ERIC Number: EJ1193026
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2018-Oct
Pages: 19
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-2191-611X
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
Making Languages Marketable: An Analysis of a Promotional Brochure for Prospective Students in an Australian Tertiary Institution
Amorati, Riccardo
Language Learning in Higher Education, v8 n2 p313-331 Oct 2018
Given the implicit disincentive that the native knowledge of a global language poses to the learning of other languages, improvement in student recruitment in language studies is a key priority for educational institutions in English-speaking countries. This paper explores how a major Australian tertiary institution markets five European languages, by focusing on which characteristics of L2 learning are incorporated in the persuasive discourse of a university brochure and on how these are reflective, more or less deliberately, both of L2 motivation theories and of marketing strategies in higher education. It shows that the brochure creates future L2 visions for prospective students through the description of the cultural and instrumental benefits associated with L2 proficiency, and details how to turn this L2 vision into action, by providing a glimpse into L2 learning experiences and by presenting the University as a reputable and trustworthy institution. The study offers a multifaceted theoretical framework which can be utilised in future investigations on a bigger sample of universities and suggests that re-thinking marketing material for language learning in terms of the creation and operationalisation of future L2 Selves could be a fruitful avenue of research with significant implications for student recruitment.
Descriptors: College Students, Language Proficiency, Second Language Learning, Second Language Instruction, Learning Motivation, Learning Experience, Marketing, Higher Education, Student Recruitment, Printed Materials, Educational Benefits, Reputation, Institutional Characteristics, Guidelines, Self Concept, Foreign Countries
De Gruyter Mouton. Available from: Walter de Gruyter, Inc. 121 High Street, Third Floor, Boston, MA 02110. Tel: 857-284-7073; Fax: 857-284-7358; e-mail: service@degruyter.com; Web site: http://www.degruyter.com
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Australia
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A