Does Welsh-medium education affect aspirations?

What is the impact of Welsh-medium education on the aspirations of young people in the south Wales valleys?

Dr Siôn Llewelyn Jones, from Cardiff University’s School of Social Sciences, will examine this question in a talk at the Cardiff University tent at the National Eisteddfod on Monday 6 August (15:00).

He said: “There is an assumption that Welsh-medium schools in south-east Wales are highly successful educational institutions.

“However, there has been little research which has examined how these schools may influence young people's ambitions for the future.

“One of the findings of this research was that there were differences between the aspirations of young people who attended the Welsh-medium school and the English-medium school.

“I will be discussing to what degree attending a Welsh-medium or an English-medium school influences young people’s aspirations.”

Dr Jones’s presentation is based on the findings of research he carried out into the aspirations of pupils in the last year of compulsory education (year 11).

He added: “In addition, it is important to explore the impact Welsh-medium education may have on the aspirations of young people because the Welsh Government aims to expand Welsh-medium education as part of its strategy to increase the number of Welsh speakers to one million by 2050.”

Schools have been identified by the Welsh Government as the key to the success of reaching the target.

The 2018 National Eisteddfod takes place in Cardiff from 3-11 August.