L’ESTIME DE SOI ET L’APPRENTISSAGE D’UNE LANGUE ETRANGERE : UNE ETUDE AVEC DES APPRENANTS DE FLE1

Abstract

If one’s attitude towards oneself is positive, one’s self-esteem described as high; if negative, self-esteem is considered low. In the language learning, low self-esteem affects the process negatively because students with low self-esteem do not take the necessary risks to acquire communication ability. Students possessing high self-esteem are more open to learning and more successful in language learning. The purpose of this study is to examine the relation between the level of self-esteem and language learning through a sample of 91 students learning French as a foreign language. Rosenberg’s Self-Esteem Scale and French Placement Test were implemented at the beginning of the term to determine language and self-esteem levels of students and the same test was applied again at the end of the term to analyze whether students having high self-esteem became more successful. According to the results, a majority of the students have high selfesteem and a minority of the student, low self-esteem. A significant difference among students with low, normal, high self-esteem and their language levels is seen. It is also observed that there is a significant difference between the scores of the placement tests and that the students who improved their language levels are the ones with high self-esteem levels