“Espanish” English: The Complexities of Learning English in Spain (Part II)

Girl studying English.

Versión en español

Serie: 'Bites of wisdom' (XIV)

After considering the challenges Spaniards face in learning English in Part 1 of this blog entry, it's worth asking: Is the goal of English education in Spain realistic, or does it need to be redefined? If English remains a foreign language rather than a second language for most Spaniards, should expectations and teaching approaches shift accordingly? And finally: How can English be integrated more effectively into Spain's linguistic and cultural reality?

To start with, we must consider that for many people in Spain English is the third most spoken, appreciated or influential language, potentially making it even more of a burden on the learner (trilingualism!). The English-learning situation, therefore, is certainly not entirely (or even mostly) the fault of the learner in these cases, particularly the learner who is actually interested and motivated to learn and study English. For a fantastic, comprehensive look at English in Spain, please look at this recent research article.

Let's be pragmatic: if a 'native'-sounding accent is what you're after with your English or what's holding you back: forget about it. Accent reduction is hard, specialized work, and the payoff might not be worth the effort in the end. Besides, you simply might not need it. I always remind my students that (mis)pronunciation is most important when it hinders communication. Beyond this, unfortunately, there is a great deal of bias around the idea of the superiority and prestige of the 'native accent' and emulating the 'native' English speaker in general - a concept that has been coined 'native speakerism'. I must admit that as a native-speaking English teacher myself, this subjectivity makes me feel uncomfortable; nonetheless, I also feel compelled to respond to it.

The Role of Teachers (Native AND Non-Native)

Because achieving a 'native-like' level of English is a fallacy and an unobtainable target for most, it is equally fallible to think that only native teachers of English will help learners achieve the best results. Being a native speaker alone does not make anyone a better teacher. If I was giving an oral presentation, I would slowly and forcefully repeat that statement. Over the course of my twenty-year career, I have had the pleasure of teaching alongside native and non-native English teachers from every region of the world. Everyone is different based on their L1 (first language) and culture, their personalities and upbringing, their age, their gender, their race and ethnicity, their unique skills, interests and knowledge, and of course their relationship or connection to the language and culture of their students. There are great teachers of all types and there are poorer ones, motivated ones and lazy ones, creative types and traditional types. The differences in teaching styles are compounded by the different types of learners and preferences from students, making it even more difficult to truly ascertain what the best technique is for imparting English.

Perhaps the variety of different options available might garner the best results in our multifaceted modern world. Non-native teachers might boast increased insight into translation from the L1 to the target language as well as explanation of grammar compared to native teachers. Native teachers, who may not have as much awareness or expertise with their students' L1, and the grammatical transfer required to learn English, might have an edge in communicative teaching, with a focus on pronunciation and vocabulary that aims at meaning over structure. A combination of these two generalized 'styles' or 'techniques' may be the best-rounded possibility to allow learners a genuine opportunity to communicate and learn with non-native and native speakers of English alike.

This is not unlike the approach of the Education Office of the Embassy of Spain's Language and Culture Assistants Program, which places young native-speaking language assistants in Spanish classrooms, working alongside non-native speaking teachers. Yours truly (that would be me) served in this program for three years once upon a time when I had a full head of hair on my head and I wrote a travel blog about the experience!  It's now my own children who get to experience having their English lessons delightfully interrupted by these 'auxiliares', and it blows their minds that their 'old guy' dad used to be one of them.

Bilingual Education

While my journey seems to have come full circle in a way, my mission, as well as Spain's mission, is to continue to train and prepare students for the plurilingual contexts of a globalized, connected world. Spain's Ministry of Education seems fully committed to its bilingual education program (BEP) that has been operational and in cooperation with the British Council since 1996. Bilingual education in Spain often employs the Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) methodology. This approach involves teaching non-linguistic subjects, such as science or history, in a foreign language—and in Spain this is almost exclusively English. The goal is to enhance students' foreign language proficiency while they learn subject content.

Bilingual class.

As a parent and language teacher, I am deeply interested in the topic of bilingual education, though the common critique I have heard aimed at the practice is that though it may enhance English proficiency, it may also have a negative impact on the subject taught in English. In other words, subject knowledge is sacrificed for proficiency in English, which is definitely not ideal for someone learning English as a FOREIGN language. Some studies are unfortunately showing this to be true.

In spite of this, today bilingual education in Spain is wide ranging and shows no signs of slowing down. In fact, bilingual education and CLIL for younger learners in compulsory education eventually gives way to English Medium Instruction (EMI) for adult learners in tertiary education. However, is the current implementation of these programs doing enough to balance language immersion, effective teaching methodologies, and the realities of Spain's linguistic environment? Could these programs better integrate the strengths of both native and non-native teachers, creating a bridge between grammatical precision and communicative fluency?

Luckily, researchers realize that this rapid change in methodology due to the politics of language needs further analysis, and the number of studies examining these issues is beginning to grow (Bilingual education in Spain: A critical look at current trends /  English-medium instruction in Spanish universities: A systematic review). Perhaps the question everyone should be asking isn't whether bilingual education can succeed in Spain, but rather how it can evolve to reflect the country's unique linguistic and cultural context. For now, the answer remains a work in progress, much like language learning itself.

Bibliography

Anghel, B., Cabrales, A., & Carro, J. M. (2016). Evaluating a bilingual education program in Spain: The impact beyond foreign language learning. Economic Inquiry, 54(2), 1202–1223. 

British Council. (n.d.). Bilingual education programme in Spain. Retrieved February 20, 2025.

Fernández-Costales, A., & Lasagabaster Herrarte, D. (2024). English-medium instruction in Spanish universities: A systematic review. Revista de Educación, 403, 249–276. 

Kohler, B. (n.d.). Benny in Spain: My experience as a language assistant. Benny in Spain. Retrieved February 20, 2025.

Llurda, E., & Mocanu, V. (2024). English in Spain: Education, attitudes and native-speakerism. World Englishes, 43, 315–331. 

Ministry of Education and Vocational Training of Spain. (n.d.). North American language and culture assistants program (NALCAP). Retrieved February 20, 2025.

Otto, A., Rascón-Moreno, D., Alcalde-Peñalver, E., & García-Laborda, J. (2024). Presentation: Bilingual education in Spain: A critical look at current trends. Revista de Educación, 403, 1–8. 

Wikipedia contributors. (n.d.). Accent reduction. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved February 20, 2025, from 

Wikipedia contributors. (n.d.). Content and language integrated learning. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved February 20, 2025.

Wikipedia contributors. (n.d.). English-medium education. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved February 20, 2025.

Wikipedia contributors. (n.d.). Native-speakerism. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved February 20, 2025.

Editor: Universidad Isabel I

ISSN  3020-321X

Burgos, España