ISSUES IN FRENCH LANGUAGE LEARNING IN NIGERIA

By

ONAH, GRACE GREGORY

ARTS EDUCATION DEPARTMENT
UNIVERSITY OF CALABAR

Abstract

There are issues that French Language teachers face while carrying out their day to day activities

in the classroom. Some of them include mother tongue interference, use of instructional

materials, challenges of the modern technological facilities, confusion of the target French

Language and even the learners’ and teachers’ personal challenges too, etc. These challenges

can affect the learning processes in the French Language classrooms. This paper will discuss

some issues faced in the French Language classroom and proffer recommendations to tackle

some of these issues.

Keywords: French Language, issues, learning, pedagogy, teaching

Introduction

The French language is the second official language spoken in Nigeria. Having been surrounded

by French speaking countries; Niger, Cameroun, Benin Republic and Chad, it is of great

necessity for Nigerians to speak the French language. A lot has been done by the government to

encourage many Nigerians to speak the language and many French teachers have put in their best

to help the learners speak the language yet still, these teachers are faced with challenges on

achieving this set goal.

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 A French Language teacher is one who instructs or teaches learners the communication skills of

French Language. Most times, the language teacher faces a lot of issues starting from learners

problems to environmental issues and even to the teachers’ specific problems too, etc (Uguma &

Akpama, 2013; Agbor,2019; Timothy & Obiekezie, 2019).

One of the responsibilities of a French language teacher is to build a learner’s reading and

speaking skills and vocabulary. Helping them understand the written and spoken aspect of the

language too, these will foster a positive learning environment for the learners and encourage

practicing the skills and continue to learn the language. It is therefore part of the teacher’s duty to

tackle these common challenges and put into place the needed information those students’ needs

and instill in them the interest by telling them the reason why they should learn and speak the

French language.

A typical example or illustration is the story of Emeka Obi, a Nigerian boy from the eastern part

of the country. He is 13 years old student newly admitted into JSS1 in Model International

Secondary School, Imo State, Nigeria. Having gotten admission into first year in a Secondary

School, Emeka has to learn French Language as one of the compulsory subjects in the Junior

Secondary Schools in Nigeria. He is fortunate to have a French teacher in his new school

because passing through his primary education, he never had one. It therefore means that he

never spoke nor learnt French language during his primary education years.

Now the question is, how is Emeka’s French teacher going to help Emeka speak and write

French language fluently and effectively being a novice in this language area?

Emeka who is in the process of learning the French language manoeuvers his way through these

classes each day in school; bombarded with challenges and opportunities to listen to, write,

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communicate and use the new language (French) effectively. He is faced with the challenges of

mother tongue interferences during the oral practical classes, he does not have enough

instructional materials for learning, he sometimes confuses himself with English, Igbo and the

French language too and often struggles with vocabulary building in the new language.

Mrs. Bella Frank is Emeka’s French Teacher, who is focused on providing her students with

opportunities to practice what they are learning, She has adopted several methods designed to

help Emeka develop his literacy skills in French Language, some of which are songs, role play,

stories, drama, recitations, poems, etc

Theoretical framework:

When people are faced with issues of concern, a need arises. This paper work is based on

Abraham Maslow’s Theory of the hierarchy of needs. Its great implication in educational setting

suggests that until students’ basic needs are met, they are simply unable to attend higher order

tasks such as learning. Teachers must be aware of the unmet needs of students to avoid

unnecessary issues in the classroom or during learning experiences, since teaching and learning

is seen at the higher level of needs.

Needs like physiological needs (like food, water, sleep, etc) and needs related to safety (this

includes security of environment, resources, health, property, etc). This implies that children who

are not given enough food, health care, etc are not ready or be able to learn until these needs are

being met. Also in addition, learners must feel safe in their schools, a learner who is unsafe

cannot focus on learning properly neither a student who is not well fed. Learning implies that

one’s brain is clear of disruptions of problems or issues such as these.

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While some teachers complain that they are not “jacks of all trade”, they should know that it is

important to understand this theory and put in their best to ameliorate the appalling conditions

under which learning takes place because this will lead to the success of every learner.

