A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF BENUE STATE AND FEDERAL CAPITAL TERRITORY (FCT)
A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF BENUE STATE AND FEDERAL CAPITAL TERRITORY (FCT)
SS3 Students Oral French Performance in NECO
Examination.
CERTIFICATION
This dissertation entitled “A Comparative Study of Benue State and
Federal Capital Territory (FCT) SS 3 Students’ Oral French Performance in NECO
Examination” has been read and approved
as meeting the requirement for the award of the degree of Master of Education
(M.Ed) Language Education of Department of Foundations, Arts and Social Science
Education, University of Abuja.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Title of Page
Pages
Dedication
Certification
Acknowledgement
Table of Contents
List of Tables
Abstract Ix-X
Chapter One
Introduction
1.1 Background to the Problem
1.2 Statement of the Problem
1.3 Purpose of the Study
1.4 Research Questions
1.5 Hypotheses
1.6 Basic Assumptions
1.7 Significance of the Study
1.8 Scope of the Study
1.9 Operational Definition of Terms and Abbreviations
Chapter Two
Literature
Review
2.1 Introduction
2.2 Historical Evolution of French Language
Teaching Method “In Nigeria
2.3 Approaches to the Conception of French
Language Teaching
2.4 French as a Foreign Language in Nigeria
2.6 Testing Oral French Proficiency
2.7 Theoretical Framework: The Communicative
Method.
2.8 Summary
Chapter Three
Methodology of
the Research
3.1 Introduction
3.2 Research Design
3.3 Population, Sample and Sampling Techniques
3.4 Data Collection Procedure
3.5 Pilot Tests
3.6 Data Analysis Techniques
Chapter Four
Presentation,
Analysis of Data and Discussion
4.1
Introduction
4.2 Hypotheses
4.8 Discussion
Summary,
Conclusion and Recommendations
5.1
Introduction
5.2 Summary
5.3 Conclusion
112
5.4
Recommendations 112
5.5
Suggestions for further studies. 114
References
LIST OF TABLES
TABLES
1. Performances
of SS3 students in NECO Oral French in 2000-2002 in Benue State and FCT
Secondary Schools
2a. Comparison
of FCT students’ performance in NECO Oral French in 2000, with their
performance in 2001; their performance in 2000, with their performance in 2002;
their performance in 2001 with their performance in 2002
2b. Comparison
of Benue State students’ performance in NECO Oral French in 2000 with their
performance in 2001; their performance in 2000 with their performance in 2002;
their performance in 2001 with their performance in 2002 94 ‘
3. Comparison
of male students’ performance with female students performance within Benue
State and comparison of male students’ performance with female students’
performance within FCT n NECO Oral French examinations 95
4. Comparison
of female students’ performance in Benue State with female students ¡n FCT in
NECO Oral French examinations in 2000, 2001 and 2002 97
5. Comparison
of male students’ performance in Benue State with male students’ performance in
FCT in NECO Oral French examinations in 2000, 2001 and 2002 99
6. Difference
between Benue State students’ performance and FCT students’ performance in NECO
Oral French examinations in the year 2000, 2001 and 2002 101
7. ANOVA
test of significant difference in F.C.T. students’ OraI French performance in
2000, 2001, 2002 102
8. ANOVA
test of significant difference in Benue State students’ Oral French
performance/scores in 2000-2002 103
9. t-Test
on gender differences of Benue and F.C.T students’ performance in NECO Oral
French in 2000-2002 103
10. t-Test
of significant differences in female students’ performance across the states in
the years 2000-2002 105
11. t-Test
of significant difference in male students’ performance across the sates in the
years 2000, 2001 and 2002 106
12. t-Test
of significant difference in students’ Oral French performance between the two
states over the years 107
ABSTRACT
This study is an attempt to compare the Students’ Oral French
Performance in NECO Examinations in FCT and Benue State.
A comparison was made between the oral French scores obtained by
students in NECO examinations in FCT and those obtained by students in Benue
State from 2000-2002 when the communicative method was introduced in these
localities. Data were drawn from the NECO results during the years under
investigation. All the students at SS3 level in the two states who registered
and sat for NECO Oral French examinations in the years 2000, 2001 and 2002
constitute samples for the study. The NECO Oral French examinations in the
years under study serve as the instrument for this research.
