Students’ perceptions toward collaborative and personalised tutoring strategies in French foreign language learning. A case study.

Abstract

The current study is part of a teaching innovation project carried out in the Bachelor’s Degree in French Studies at the University of Granada (Spain). The two main objectives of the project were, on the one hand, to determine the level of French as a foreign language (FFL) and to design a personalized tutoring strategy according to the language level of the students to ensure the acquisition of FFL skills at C1+ level at the end of their 4-year university studies; and on the other hand, to encourage greater responsibility, self-reflection, autonomy, and internal motivation of the students in their learning process.

With regard to methodology, an initial assessment test was designed and developed to assess the prior knowledge of the students. An online survey was also developed and conducted to determine the profile and motivation of students to learn FFL. Subsequently, personalized and collaborative tutoring has been organized, individually and collectively, for the students.

At the end of the semester, students carried out a satisfaction survey on the FFL assessment, and the collaborative and personalized tutoring, in order to evaluate their perceptions on responsibility, self-reflection and autonomy in their learning process.

The outcomes of these surveys showed positive evaluations. Students confirmed that these collaborative and personalized tutoring strategies helped them to reflect on the way they learn, which has increased their motivation to improve their FFL language skills in an autonomous way. In conclusion, the use of a FFL assessment in conjunction with collaborative and personalized tutoring should be applied in all FFL courses to keep students engaged.