The next level of the theory talks about self esteem (which includes confidence, self esteem,

achievement, respect, etc), love and belonging (these are love, friendship, family, etc),. This

implies that learners must feel a sense of connection with their teachers, love their school and

administrators and must sense that the teachers care for them, they must develop a healthy sense

of self esteem and regard from their school and even parents, and with these, they will be able to

move to the level of self actualization (this include, morality, creativity, problem-solving, etc)

and realize their potentials.

While a useful guide for generally understanding why students and teachers behave or react to

issues the way that they do, and in determining how learning may be affected because of certain

needs that ARE NOT MET, it still falls back on the teachers, students, family, society, etc to

arise and collaborate with each other to ascertain the level of self actualization and that is where

we can confidently say, we conquered these issues, fears, problems and challenges!

Issues in French Language Pedagogy

There are several issues that French Language teachers face in their classrooms daily. This does

not mean that these issues are limited to the classrooms only. There are also learners’ issues,

environmental issues, psychological issues and even teachers’ specific issues, to mention but

few. This paper is focused on issues or challenges in the French Language classrooms; also, it

will briefly look at some issues that the French language teacher encounters.

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 Mother Tongue Interference: this is one common issue in learning language generally

especially in a country like Nigeria where diverse languages exist. The mother tongue interferes

greatly with the English language, national languages (Igbo, Hausa, and Yoruba) and even

foreign languages like French, German, etc. It is always very easy for students to communicate

in their local or native languages, instead of the English language which is an official language in

use in the schools especially during recreation periods or even in class. The mother tongue

interference disallows the French learners to rethink and reword their thoughts in the target

language they are learning (French).

Instructional materials: French textbooks and other instructional materials in the

classroom which help learners to lay the fundamentals or basic aspects of the target language

may sometimes use very difficult terminologies or definitions or grammatical rules that are

uncommon or outdated which can lead to confusion for the learner or sometimes contradict

issues. Sometimes the teachers may not also be able to make proper use of these materials and

may need the teacher to be trained on its use. For example, the projector, computer or laptops or

educational tablets, some language laboratory equipments, etc.

The target language confusion: this is an issue of the written or spoken target language

(French). In French Language, the oral French is quite different from the written French. A

learner may be able to speak French fluently but confuse sentence structure while putting the

same thing into writing. Teachers are often faced with this problem in the French language

classroom.

Modern technological needs: as the world evolves, it brings about change in every

sphere of life even in language art pedagogy. Modern technology is trendy now and it is brought

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into our classrooms, things are fast evolving from the traditional ways to the digital era! The

French language teacher is faced with the challenges of the modern technological trend in his or

her classroom and this is one aspect that can affect learning experiences negatively because a

teacher who refuses to embrace the digital trend is left behind in a competitive world like ours

and this also will affect the learners greatly. A classroom that does not have the needed

technological equipments like Projectors, Internet Services, Educational Tablets, E- Library, etc

or the French teacher who is not computer literate, well informed and up to date on issues that

concerns his or her discipline, or has the ability to make good use of some educational sites on

the web, language learning or educational apps on the mobile phone, on social medias and

platforms, etc. may not be able to meet up with the modern technological requirements for this

present age and this will certainly affect the learning experiences of the French language

learners.

The French language teacher: the French teacher who teaches the language can become

an issue. He or she must build a very good relationship with the French learners. The methods or

approaches he or she uses to teach the language should be more of student-centered which will

enable the learners get interested and participate actively otherwise, this can pose a negative

response to the set objectives. The teacher who is not qualified professionally can become an

issue in a language class; he or she should get adequate information on the language content and

the language use while teaching. The teacher’s lack of interest in the teaching profession can also

be an issue in language pedagogy; a situation where a communication arts graduate from the

university seeks for a job anywhere and everywhere just to make ends meet and ends up in the

classroom as an English Teacher! This issue can be disastrous for the teacher, learners and even

the school.

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 Classroom management issues; (requirements, time, structure, size, disciplinary issues,

environment): classroom requirements that French language learners may not meet up with are;

coming prepared to learn, being punctual and ready, bringing all supplies and books for

learning, etc. the teacher may also have the challenge of having insufficient time on delivery of

content, the class structure could pose as a problem, insufficient space, handling issues that

involves discipline in class, unconducive learning environment, not neat and tidy, not having

enough seats, tables or other facilities, class being over-populated due to free education statuses,

insecurity threats, all these and more can deter effective learning experiences even the French

class too.