From the findings, it is observed that students performed better in
FCT than in Benue State due to the advantage of the French Embassy being near.
This means that these students were privileged of being in Abuja. Other
advantages include the nearness of ECOWAS Secretariat and the friendly
environment in which they round themselves. It was also observed that boys
performed better than girls. Benue State recorded a higher number of students in
the examination.
The findings also reveal that students performed better in NECO Oral
French during the communicative method era. This is due to the practical use of
the French language in the classroom, good students/teachers and
students/students rapport during teaching; the use of “activities ludiques” in
the form of song, role plays, jeux de mots, acte de parole and so on. These
activities help in entertaining the students and at the same time facilitate
their acquisition of the language. It applies to the slogan
“jouer pour acquerir la langue”.
The conclusion drawn from the study is that the better performance of
SS3 students in NECO Oral French during the communicative method era is an
indication that the method is a more humanistic method of language teaching
that centers more on students’ interests and aspirations. This method reduces
the teacher to a mere director, initiator and facilitator of actions in the
classroom. He is only there to direct the students on what to do.
The study then suggests that
the importance of French language should be emphasized in Benue State Senior
Secondary Schools; Female students should be made to realize that they are
potential linguists and diplomats. Also male and female students should be
encouraged to learn French language. Scholarships should be given to students
in Benue State and to female students in both states who want to study French
in order to encourage their learning and speaking of the French language. This
can only be fully implemented if the governments in these states accept the
need for French language in our society and in the world at large. The French
teachers on their part have to device means of motivating students to learn
French language.
CHAPTER
ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background to the Problem
If there is any problem that worries all who have
a stake in French language teaching in Nigeria, it is without doubt, the one
which concerns students’, adults’ and professionals’ oral proficiency in French
language. By oral proficiency, the writer means the ability of the students to
communicate, interact and relate fluently in the target language. Linguists
tend to lay emphasis on the pronunciation, intonation, pause, rhythm of the
oral language, but the writer is only interested in the social, functional
usage of the language. The emphasis here is not on the linguistic/sound aspect
of oral French, but in the communicative activities involved which facilitate
the sending of messages and understanding of the messages by interlocutors in a
given society. The issue of error/contrastive analysis, interference and inter
language are ignored. The oral language must obey the acceptable social rules
of the target language. For example, a child talking to an adult in French
language should use “Vous” to show respect. Once the speakers understand the
message, and it makes sense, communication goes on.
However, comparison of
students’ oral performance in NECO examinations in FCT and Benue State when the
communicative method was used in 2000, 2001 and 2002 form the basis of this
study.
Researches (Adegboku, 2002;
Ariole, 1999, 2002; Ezike, 1999, 2002; Njoku, 1999; Ojeaga, 1999, 2002; Okoli,
1999; Okwudishu and Madubuko, 1999) on French language in Nigeria have been
carried out on various topics. None of these scholars has attempted to do a
comparative study of the oral proficiency test performance of SS3 students in
the French language in NECO examinations since the communicative method began
to be used in the states under study.
It has been observed that the
teaching of French language has been constantly affected by the politics of
various regimes (Okoli, 1999; Ezike, 1999). It is also obvious that students
who studied French at the secondary school level are not proficient enough ¡n
the language. This study attempts to compare FCT SS3 students’ Oral French
performance in NECO examinations with Benue State SS3 students’ Oral French
performance in the same examination. This involves comparing the scores
obtained by students in F.C.T with scores obtained by students in Benue State.
The study focuses on their performances and competences in oral dialogue,
listening comprehension, passage reading, dictation and oral exposition by the
Oral French examiner during NECO Oral French examinations in the years under
review. These discrete elements which form the components of the Oral French
examination are hereby explained:
1. Oral dialogue: This is the ability to interact fluently in the
target language. It requires speech comprehension and production. Student’s
oral proficiency is tested. Oral dialogue is an effective way to help students
develop their speaking ability. The aim is to test candidate’s ability to
converse freely, fluently and correctly in French.
