Cultural Mediation Pedagogy and Its Ability to Enable Bridge-Building Between Two Coexisting Groups That Do Not Meet

The authors describe the situation of the two ‘official’ linguistic communities within Quebec whose primary language is either English or French and who attend CEGEPs. They examine the point of view of young Anglophones learning French as a Second Language (FSL), for whom French instruction is mandatory. A random probability sample of 974 students was selected in eleven CEGEPs. The authors conducted twenty-two individual interviews and met with forty-eight students during four focus group sessions. The authors found that the interviews and the quantitative data show that students at all levels have low levels of motivation for FSL and negative attitudes towards the Francophone community. However, how students perceive FSL education has a statistically significant impact on motivation: the more positive their perceptions, the higher their motivation. Moreover, the authors found that the reported number of Francophone friends and the number of hours students reported speaking in French with these friends, has a significant impact on their perceptions. Based on the importance of this friendship dynamic, the authors propose that Second Language Acquisition should not focus primarily on language code proficiency and communication skills, but rather encourage students from different linguistic groups to meet and develop productive relationships, which is scarce in language instruction settings.

Strategies for Fostering Inclusive Classrooms in Higher Education : International Perspectives on Equity and Inclusion

Bingley, England

Emerald Publishing

2019

Chapter 3

en

978-1-78756-061-1