The Catalan Ministry of Language Policy and the University of Barcelona present a study on dropout rates and continuity in CPNL Catalan language courses
Today, the University of Barcelona, the Catalan Ministry of Language Policy, the Consortium for Language Normalization (CPNL) and the Coordinator of Associations for the Catalan Language (CAL) presented the results of an econometric analysis study on the abandonment and continuity of Catalan language courses. The study was carried out as part of a collaborative research project with the support of the School of Public Administration of Catalonia, led by Antonio Di Paolo, professor at the UB’s Faculty of Economics and Business, and with the participation of Vanessa Bretxa, Director General of Access to Knowledge and Promotion of the Use of Catalan; Albert Fabà; Jordi Lleras; David Moriña; Anna Torrijos, and Leire Unamuno.
Today, the University of Barcelona, the Catalan Ministry of Language Policy, the Consortium for Language Normalization (CPNL) and the Coordinator of Associations for the Catalan Language (CAL) presented the results of an econometric analysis study on the abandonment and continuity of Catalan language courses. The study was carried out as part of a collaborative research project with the support of the School of Public Administration of Catalonia, led by Antonio Di Paolo, professor at the UB’s Faculty of Economics and Business, and with the participation of Vanessa Bretxa, Director General of Access to Knowledge and Promotion of the Use of Catalan; Albert Fabà; Jordi Lleras; David Moriña; Anna Torrijos, and Leire Unamuno.
The study analyses administrative data from CPNL courses for the period 2010-2019 from a longitudinal perspective. During this period, 669,114 enrolments were recorded, corresponding to 332,696 individuals, enabling a systematic analysis of students’ educational trajectories over time and an in-depth examination of patterns of continuity and dropout.
The project highlights collaborative research between universities and public institutions as a tool for generating useful knowledge that can be transferred into action. The combination of methodological rigour and institutional experience has made it possible, for the first time, to use a comprehensive CPNL database and advance a culture of evidence-based decision-making.
and Business
The data show that approximately 8% of those enrolled during the 2010-2019 period did not start the course, while 15.4% dropped out once they had started. In this regard, clear differences were detected between levels: dropout or discontinuity rates were higher in introductory and basic courses, while elementary and intermediate courses showed clear stabilization and dropout rates in advanced courses were low. The analysis confirms that these behaviours were not due to a single factor, but rather to a combination of elements related both to the personal trajectories of the students and to the characteristics of the training offer.
The study also finds that most of the CPNL’s offerings have gradually become concentrated in 45-hour quarterly courses, which are the most common throughout the period analysed. This format strikes a good overall balance between reducing dropout rates and promoting continuity, especially when compared to longer courses. The study also found that the initial and basic levels attract a very high number of students and play a key role in shaping learning pathways.
In this context, the study includes a set of recommendations aimed at strengthening support for students, especially at the initial levels, and continuing to adjust the training offer based on the available evidence. The document also highlights the important role of teachers in reducing dropout rates and the importance of continuing to invest in training and opportunities for professional exchange.
Moving in the right direction
The study confirms that many of the guidelines derived from it are already part of the lines of work that the CPNL has been promoting for years. Among other actions, it highlights the commitment to a mainly quarterly 45-hour programme, the roll-out of the new 90-hour A1 course aimed at profiles with greater support needs, coordination with organizations and municipalities to expand and make the programme more flexible, the promotion of non-formal training and sustained investment in teacher and technical team training.
The project also highlights the importance of making progress in improving information systems. In this regard, a new registration platform will enable more comprehensive data to be collected and will facilitate more systematic monitoring of training pathways in the future, in line with the lessons learned from the project.
With this study, the promoting institutions reinforce a culture of evaluation and evidence in public language training policies. The database constructed and the analysis routines developed will make it possible to replicate the study in the future and incorporate new variables. They will also broaden the focus to other training modalities, consolidating a way of working geared towards the continuous improvement of public service and the quality of Catalan language courses on offer.