Economic strain and foreign language attainment: A Polish perspective

Abstract

Foreign language learning is not only a personal endeavor, but also an activity that takes place within a social support system. In times of economic crisis adverse economic conditions handicap parents’ educational investments. For this reason a student’s development of foreign language skills, limited to the school context, may suffer. This study sheds more light on the experience and effect of economic strain in Polish secondary grammar school students who learn English as a foreign language. The results corroborate studies in the field and demonstrate that high achievers have low perceptions of economic strain.