THE IMPACT OF FRENCH IN EDUCATION
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
THE STUDY’S BACKGROUND
Education is as old as man’s existence on Earth. Early man learned to adapt to his social and physical surroundings through observation and cautious learning. Socialization taught future generations how to deal with their surroundings. Government has evolved national objectives to be attained through education over the years because education has been recognized as a tool for national development.
It appears to be a tool used by developed countries to achieve national development. Developing countries, particularly African countries, have sought national development by utilizing education to achieve desired goals. In Nigeria, after more than four decades of independence, the level of illiteracy remains alarming, and the standard of education is failing at an irreversible rate.
In light of the foregoing, the federal government of Nigeria established the universal primary education (UPE) scheme in 1976 and the universal basic education (UBE) scheme in 1999. (Jomtien Conference, 1990 and Ehiametalor, 2000).
Language serves as the medium of education in all human interactions. This explains why, in Nigeria, education is synonymous with literacy and proficiency in English, as English is the official language. The French language is one of the most distinctive languages in the world.
It is used as a medium of communication in most African countries, particularly those colonized by France, where it is the lingua franca (Tiften, 1969). French studies are multidisciplinary, but the level of integration of the various disciplines and subjects varies greatly.
A period abroad is also an essential component of the vast majority of French studies, allowing students to interact and associate with others in a French-speaking environment (HEFEC, 1998). Several issues arise during the course of studying French, which are viewed as impediments to effective learning of the concept. The inefficiency is attributed to the fact that French is not used as a first language in Nigeria. Due to a variety of challenges, the French language is not widely spoken in Nigeria. As a result, attempting to achieve both communication and linguistic competence is difficult (Abecrobe, 1956).
In 1942, Reverend Thomas Birch Freeman and Mr. and Mrs. Williams de Craft introduced western education to Nigeria; later, other missionary bodies came in and established schools primarily in Nigeria’s south. Ejiogu (1986) commented on the works of the early missionaries on education, saying that apart from the problem of missionary education, another pressing issue in the teaching and learning of French was that of mother tongue interference. This has been a linguistic difficulty.
STUDY GOALS/OBJECTIVES
The study’s objectives are as follows:
1. Investigating the difficulties encountered by students while studying French.
2. The difficulties that French students face when learning the language and how these difficulties can be addressed.
PROBLEM STATEMENT
1. The effective use of the French language as a medium of communication and instruction in colleges of education will increase student interest and awareness.
2. The frequency with which French students in college of education interact in French will improve their skills and understanding of the subjects.
3. Because there aren’t enough books for studying French in college, more knowledge will be gained and more students will be interested in studying the subjects.
4. That if more teachers are drawn to teaching French, it will increase students’ interest in the subject and make them more proficient in the language both in and out of the classroom.
THE IMPORTANCE OF THE STUDY
The study’s significance stems from the fact that adequate teaching and knowledge of the French language would go a long way toward producing students who are proficient in the language. The use of the French language as a medium of instruction in school will improve the students’ skills.
The project’s findings will aid in guiding other schools with similar issues. The significance of this research work is that it will provide necessary ways and means for problems to be best addressed, as well as providing an enlightenment campaign to the public on French education and equipping them with the usefulness of French education in Nigeria.
TERMS DEFINITION
The following terms are defined for the purposes of this study:
Parents: any child’s father and mother.
Attitude: your general thoughts and feelings about something.
Education: the formal and informal training of an individual to acquire such knowledge and abilities in such a way that such feelings result in a new character or mental power.
Literate parents are those who obtained formal knowledge and skills through the guidance of a school.
Parents who are illiterate are those who are unable to read or write.
Income: money received on a regular basis for daily spending, usually as a payment for one’s work or as interest from an investment.
in the world.
It is used as a medium of communication in most African countries, particularly those colonized by France, where it is the lingua franca (Tiften, 1969). French studies are multidisciplinary, but the level of integration of the various disciplines and subjects varies greatly.
A period abroad is also an essential component of the vast majority of French studies, allowing students to interact and associate with others in a French-speaking environment (HEFEC, 1998). Several issues arise during the course of studying French, which are viewed as impediments to effective learning of the concept.
The inefficiency is attributed to the fact that French is not used as a first language in Nigeria. Due to a variety of challenges, the French language is not widely spoken in Nigeria. As a result, attempting to achieve both communication and linguistic competence is difficult (Abecrobe, 1956).
In 1942, Reverend Thomas Birch Freeman and Mr. and Mrs. Williams de Craft introduced western education to Nigeria; later, other missionary bodies came in and established schools primarily in Nigeria’s south. Ejiogu (1986) commented on the works of the early missionaries on education, saying that apart from the problem of missionary education, another pressing issue in the teaching and learning of French was that of mother tongue interference. This has been a linguistic difficulty.
STUDY GOALS/OBJECTIVES
The study’s objectives are as follows:
1. Investigating the difficulties encountered by students while studying French.
2. The difficulties that French students face when learning the language and how these difficulties can be addressed.
PROBLEM STATEMENT
1. The effective use of the French language as a medium of communication and instruction in colleges of education will increase student interest and awareness.
2. The frequency with which French students in college of education interact in French will improve their skills and understanding of the subjects.
3. Because there aren’t enough books for studying French in college, more knowledge will be gained and more students will be interested in studying the subjects.
4. That if more teachers are drawn to teaching French, it will increase students’ interest in the subject and make them more proficient in the language both in and out of the classroom.
THE IMPORTANCE OF THE STUDY
The study’s significance stems from the fact that adequate teaching and knowledge of the French language would go a long way toward producing students who are proficient in the language. The use of the French language as a medium of instruction in school will improve the students’ skills.
The project’s findings will aid in guiding other schools with similar issues. The significance of this research work is that it will provide necessary ways and means for problems to be best addressed, as well as providing an enlightenment campaign to the public on French education and equipping them with the usefulness of French education in Nigeria.
TERMS DEFINITION
The following terms are defined for the purposes of this study:
Parents: any child’s father and mother.
Attitude: your general thoughts and feelings about something.
Education: the formal and informal training of an individual to acquire such knowledge and abilities in such a way that such feelings result in a new character or mental power.
Literate parents are those who obtained formal knowledge and skills through the guidance of a school.
Parents who are illiterate are those who are unable to read or write.
Income: money received on a regular basis for daily spending, usually as a payment for one’s work or as interest from an investment.
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THE IMPACT OF FRENCH IN EDUCATION