2. Reading: This is to test
the candidate’s ability to read aloud in French. Particular attention is paid
to candidate’s intonation, correct pronunciation, fluency, prosody, the respect
for the rules of French phonology such as liaison/enchainment consonatique et
vocalique. It also tests the candidate’s ability to scan a given passage/text
to locate specific information and to skim a passage to obtain the gist.
Detailed reading is tested using a few sentences, while to test scanning, one
needs passages which contain plenty of discrete pieces of information. To test
only reading ability, texts/passages which students have not read or texts that
are not too culturally specific should be chosen.
3. Listening comprehension: This section tests candidate’s ability to
listen to and understand a straightforward passage in French. It also tells
candidate’s ability to listen for specific information and to obtain the gist
of what is being said. Candidates are expected to be able to interpret the
examiner’s intonation patterns (for recognition of sarcasm or surprise, and so
on), and function structures (such as interrogative request). The candidates
are expected at the end of the reading to answer within ten minutes 10
multiple-choice questions based on the passage.
4. Dictation: This entails listening to what is being read out by the
examiner and writing it down at a specific time. Candidates are expected to
spell/write certain words (tested words) accurately. The aim is to test
candidate’s ability to listen, to understand and reproduce correctly in
writing, a simple and non-technical French passage.
5. Oral exposition: In testing oral exposition, candidates are asked
to describe a friend, a teacher, a town, and so on, or to narrate an event in
five sentences. Errors of grammar, pronunciation and fluency are penalized.
Their performances during these examinations will reflect in their
scores/grades. This will also in a way reflect on how well they will make use
of the language after their secondary education and in tertiary institutions,
if they decide to study it further.
It is necessary to throw some light on what language testing really
is. Williams (1990), defines language test as a sample of language behaviour
observed in learners at the end of the language learning process. This language
behaviour is only noticeable after the students are presented with sample items
to be answered in areas mentioned earlier such as listening comprehension,
reading passage, dialogue, dictation. The testing method in French is a
reflection of the method used in teaching the subject. The writer has attempted
to emphasize the use of the communicative method in teaching NECO Oral French
during the annual NECO Oral French workshops. The appropriate teaching method
being used will make the students feel at home and enable them answer questions
appropriately.
Example:
A : Dis
— moi, d’où viens — tu?
B. : Moi,
je viens d’ Owerri
A : Où
se trouve Owerri?
B : II
se trouve au Sud — Est du Nigéria.
C’est la capitale de I’ état d’ Imo.
A : Comment
on y va?
B : On
y va en bus.
A : Eh
bien J’irai à Owerri pendant les vacances.
B : C’est bien, bon voyage et ainsi de
suite.
One of the aims of French language testing according to Williams
(1990) is to evaluate proficiency, which measures the learners’ ability to
carry out some communicative tasks in the French language. Proficiency test
assesses what can be done with French language in the world outside as distinct
from what obtains in the language class. In other words, how can French
language be made use of in day-to-day living as a tool language?
Communicative competence in French language can be taught and tested
using various teaching methodologies. According to Ojeaga (1999), the teaching
and testing of communicative competence of French language in the world started
in Europe towards the end of the 17th century. To (Ezike, 2000; Ojeaga, 1999)
traditional or grammar translation method was dominantly used in teaching and
testing language proficiency at that time. It gained popularity in Germany in
the 19th and 20th centuries. It also gained popularity in West Africa and
Nigeria in particular in the middle 19th century (Brann, 1970, 1993; Asobele,
1999). This was when the French language ‘was introduced by French traders,
clergy and colonialists,
Omolewa (1971) and Brann (1975) are of the view that the grammar
translation method used in the 19th and first part of the 2O century
to teach French in few colleges were inspired by the study of classics. The aim
of teaching French language at that time was for the understanding of the
French culture and literature and not for communicative purpose.
This method was eventually dropped because according to critics like
(Besse and Ojeaga, 1999) “Cette méthod a été apliquée d’abord aux langues qui
n’ étaient plus tout à fait vivante telsque le grec et le latin” This means that
it was widely believed that the grammar method could be effectively used to
teach modern languages such as the French language.
This method focuses only on the grammar and the vocabulary in form of
translation. For example: un garçon = a boy. The teacher makes use of the
mother tongue in explaining or introducing the lesson. In testing, it is only
the linguistic performance that is considered.