Some other issues in French language pedagogy are outlined as follows;

Content base challenges

Changes in school leadership and Administration

Challenges of the prospective inclusive education (students with disabilities)

Gifted children

Assessments challenges

Curriculum challenges

Transitioning from textbooks to digital textbooks, etc.

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Recommendations:

Mother Tongue Interference: otherwise many scholars and researchers have carried out studies

on the interference of local or native dialects on the learning of a second language, this issue

sometimes looks impossible to overcome since foreign language learners cannot sound exactly

like their speakers. Yet there is a way that interferences in language can be curbed to an extent in

language learning. A repeated practice of speaking the target language is recommended to

learners and teachers affected by this issue. Looking at the theory of Thorndike’s law of

readiness, exercise and practice, the law of practice lays emphasis on this and it implies that the

more an exercise is practiced, the perfect the learner becomes. Also, correcting the learner

immediately interference occurs can help because language issues are better addressed early and

foundation is very important and being conscious of it while expressing oneself, etc.

Instructional Materials: it is recommended on the part of the language teacher to develop his or

her creative skills while improvising some of these materials in teaching and also remembering

that the whole world can be used as an instructional material for a lesson. It is also recommended

that some committees could be set up in the school to critique some of the materials or textbooks

to be used by the learners before they are being used. The teacher should also avail himself or

herself for training to be able to use some of these instructional materials, and should also be

ready to learn how to use them effectively.

Target language confusion: this is a situation where the teacher does not have much to

do to remedy the case because it is solely the grammatical rule of the language, it is

recommended that the teacher should encourage the learners to adapt to the grammatical rule of

the language and that he or she may apply cognitive strategies especially in cases of

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understanding complexities in the language during the learning processes. This may reduce the

level of confusion to an extent. Also, it is recommended that both spoken and written aspect of

the target language may be taught separately at the onset for proper orientation of the target

language.

Modern technological needs/ challenges in the classroom: it is recommended that

schools should meet up with the modern trends in technology and provide same for the learners

especially the basic modern technological needs. Government should also support the schools in

making these facilities available to the learners. Teachers should also embrace the digital trend

and put in their best to be updated and versatile in their discipline to ensure adequate delivery of

content of subject matter and not be left out in the digital world.

The French language teacher: the teacher should know the learners as individuals and

as a class because each individual differs in many ways; biologically, inheritance, environment,

culture, backgrounds, etc. it is true that every class is a heterogeneous group of learners

especially in Nigeria. Handling such a class and making the learners learn is indeed not an easy

task for a less resourceful and creative teacher. It is recommended that the teacher has to master

his/ her content, be dedicated and make the learning process effective and pleasant for the

learners. The teacher should also be a professional in his or her field and also be participating in

seminars, conferences or in-house trainings. It is recommended that he or she should have a

passion for the teaching profession, etc

Classroom management issues: one of the major things to note when it comes to

management issues in the classroom is that all hands must be on deck to tackle these issues; the

school administration, parents, teachers and learners too. Each of these people has a role to play

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when it comes to classroom issues. The school administration should provide good space and a

conducive environment for the learners, the parents should provide all the needed requirements

needed for their wards to learn including payment of school fees and buying all their learning

materials, teachers should make good use of time allocated them for lessons, be approachable

and try to make the learning process of the learners be pleasant, the learners should be ready to

learn, attentive in the classroom, do their homework and participate fully in the learning process,

etc.

New developments: Today’s French Language Classroom

Today’s French language learner needs the four (4) skills that will aid language

acquisition effectively. These are communication skills, collaborative skills, critical thinking

skills and the creative skills, otherwise known as the 4Cs. Changes in the world today is at great

speed. A 20th century mindset classroom no longer prepares effectively for the future. Whereas

some finds it difficult to ascertain these changes, sitting in front of a teacher and listening to

content delivered through a lesson note or lecture is rapidly being replaced with active learning

environments (any approach that engages learners by matching instruction to the learner’s

interests, understanding and developmental level; these include hands-on and authentic

activities) where authentic education sets in, students are prompted to ask questions, seek

relevant information, apply them in real life situations and remember them because authentic

learning tasks promotes meaningful learning. (Kauchak &Eggen, 1998).

