Exploring teacher views of multi-level language classes in New Zealand secondary schools

•Explores teacher views of multi-level teaching in the language classroom.•Teachers feel multi-level classes devalue language learning and teaching.•Teachers do not feel supported and have not received professional development.•Teachers report negative impacts on workload, wellbeing, learning and achievement.•Benefits include learners supporting one another across year levels.

This paper explores New Zealand teacher views of multi-level language classes, an increasingly common practice where learners at different curriculum and year levels are combined into a single class due to declining learner numbers. Findings from exploratory qualitative surveys and interviews show that the majority of teachers do not feel supported within their school and have not received professional development for this significant change to their practice which they feel devalues language learning. Teachers feel that multi-level classes are hard work, increase their workload, and negatively impact on their well-being, student learning and assessment grades.