Is language utility enough? Behavioral predisposition as a proximal pathway to support for Mandarin policy in Ghana

Asante, Gabriel and Papp, Zsófia and Hou, Yongdan (2026) Is language utility enough? Behavioral predisposition as a proximal pathway to support for Mandarin policy in Ghana. CURRENT ISSUES IN LANGUAGE PLANNING. pp. 1-23. ISSN 1466-4208

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Abstract

Support for foreign-language policy increasingly intersects with perceptions of instrumental utility, attitudes towards the foreign-language community, and individual orientation toward language and cultural engagement. This study investigates how perceived utility relates to support for the inclusion of a foreign language in national education policy, focusing on Ghana’s 2025 proposal to introduce Mandarin into the Senior High School curriculum. Drawing on survey data from 434 respondents and Structural Equation Modeling, the study tests whether the relationship between foreign-language utility and policy support operates through positive attitudes and behavioral predispositions. The findings show that perceived utility is positively associated with both positive attitudes and behavioral predispositions. However, only behavioral predispositions are directly associated with policy support. Moreover, the direct relationship between utility and policy support becomes non-significant when the mediation effects are considered. These findings suggest that attitudes toward a foreign country are distal and weak predictors of policy support. Instead, foreign-language policy support is closely associated with individuals’ proximal action-oriented intentions to engage. The study contributes to language policy and planning by conceptualizing public support as a form of policy reception and highlighting the role of micro-level orientations in the relationship between perceived language utility and foreign-language policy support.

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