Perceptions et motivation à l'égard du français langue seconde enseigné au Québec

The authors sought to understand why more than half of Quebec CEGEP students from the English sector have earned their Diploma of College Studies (DCS) without attaining a sufficient level of French to be able to work in the language. The objective of their study was to determine participants' perceptions of the instruction they received for French as a second language (FSL) from primary school to college as well as their perceptions of their FSL learning for all competency levels. These learner perceptions were then compared with motivation profiles in order to identify which perceptions impacted the degree of learner motivation. Firstly, guided interviews helped identify the most salient learner perceptions to investigate. These perceptions were then transformed into a questionnaire that was distributed province-wide throughout the CEGEP system. Finally, in order to triangulate the results, focus groups were undertaken with learners to validate the questionnaire results. A random probability sample of 974 students was used in 11 CEGEPs and colleges in Quebec. Twenty-two individual interviews were conducted and 48 students were interviewed in four focus groups. The authors determined that interviews and quantitative data revealed that students at all competency levels have little motivation for FSL learning; that their perceptions of FSL are somewhat negative; and that their perceptions of the FSL faculty are somewhat positive. Learner perceptions of their language skills increase based on their mastery level. All these perceptions have a statistically significant effect on student motivation for FSL learning. The authors conclude that the more positive a student's perceptions of FSL learning is, the more his/her motivation increases. Additionally, they found that it appears that the number of French-speaking friends and the number of hours spent speaking in French had a significant effect on all respondents' perceptions. Friendship dynamics also have an effect on (1) motivation for learning French—including students’ "intention to resist" the learning and use of French, (2) their attitude towards French spoken in Quebec, (3) their anxiety felt in the classroom (4) their perception of French proficiency, (5) their attitude towards the French-speaking community, and (6) their desire to integrate into it. In short, the authors conclude that students perceive in general that they have had somewhat negative experiences in FSL and it is clear that developing a transdisciplinary pedagogy of intercultural mediation is a possible solution.

Montreal

Vanier College Press

2017

217p.

fr

978-2-923990-14-9