Tackling accent bias in Higher Education could boost student success and wellbeing
The research found that accent-based stigmatisation is widespread and disproportionately affects working-class students from the north of England
Two of the Faculty’s researchers are calling on Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) to take urgent action against accent bias, which can lead to linguistic discrimination and affect students’ success, sense of belonging, and wellbeing.
Writing for the Higher Education Policy Institute (HEPI) blog, Dr Gisela Tomé Lourido, Associate Professor in Sociophonetics at the School of Languages, Cultures and Societies and Director of Language@Leeds, and Professor Julia Snell, Professor of Sociolinguistics at the School of English, highlight the profound impact of accent bias in UK Higher Education.
Their latest research, based on a survey of over 600 university students, found that accent-based stigmatisation is widespread and disproportionately affects working-class students from the north of England and students from minoritised ethnic backgrounds who did not grow up speaking English.
Students reported being mocked, miscategorised, and marginalised because of how they speak. Some felt pressure to change their accent in academic settings, or described avoiding classroom participation altogether – missing out on crucial opportunities for learning and confidence-building. For some students, these experiences also impacted their mental health and career aspirations, as they internalised negative stereotypes and ruled themselves out of future opportunities.
Dr Tomé Lourido and Professor Snell argue that HEIs must recognise the intersection of accent bias with other forms of discrimination and take action across policy, communications, training and support services.
Their four-point framework calls on universities to:
- Raise awareness of accent bias in collaboration with students and student unions
- Embed content on linguistic diversity and discrimination into Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) policies and staff/student training
- Provide clear support and reporting routes for linguistic discrimination
- Evaluate the effect of accent bias on student success, belonging and wellbeing.
By challenging harmful assumptions and creating a more linguistically inclusive environment, the authors argue, universities can play a leading role in reducing systemic inequalities and supporting all students to thrive.
The full blog is available on the HEPI website.
