| OCR Text |
Show A Survey of Foreign Language Teaching . 93 In comparing Utah with the United States as a whole and the Northwestern States, which would include Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming, on a per centage basis, this study showed that Utah was far behind the other two regions. A study of the more recent period showed that one or more foreign languages were taught in only thirty-six of the seventy-five high schools of the State, and in only twenty-eight of the forty School Districts of the State at any time during the period 1939 to 1945. This means that the pupils in only 48 per cent of the high schools, and in only 70 per cent of the School Districts of the State had any 'Opportunity to become acquainted with a foreign language. In 1939 foreign language was taught in twenty-one seventeen; in 1944 in twenty-one: and in 1945 in twenty-six. In other words, the pupils of fewer than twenty of the seventy-five high schools of the State had the op portunity to study a foreign language during most years of the period under consideration. On the average Latin was offered in only six schools, French in seven schools, German in five schools, and Spanish in fifteen schools. In making a comparison of foreign language students to the total enrollment over the period 19391945, we find a decrease in the total number of students in all high schools. This was also true of foreign language students. The enrollment of for eign language students dropped from 2,156 in 1939 to 1434 in 1942, and even lower in 1944 when the enrollment reached the low point of 1,370 students. This drop might be at least partly accounted for by the increased enrollment in science and mathe matics. Expressed in percentages, there was a decrease from 6.13 per cent in 1939 to 4.21 per cent of the total enrollment of all high schools in 1945.' In comparing the enrollment in foreign languages with the enrollment of schools offering foreign lan guage, it was found that in 1939 it was 12.59 per cent ,and in 1944 it had dropped to 8.7 per cent. In 1945 -46 the foreign language enrollment was the largest since 1939. From an analysis of the foreign language situation in 194546, we find that 958 students were enrolled in Spanish, or 2.86 per cent of the total high school enrollment; 325 students in Latin, or .97 per cent; 253 students in French, or :75 per cent; 249 students in Germon, or .74 per cent of the total high school enrollment. It was interesting to note the foreign language enrollment according to the size of the schools. All schools with an enroll ment of over 'One thousand offered foreign language. Only three of the five schools with an enrollment between seven hundred and Of' eight schools enrolling one thousand offered foreign language. between five hundred and seven hundred, only four offered foreign schools; in 1940 in |