European Journal of Foreign Language Teaching ISSN: 2537 - 1754 ISSN-L: 2537 - 1754 Available on-line at: www.oapub.org/edu doi: 10.5281/zenodo.1119077 Volume 2 │ Issue 3 │ 2017 MULTILINGUALISM AS A MEANS OF PROMOTING EQUALITY OF EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITY: EVIDENCE FROM THREE EUROPEAN UNION COUNTRIES Iakovos Tsiplakidesi Abstract Multilingualism lies at the heart of educational policies adopted in most European Union countries. Knowledge of foreign languages now forms a significant part of the agenda concerning equality of educational opportunity. These policies are based on the premise that foreign languages help individuals in their professional and private life, combating poverty and social exclusion. In this paper, we present the education policies in relation to foreign languages in three European Union countries, Germany, Spain and Greece in order to examine whether they have been influenced by the equality agenda. We also present the results of a research study the aim of which was to investigate lower secondary education students’ views and attitudes toward the teaching of foreign languages. Students seem to accept the official rhetoric regarding the beneficial outcomes of foreign languages. We conclude that multilingualism can contribute to the reduction of social class inequalities, as they can offer to all students, regardless of socioeconomic background, the opportunity to overcome obstacles and succeed in the education and employment field. Keywords: equality of educational opportunity, foreign languages, social class inequalities 1. Introduction In the last decades European societies are faced with fast changes as a result of the process of globalization, the shift from industrial to post-industrial ”rown et al, , p.1), technological innovation and an ageing population (Commission of the European Communities, 2008). A significant development concerns the fact that people move Copyright © The Author(s). All Rights Reserved. © 2015 – 2017 Open Access Publishing Group 131 Iakovos Tsiplakides MULTILINGUALISM AS A MEANS TO PROMOTING EQUALITY OF EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITY: EVIDENCE FROM THREE EUROPEAN UNION COUNTRIES more within the European Union, while a growing number of people live and work in a country other than the one in which they were born and raised, making European more international and more multilingual Commission of the European Communities, :5 . The process of globalization itself is important in shaping education. Globalization has a deep impact, since it is considered to blur national boundaries, shifting solidarities within and between nation-states, and deeply affecting the constitutions of national and interest group identities Torres and “ntikainen, , p.5 . In order to deal with these challenges, and to encourage communication among people with different cultures, in recent years, as part of its social agenda, European Union policies have been aiming to increase the level of education provided, since it is considered as a safeguard against poverty and social exclusion (European Council of Barcelona, 2002). Education is also associated with future economic growth (Drucker, 1993). Educational credentials are associated with increased opportunities for better paid jobs (Brown, 2003). It is now officially recognized that the education systems that are more productive are those that place an equal emphasis on equality and quality (OECD, 2012). It is worth mentioning that sociologists of education define equality in terms of the following components: equality of access to education for people from less advantaged socioeconomic backgrounds, equality in relation to participation rates, as well as equality of outcome, which refers to educational achievements of people from marginalized groups (Lynch, 2000, p.93). Similarly, educational systems that promote equality of opportunity are those that make certain that students’ educational outcomes are dependent on students’ the abilities and efforts, rather than the level of familial financial capital (Brown, 1990). Thus, recognizing the need for knowledge of foreign languages, in 2002 the European Council urged European Union member states to promote mastery of foreign languages for their citizens. More specifically, member states are urged to take measure in order to improve the mastery of basic skills, in particular by teaching at least two foreign languages from a very early age: establishment of a linguistic competence indicator in 2003; development of digital literacy: generalisation of an Internet and computer user’s certificate for secondary school pupils European Council of Barcelona, 2002, p.19). An important aspect of the agenda concerning foreign languages concerns the fact that knowledge of foreign languages is closely linked to efforts within the European Union to create more inclusive societies characterized by social cohesion. In this framework, mastery of foreign languages is linked to the decrease of social inequalities. “ccording to the Council of the European Union the knowledge of languages is one of the basic skills which each citizen needs to acquire in order to take part effectively in the European knowledge society and therefore facilitates both integration into society and social cohesion European Journal of Foreign Language Teaching - Volume 2 │ Issue 3 │ 2017 132 Iakovos Tsiplakides MULTILINGUALISM AS A MEANS TO PROMOTING EQUALITY OF EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITY: EVIDENCE FROM THREE EUROPEAN UNION COUNTRIES (Official Journal of the European Communities, 2002, p.2). In the same document, it is emphasized that knowledge of languages facilitates education and professional mobility, as well as mobility for cultural and personal reasons Official Journal of the European Communities, 2002, p.2). In other official European Union documents mastery of foreign languages and multilingualism are seen as having an impact on multiple domains, since it is stated that multilingualism is a major cross-cutting theme encompassing the social, cultural, economic and therefore educational spheres (Official Journal of the European Union, 2008a, p.1). For viewing / downloading the full article, please access the following link: https://oapub.org/edu/index.php/ejfl/article/view/1295 European Journal of Foreign Language Teaching - Volume 2 │ Issue 3 │ 2017 133