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In the today’s French language classroom, the skills of communication, critical thinking,

creativity and collaboration should be promoted and encouraged among the learners. Let’s take a

look at these skills and have an understanding of what the classroom looks like. This will help

language teachers to brace up for the challenges and enhance their professional skills as well.

Critical Thinking:. Every French learner today must be able to speak, think and evaluate

facts or opinions in French language, make conclusions based on analysis and take information

and apply it to solve problems and create solutions.

To promote and encourage critical thinking skills in the classroom, French teachers can also

create learning environments that value questions more than answers, equip the language

learners with skills to analyze and ask more questions. Principles could also be set to engage

learners in thinking.

Creativity: promoting creative skills in the learner by creating a learning culture that

imbibes and promotes originality in carrying out tasks and inculcating creative behaviors too. Let

the learners be open to experiences, trying out new things especially those ones that may scare

them, let the learners understand and see creativity as a positive tool. The teacher should let go of

giving the learners exact teachings that when followed are guaranteed to meet the teacher’s

expectation of success; allow the students to define what, where and how during ongoing

discussions in French about why.

Collaboration Skills: working in groups especially in a French class will require the

French teacher taking time to develop and prepare for the group work. Encouraging discussions

in French language and carrying out given tasks using the target language promotes the French

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language learning, and grooms behavior that makes a result oriented and successful team in their

given projects or tasks.

Collaboration promotes building on one another’s knowledge and expertise, this involves

respect, listening and contributing to knowledge in French too. Sometimes the teacher can assign

roles and allow the learners see the various tasks that need to be completed. It will prepare the

student for high-level thinking and work and gives them access to practice it in the real world.

Working in teams or groups on complex issues require a variety of skills and expertise, so as the

learners and group members identify and explore their strengths, weaknesses and skills, they

gain an understanding of how combining the various skills of several individuals contribute to

greater success that one individual could have achieved.

Communication skills: communication in today’s classroom is seen as being able to or

having powerful literacy skills such as ability to read, share ideas, ask questions and solve

problems in ways others can understand. It also includes application of the new ways of

communication made possible via modern technology which is available, affordable and useful

(media tools).

All the same, French learners should be able to speak fluently, concise in their writing and make

correct use of words. They should also build skills with multimedia forms of communication

which requires the ability to show rather than telling, usage of pictures, music, games, role plays,

etc. Modern technology indeed has played a major role in French language learning today

especially in communication. Students working with computers, laptops and mobile apps are

being preferred more than writing on paper by hand and technology makes it easier to connect to

their world that is evolving (yet, it’s all about learning and not technology).

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 Therefore, French language teacher should also be adequately prepared in the

technological aspect of carrying out his or her professional duties. Some of these modern

technological resources, tools and applications that can aid French language learning in the

classroom are;

Digital French stories, French E-books, video journals, news broadcasts, French interactive
games (https://web.tech4learning.com)

Offline/ Online French dictionaries- an electronic dictionary

Pics4learning - an image library that is safe and free for education. Both teachers and students

can use the friendly images for illustrations

The Mixxer- a free virtual language exchange site; it connects language learners around the

world so that everyone is both student and teacher.

Rubric-Maker- this is an assessment tool. It helps the language teacher make customize

assessments for the students’ work from primary to college or tertiary institutions

Some of these French language learning applications could be downloaded online via Playstore;

Duolingo, Learn French Language, Speak French, French- English Translator, Babbel, etc.

Conclusion:

Issues in French language pedagogy are problems that can be controlled at least to an extent

especially in Nigeria if the teachers and learners improve on themselves by working diligently

together to achieve a set objective or goals in language learning and the Nigerian government

supports financially and otherwise the educational sector by providing the needed infrastructures,

implementing the policies, carrying out professional training programs for the teachers and

providing modern technological innovative facilities to aid teaching and learning, etc.

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Learners learn a language through the process of communicating in it, and that communication

that is meaningful to the learner provides a better opportunity for learning rather than

grammatical base approaches (Richards, 2006), it is therefore recommended to our French

language teachers to make real communication the focus of French language learning and

provide opportunities for French learners to express themselves freely in the target language.

The French teachers should also be tolerant of the learners’ errors, knowing that they are

building up their communication competencies in a foreign language.

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performance in programmes of study in Cross River State, Nigeria. LWATI: A Journal of
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