Welsh, Sociolinguistics: Fully Funded PhD in Understanding and Supporting Adult Motivation to L[...]

Swansea University; United Kingdom; On-site; GBP 20,000; Full time

Job summary

A prominent UK university is seeking a First Stage Researcher with a PhD focus on adult Welsh learners' motivations. The successful candidate will evaluate existing motivational theories in a minority-language context. Essential qualifications include an ability to speak and write in Welsh, as well as a strong academic background with a 2.1 undergraduate degree and a merit-based master’s degree. This position offers funding for tuition and living expenses, with a focus on increasing Welsh language learner engagement.

Benefits

Funding for tuition fees

Annual stipend at UKRI rate

Additional research expenses of up to £500 per year

Qualifications

• PhD applicants must hold a 2.1 degree and a master's degree with minimum 'Merit' grade.
• Consideration for first class honours degrees on individual basis.

Responsibilities

• Develop a systematic understanding of adult Welsh learners’ motivations.
• Evaluate the applicability of motivational theories for Welsh language context.

Skills

Ability to speak and write in Welsh

Education

Undergraduate degree at 2.1 level

Master’s degree with a minimum grade at ‘Merit’

Job description

Organisation/Company Swansea University Department Central Research Field Other Researcher Profile First Stage Researcher (R1) Positions PhD Positions Country United Kingdom Application Deadline 12 Jan 2026 - 23:59 (Europe/London) Type of Contract Temporary Job Status Full-time Hours Per Week 35 Offer Starting Date 1 Oct 2026 Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme? Not funded by a EU programme Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure? No

Offer Description

Although large numbers of adults attend Welsh for Adults classes nationally, statistics from 2019–2024 show that only around 26% progress beyond Entry level (CEFR A1; National Centre for Learning Welsh, 2025). Increasing these progression rates is a key aim of the Welsh Government’s strategy to reach one million speakers by 2050 (Welsh Government, 2017; 2025). Achieving this requires a deeper understanding of learners’ changing motivations, and ensuring that Welsh tutors draw on current evidence to sustain learner engagement over time.

Motivation is a major factor in second language acquisition (Yousefi & Mahmoodi, 2022). The L2 Motivational Self System (L2MSS; Dörnyei, 2005) is widely used to explain variation in learners’ motivation. However, questions have been raised about its suitability for languages other than English and for minority-language contexts (Dörnyei & Al-Hoorie, 2017; Zhu, 2019). There is very limited research on the motivations of adult Welsh learners, and no studies have yet applied the L2MSS to Welsh. This project will address this gap by developing a systematic understanding of adult Welsh learners’ motivations and evaluating the suitability of contemporary motivational theories for a minority indigenous language context.

Please note that the ability to speak and write in Welsh is essential.

Note for international and European applicants: details of how your qualification compares to the published academic entry requirements can be found on our Country Specific Entry Requirements page.

Specific Requirements

Please note that the ability to speak and write in Welsh is essential.

PhD: Applicants for PhD must hold an undergraduate degree at 2.1 level and a master’s degree with a minimum overall grade at ‘Merit’. Alternatively, applicants with a UK first class honours degree (or non-UK equivalent as defined by Swansea University) not holding a master’s degree, will be considered on an individual basis.

Additional Information

This scholarship is funded jointly by Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol and Swansea University's Postgraduate Research Office through its central equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) funding for three years and commences in September 2026.

This scholarship covers the full cost of tuition fees and an annual stipend at UKRI rate (currently £19,237 for 2024/25).

Additional research expenses of up to £500 per year will also be available.

Eligibility criteria

Please note that the ability to speak and write in Welsh is essential.

PhD: Applicants for PhD must hold an undergraduate degree at 2.1 level and a master’s degree with a minimum overall grade at ‘Merit’. Alternatively, applicants with a UK first class honours degree (or non-UK equivalent as defined by Swansea University) not holding a master’s degree, will be considered on an individual basis.

Selection process

Please see our website for further information.