According to Okoli (1999:30), French language teaching and learning
began in Nigeria before the 19th century. This period falls into the period
when the grammar method was used all over the world, especially in Europe, to
teach and test the French language. The writer is of the view that there must
be some communicative effect of the use of this method because there was a
communication necessity between the French merchants and their Nigerian
counterparts. Research reveals that there are some pidginization of French
language in some parts of Edo State that had some trading contact with the
French. For example, some Edo words such as “boku”, “ekuye” ‘itaba” are
adulterated words for “beaucoup” “cuiller” and “tabac” respectively in French
(Okoli, opcit). These are only vocabulary knowledge.
Okoli (opcit) further narrated that during the two world wars, most
Nigerians recruited as soldiers travelled to the far East and other European
countries where they came in contact with French nationals. The two world wars
which took most Nigerians to the outside world made it mandatory for them to
informally learn how to speak the French language from the native speakers.
Here, communicative method which was unconsciously used focuses on oral
competence. Currently, French has been formally approved in the secondary
school programme. First year students at that time were taught only
memorization and oral French as “les élèves en première année n’étaient pas
autorisés à écrire un seul mot de français” (Okoli, opcit: 32). This means that
the focus was on oral French in order to educate students on how to speak the
French language.
The direct method was therefore predominantly used between 1956 and
1970 in teaching and testing French language and oral French in particular. It
later gave way to the audio-lingual method in the middle of 70’s and most part
of 80’s. The method required instructional materials in the form of projectors,
films, slides, language laboratories, flannel board, etc. Fortunately, the
secondary schools had been taken over by the State and Federal Governments.
French language was made compulsory in the first three years of secondary
education (Emordi 1999; Ezike 1999; Ilupeju 1999; Okoli 1999). The Nigerian and
French Governments, to enhance oral French proficiency among students
adequately provided for these instructional materials in the Unity Schools.
Yet, the oral French proficiency among French secondary school graduates has
not improved. This prompted linguists to search for an effective method of
teaching French.
The importance’s accorded the French language in Nigeria in general
and in the selected states for this studies (FCT, and Benue State) in
particular, shows that Government is determined to improve its teaching in the
country (Ade Ojo, Aire, 1999; Aire & Kuju, Asobele, 1999; Ezike, 1999;
Monye, 2003; Ojeaga, 2002; 2002; 2002). This official recognition of the French
language dates back to Gowon’s regime in the 1960’s and other subsequent
regimes to the present Obasanjo’s regime (Asobele, 1999; Monye, 2003).
Government has now approved that French is the second official language in
Nigeria. Some institutions accept French in place of English during admissions.
Scholarships’ are given to students and teachers to study French. Government
also encourages and supports seminars, workshops and competitions, exchange
programme in French language, both at secondary and tertiary levels.
More serious and practical moves to make the French language a second
official language were made by the Abacha regime in 1997 according to Ezike
(1999), Okoli (1999) and Madubuko (2001), Monye (2003). These moves initiated a
wave of activities related to the study of the French language and the training
of French language teachers at both the secondary and university levels.
Linguists and French nationals were challenged to come up with a method that
will facilitate the learning of the language and particularly make it more
functional in day-to-day living and communication.
One can conclude that it is a good coincidence that the French
language was accorded such recognition when the communicative method of
teaching and testing language proficiency was in vogue. Many studies have
recognized the value of the communicative method and have recommended its wide
spread use at both formal and informal sectors. The urge to accord official
status to the French language in Nigeria made it possible for informal French
language to be introduced at the professional level in offices by the Alliance
Française and French language centres (Monye 2003). In the formal sector such
as the secondary schools, Oral French is emphasized. Students’ oral proficiency
is tested using the communicative method. As a matter of fact, in order to
promote fluency in French, Oral French is tested as a separate subject in WASCE
and NECO examinations at SS3 level. The passing of French by a candidate
depends on the results of this oral test in which the candidate is supposed to
score at least 50%. The results of these oral tests are so unstable that one
begins to wonder if something was not wrong with the method used in teaching
the French language. A close observation reveals lack of proficiency and
incompetence as more often than not, students who are known to be very
brilliant in written French fail the oral test and those who pass the oral test
fail the written test.
