaking in?

Are you fluent, conversational, or proficient in more than one language? * If not, skip to question 14.

If so, what is your second language?

How did you learn this language?

Why did you choose to learn this language?

What helped you become proficient? For example, did you do an immersion program? Watch TV in that language? Speak to relatives?

Please list other languages you can speak and write.

What are your parents'/guardians' native tongues? *

What are your parents'/guardians' nationalities? *

What language did you speak at home while growing up? *

If you are married or in a civil union, what is your partner's native language?

What are the nationalities and language backgrounds of your close friends? *

Where did you go to school (pre-college)? * Please list the locations and names of the schools you attended.

Did you switch school systems or districts? If so, please list when and where you switched.

Where did you attend college and graduate school, if you did?

If you switched education systems, what did you find the most challenging? Switching education systems would be, for example, elementary school in the United States and middle school in Europe or Japan. Switching districts or moving across states that are subject to the same type of education system (e.g. American, British, Indian) does not count.

If you have graduated from college, please briefly list your professional positions and cities of residence since then.

What were some positives about your education?

What were some issues regarding your education?

What were some turning points in your acquisition of self-confidence, if any?