What mothers think about learning English

I asked mothers why they're learning English and what it means to them. The results are very interesting...

First of all nearly everyone agreed that speaking was the skill they wanted to improve the most, 69% said this, with pronunciation and vocabulary in second place. Everyone agreed that English was important or could be important for their job, or a job they'd like to do.

However the biggest problem for mothers is having no one to talk to, while a lack of confidence and having time to spend on English were also common problems. A lot of mothers have mixed feelings about speaking English for example one person said:  "I like speaking English. I just feel anxious frequently as I don’t find the perfect wording in a specific situation."

The mums said that being a fluent English speaker would mean they can get a better job, speak without hesitation, communicate better, and achieve their dreams.

Most of the mothers said they tried to use English with their children. But mothers' biggest worry about their children's English education at school is that there is not enough of it, and that their pronunciation would be bad. Most of the mothers were confident to help their children with homework, but one third of people said they only sometimes felt confident helping with speaking and pronunciation. 

All of the mothers were keen for their children to become fluent and confident in English, for their future, especially in education and jobs.

If you'd like to contribute to the research, please answer the questionnaire here

While all the mothers encourage their children to learn English it's clear that we mums don't have a lot of time for ourselves, as most said they were not active members of any groups.

Thank you so much to everyone who answered my questions. I'm really certain that Mums' English Circle can help mothers become more confident with their own English. We meet in small, friendly groups online 6 times a week. Member Wirda said "it's my weekly mood booster!"

Mums' English Circle gives you a group of people to speak to in English everyday. We chat about all sorts of topics from education to festivals, food and politics and much more! Even if you think you've forgotten a lot of English when you join our meetings you'll soon be chatting freely too. 

"I hadn't spoken English for ages before joining MEC. I was so nervous if there should be any mistakes which I may make at the beginning of MEC... I overcame my nervousness and shyness and feel like talking more with lots of fun every meeting." says member Maki.

You can find out more details about Mums' English Circle here