The purpose of this study is to compare the SS3 students’ Oral French
performance in NECO Examinations in Benue State with that of FCT. In this
study, emphasis is placed on determining whether the communicative method that
serves as a means of enhancing students’ oral proficiency in social and
functional interaction really plays any satisfactory roles.
1.2 Statement of the Problem
Efforts have been made to improve the teaching of French language in
secondary schools from JSS1 - SS3 in order to prepare the SS3 students in
various states of Nigeria to perform well in NECO Oral French examinations.
French embassies have sponsored French competitions for secondary school
students, provided schools with instructional materials, awarded scholarships
to French Language students, and so on. The Nigerian government on its part has
encouraged the teaching of French language as the second official language of
the country.
The teachers, in order to improve on the performances of SS3 students
tend to be more friendly, make use of effective teaching methods in the form of
communicative method and take students to excursions to French speaking
countries, French centres, French offices and organizations. These are aimed at
improving the oral performance of the students in the states under study.
Despite these efforts, the problem which this dissertation aims to
address which is that of the poor performance of SS3 students in NECO oral
French examinations across the states, within the states and among male and
female students still persists. Benue State and FCT have been chosen as a case
study. Researchers attribute these to many reasons such as: lack of nearness of
French embassies, lack of friendliness on the part of French teachers,
inadequate instructional materials, lack of motivation from French teachers and
the school authorities, lack of nearness to French offices and lack of people
to speak with, location of schools and due to the fact that some schools
receive more attention from French embassy than the others, lack of teaching of
oral French in some schools and the use of outdated methods for the teaching of
oral French. It is in view of this last reason that this study seeks to focus
attention on comparing the performance of SS3 students for the year 2000-2002
to see whether there is a difference in performance of students between the
years when communicative method was used and the years when it was not used in
teaching French.
Lack of motivation is also mentioned as a factor and it has been
observed that motivation differs among male and female students.
Consequently, the study also includes a comparison of the performance
of students in NECO examination along gender lines.
1.3 Purpose of the Study
With the identification of the problem which is the unequal
performance of SS3 students n NECO oral French examinations in Benue State and
FCT despite all the efforts of the French embassy, the teachers, the Nigerian
government and the SS3 French students, the writer now tries to carry out a
research work in order to compare the SS3 students’ performance in Benue State
with that of FCT to find out why SS3 students in one state perform better than
the SS3 students in the other state in the years 2000, 2001 and 2002.
The period was when the writer was the National Examinations Council’s
French examiner in the states under study. This means that she has a first-hand
experience as an examiner and is privileged to deal with scores from oral test
performance in these states.
The aim of this study therefore is to:
(a) Compare the performance
of SS3 students in NECO oral French examination in FCT with SS3 students in
NECO oral examination performance in Benue State in 2000-2002
(b) Compare FCT SS3 students’
performance in NECO oral French in 2000 with their performance in 2001; their performance
in 2000 with their performance in 2002; their performance in 2001 with their
performance in 2002.
(c) Compare Benue State SS3
students’ performance in NECO oral French examinations in 2000 with their
performance in 2001; their performance in 2000 with their performance in 2002;
their performance in 2001 with their performance in 2002.
(d) Compare SS3 male students
performance with SS3 female students performance within Benue State and also to
compare SS3 male students performance with SS3 female performance within FCT in
NECO oral French examinations during the years 2000, 2001 and 2002.
(e) Compare SS3 female
students performance in Benue State with SS3 female students performance in FCT
in NECO oral examinations in 2000, 2001 and 2002.
(f) Compare SS3 male
students performance in Benue State with SS3 male students performance in FCT
in the same examinations during the same years.
Find out the difference between Benue State SS3 students’ performance
and FCT SS3 students’ performance in NECO oral French examinations during the
years under study.
If these comparisons arrived at being accurately and objectively done
at the end of the study, the purpose of this research would have been achieved.
1.4 Research Questions
The following research questions are addressed in this study:
1. What
is the nature of Benue State SS3 students and FCT SS3 students’ performances in
NECO Oral French examination in 2000, 2001, 2002?
