Representations of Teachers on the Integration of the Reference Language in the FFL Class

Abstract

The present article falls within the perspective of sociodidactics and the didactics of plurilingualism which promotes the linguistic and cultural plurality in the context of education. Whether we are monolingual or multilingual, representations strike us. Whether we want it or not, they manipulate our perceptions and guide us in how to name and interpret the different aspects of our reality. In this context, the representations of languages, including the first languages, actually influence teaching-learning in the classroom. Indeed, they are considered as a system of perception or mental images that are constructed by speakers on the languages acquired or learned. Therefore, taking into account the representations of learners and teachers is an important factor to facilitate the teaching-learning process and the transmission of knowledge. In this present contribution, we mainly focus on the representations made by teachers regarding the integration of the reference language in the French as a foreign language class. Hence, we started from this question: what representations do teachers make of the reference language in the French as a foreign language class? To answer this question, we hypothesize that teachers would often have negative representations towards the integration of the reference language in the teaching-learning process. To do this, we opted for a semi-structured interview. At the end of our study; we came to the conclusion that there is a “gap” between the discourse on class practices and actual practices in the classroom.