Comme ci ou comme ça? A classroom-based evaluation of two approaches to the teaching of French to young learners in England: Impacts on teachers and pupils

Learning a foreign language (FL) is statutory in the English National Curriculum (DfE, 2013)
for pupils aged 7-11, yet little guidance is provided on appropriate pedagogical approaches to facilitate progress. In this limited-exposure context, teaching may be by non-specialist teachers with low levels of FL competence and/or confidence, who may find ensuring progression challenging.
The mixed methods design addressed the need for experimental studies evaluating
holistic approaches to the teaching of FL to young learners (n = 149). It evaluated the impact of the ‘Novel’, language-driven approach (systematically embedding vocabulary, grammar, phonics) on outcomes and motivation of 7-8-year-olds in their first year of French and on non-specialist teachers’ confidence and enthusiasm, alongside a ‘Standard’ approach representing typical topic-/phrase-driven pedagogy. Pupils were pair-matched on ranked scores based on a language-analytic ability pre-test (Kasprowicz et al., 2019), then randomly allocated to two groups. Teachers alternated between approaches. Pupils’ self-efficacy and enjoyment were surveyed pre-, mid- and end-project, supplemented by group interviews. Post- and delayed post-tests measured outcomes in vocabulary, symbol-sound correspondences, grammar, and speaking. Teacher interviews and questionnaires elicited confidence and perceived impact on subject knowledge and enjoyment.
Mixed-effects models indicated learning in both approaches, with descriptive trends for
generally higher scores in Novel than Standard in vocabulary measures, phonics Read Aloud, spoken grammar recall, Elicited Imitation grammar, and both open-ended speaking measures; these reached statistical significance in written vocabulary recognition and spoken grammar recall. In both approaches, pupils’ self-efficacy increased, whereas enjoyment decreased (with individual variations). Teachers’ confidence grew, suggesting challenges delivering novelty but positive perceptions about learning and impact on their subject knowledge. Baseline language analytic ability appeared to indicate language learning potential overall, with some descriptive
trends suggesting that Novel compensated for individual learning aptitude differences. Pupils did not appear disadvantaged when taught explicitly.