2a. Is
there any significant difference in Oral French performance of SS3 students in
the FCT for the years 2000, 2001 and 2002?
2b. Is
there any significant difference in the Oral French performance of SS3 students
in Benue State for the years 2000, 2001 and 2002?
3. Is
there any significant difference between male and female students’ Oral French
performance in FCT in the years 2000, 2001 and 2002?
4. Is
there any significant difference between SS3 female students’ Oral French
performance in the FCT and those in Benue State in the years 2000, 2001 and
2002?
5. Is
there any significant difference between SS3 male students’ Oral French
performance in the FCT and those in Benue State ¡n 2000, 2001 and 2002?
6. Is there any significant
difference in the above-mentioned students’
Oral French performance between the two states in the years 2000, 2001
and 2002?
1.5 Hypotheses
The hypotheses are hereby stated in the null form as follows:
1. There
is no significant difference in FCT SS3 students’ performance in NECO Oral
French examinations in the years 2000, 2001 and 2002.
2. There is no significant
difference in Benue State SS3 students’ performance in NECO Oral French
examinations in the years 2000, 2001 and 2002.
3. There is no significant difference in the
above-mentioned students’
Oral
French performance within each state in the years 2000, 2001 and 2002.
4a. There is no significant difference between
male and female students’
Oral French performance in FCT in the years 2000, 2001 and 2002.
4b. There is no significant difference between
male and female students’
Oral
French performance in Benue State in the
years 2000, 2001 and 2002.
5. There is no significant
difference in female students’ Oral French performance across the states in the
years 2000, 2001 and 2002.
6. There is no significant
difference in male students’ Oral French performance across the states in the
years 2000, 2001 and 2002.
7. There is no significant
difference in students’ Oral French performance between the two states in the
years 2000, 2001 and 2002.
1.6 Basic
Assumptions
The
following are the basic assumptions involved in this study:
- That students at SS3
level have attained oral French proficiency.
- That teachers have used
the appropriate teaching methods effectively.
- That
the appropriate French textbooks to suit the teaching method employed have been
used.
- That
students are well motivated by the effective teaching methods used by the
teachers.
1.7 Significance of the Study
The findings from this study will be beneficial to a number of
stakeholders in the teaching and learning of French language.
1. French Teachers: It will
help the French teachers in FCT and Benue State to pay more attention to the
teaching of oral French at the junior, secondary and tertiary levels of
education. It will also help the French teachers to know the advantages of the
use of the communicative method, such as improving the students’ fluency in
French language. From this study, the French teachers in FCT and Benue State
will be able to assess their students’ performance in NECO Oral French
examinations during the year under study, thus helping them to modify their
teaching methods and enabling them to know how the performance of their
students varies over the years.
2. Learners: The basic
problem of French language learners is the inability to speak French language
fluently. The significance of this study is to use the communicative method to
make the learner become used to constant speaking of French language. It will
be of immense benefit to the French language learners in the state where
performance was lower as they will now strive to improve on their spoken
French. It will enable other students know how the NECO Oral French examiners
assess their Oral French performance.
3. Authors: Authors need to
emphasize the relevance of oral French to students, what they are required to
know and what should be included in senior secondary French textbooks to
enhance students’ oral ability. This study will enable textbook workers to be
aware of the essence of the communicative method, especially as it relates to
NECO Oral examinations.
4. Policy Makers: This
study will expose policy makers to students’ performance in oral French with
respect to NECO examinations. The findings of this research will help them to
know the extent of students’ participation in French language programme.
5. Researchers: From this
work researchers will have a baseline from which further researches will take
off. For other researchers the primary objective of this work is to describe
the major steps involved in designing a comparative study that provides a
rigorous and systematic evaluation of SS3 students’ performance in NECO Oral
French examinations in FCT and Benue State. It is hoped that this initiative
will help future researchers in various states of the country to plan and carry
out studies that will yield new and reliable information about the performance
of the SS3 students in both NECO and WAEC Oral French examination.
6. Examiners: The current
problem of French examiners is the inability to identify the right method to
use in examining Oral French language candidates. The result of this study will
help to bridge this gap.
