ARFer programme

What is ARFer?

The ARFer programme is a behaviour change methodology. It is inspired by the Soziolinguistika Klusterra company in the Basque Country. ARFer is intended to change language practices to enable colleagues who can speak Welsh (but have established a habit of using English) to use more Welsh at work. This is done by applying two principles that derive from the behavioural sciences:

  • Commitment to behaving in a particular way;
  • Capitalising on the significant influence that defaults can have on people's behaviour.

Evidence of ARFer's impact

We have implemented ARFer in a variety of workplaces. Before the ARFer programme is implemented in a workplace, we have ensured that we establish baseline measurements of language use – that is, measuring how much Welsh is used normally in the workplace. We then collect data on the language use of staff when ARFer is in place. This offers us the opportunity to compare language behaviour between the periods in order to assess the programme’s potential impact on the use of Welsh.

The graph below provides a snapshot of our initial results and highlights the impact of the programme on staff language use.

graff ARFer

Current focus:

We are currently working on producing an evidence based 'ARFer Toolkit' that will enable other organisations to implement the programme within their workplaces.

The impact of COVID-19 on the use of Welsh at work

Following the effect of the pandemic on our workplaces, we are keen to understand the impact of the change to remote working on the use of Welsh at work. It is our intention to develop the ARFer programme in a way that will support workplaces to sustain the Welsh language in this new context.

In order to initate this work, we have produced a questionnaire on the Welsh language in the context of remote working. We would be grateful if you could complete the questionnaire and help us to share it widely. You can follow the links below or complete the questionairre in the frame:

Welsh version
English version


Further information:

If you have any queries about the ARFer programme, please contact:

Dr Lowri Angharad Hughes, (Project Director).
Arwel Tomos Williams, (Researcher)

Other members of the research team

Professor Carl Hughes, (Head of the School of Education & Human Development)
Dr Emily Roberts-Tyler, (Lecturer in Education)
David Stephen Parry, (PhD student in the School of Psychology)