7. French Embassy: The
French embassy and French speaking countries will benefit from this study. It
will serve as a means of disseminating information to a wider audience on the
SS3 Oral French performance in FCT and Benue State in the years 2000, 2001 and
2002.
This study will help the French Embassy to know which of the two
states under study needs help in terms of instructional materials and qualified
French teachers. It will help them to know where to focus their attention in
their effort to improve French language teaching and learning.
8. Society: This study will
educate the Nigerian society on the need for every school leaver to be orally
proficient in French language. It will make the state where students are not
fluent in oral French improve on the oral proficiency of their students.
9. Curriculum Developers:
It will contribute to the curriculum development of oral French. This means
that those involved in the formulation of the school curriculum benefit much
from this study, as they will now know the importance of oral French to
language students.
10. Test Measurement and
Evaluation Department: Various test measurement and evaluation departments in
Education Resource Centers, Examination Bodies, and Educational Institutions
will benefit from this study in order to modify or improve on their method of
testing and evaluating students’ performances.
1.8 Scope of the Study
The research was carried out in the FCT and Benue State only. It is
limited to all the secondary schools where French is offered at SS3 level in
the FCT and Benue State. The researcher limited the study to SS3 because they
are graduates who will go into the society as apprentices, employees, and
businessmen or take up the French language as a course at the tertiary level.
They will make immediate use of the French language, hence the need for Oral
French proficiency for specific purposes (Française sur objectifs spécifiques).
The writer decided to carry out the research in FCT and Benue State
because the two states are geographically closely located. The researcher was
the NECO Oral French Examiner in these states during the years under study.
Therefore, she is well acquainted with the situation. In order to avoid high
cost, the research is limited to those two states.
The need to carry out the research on the performance of the SS3
students is the inability in the performance of SS3 students in FCT and Benue
State to speak French language fluently. Oral French is an everyday tool in
communication, and therefore any research that provides information that will
address the problem of poor performance is a welcome innovation.
1.9 Operational Definition of
Terms and Abbreviations
Alternate
language: This refers to the target language.
Bilingualism:
This refers to the habitual use of two languages by an individual or group of
individuals.
CALL: Computer Assisted Language
Learning.
Cloze
Test: It is used to measure the reader’s
ability to decode interrupted or mutilated messages (closing gaps) by making
the most acceptable substitution.
CAT: Computer Adaptive Test
CBT: Computer Based Testing
COPl: Computerized Oral Proficiency
Instrument
CAL: Centre for Applied Linguistics
CM: Communicative Method
DM: Direct Method
Direct Proficiency Test: This is a test format and procedure that attempts to
duplicate as closely as possible the setting and operation of the real-life
situations in which the speaking ability is normally demonstrated.
Dyadic: A direct, casual oral interaction between
two people.
Communicative
Language Tests: A measure of how the candidates are able use language in
real-life situations.
FSOI: Foreign Service
Oral Interview.
Integrative Test: It is a test that tries to measure global language
proficiency.
Immersion: This is a language teaching method where learners learn
their subject matter in the target language under a natural setting.
Indirect Proficiency Test: This refers to a test format and
procedures, which are not truly reflective of a real-life dialogue situation.
Medium Level: Practical learning, mastery and usage of the target
language. .
Message Level: Using the construction practiced at the medium level
for a specific purpose.
Mother Tongue (MT): The language in which a child first learns to
express his ideas about himself and about the world in which he lives.
OPT: Oral Proficiency Testing.
OPI: Oral Proficiency Interview.
Pidginization: This refers to the use of any mixed language spoken
usually in trade or on the street, which uses the vocabulary form of the
grammar of one of them.
Psychometric Test: It is a test which has been primarily designed to
maximize individual differences on the variable being measured, resulting in
scores of an appropriate comparison group on the same test.
RTOI: Real Time
Oral Assessment Inventory.
SOPI: Simulated
Oral Proficiency Interview.
SPG: Speaking
Proficiency Guideline.
Scorability: The test can be
scored with ease so that users may be able to handle it.
Wash Back: This means the impact, which investigates the relationship
between test use and the society in which it is used. That is, the effect of
testing on teaching and learning.
FOR THE REMAINING PART OF THE THESIS EMAIL US AT eduinfoonline2020@gmail.com.
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