To Like or Not to Like! Student Perceptions of Technological Activities for Learning French as a Second Language at Five Canadian Universities

Abstract

This article examines student attitudes towards and perceptions of technological activities in the language classroom. Data collected from students (n ¼ 71) in the French language departments of five Canadian universities were used to examine which technological activities students preferred, whether and to what degree different activities were judged useful, and how frequently students perceived that they were doing these activities. Four trends emerged. First, students find computer-assisted activities useful. Second, students prefer activities that are less mediated, more based on authentic materials and more like activities they do in everyday life, to didactic activities. Third, students tend to prefer and judge more useful the computerassisted activities done individually rather than collaborative activities. Finally, it seems that traditional types of computer-assisted activities such as listening, grammar, and vocabulary exercises are more appreciated and judged more useful than are newer types of activities such as blogs and WebQuests. Concluding remarks offer pedagogical suggestions based on these findings.

WebQuests as language-learning tools

“…Although this study focused on the participants' general knowledge, experiences and perceptions of educational technology preparation and did not present specific data on pre-service English teachers, results showed that pre-service teachers did not feel comfortable with spreadsheets, databases, concept mapping, hypermedia, WebQuests, simulation tools and video editing. It should be added that the Peters et al (2009) …”

“…In the first study reviewed, Peters, Weinberg, and Sarma (2009) examined second-language learners' attitudes towards and perceptions of technological activities in a French language classroom. Seventy-one students from five Canadian universities participated in the study.…”

Learner Attitudes, Perceptions, and Beliefs in Language Learning

“…Descriptions of student perceptions have also been common in the field, often focusing on specific aspects of the language learning classroom: first language (L1) usage (Rolin‐Ianziti & Varshney, ), technology (Peters, Weinberg, & Sarma, ), the native versus nonnative class instructor (Hertel & Sunderman, ), and, in the context of incoming freshmen in a university program, preferred classroom activities (Mandell, ). Similarly, Price and Gascoigne () sought to describe more general attitudes from college students about the “importance of foreign language study” and “postsecondary foreign language requirements” (Price & Gascoigne, , p. 386).…”

“…Similarly, Price and Gascoigne () sought to describe more general attitudes from college students about the “importance of foreign language study” and “postsecondary foreign language requirements” (Price & Gascoigne, , p. 386). Usually, these studies have been interpretive in nature, depending on the analysis of essays, interviews, and other forms of data, but some, notably Peters et al (), have used surveys with Likert‐scale and rank‐order questions to ascertain student perceptions. Note that these studies, when considered together, do not create a body of coherent findings about student perceptions; they represent isolated cases of exploratory work that each contribute to a different knowledge base about disparate topics (e.g., L1 usage, technology) in language learning.…”

“…A related type of self-belief is language-learning self-concept, or how students generally feel about themselves as language learners (Mills et al, 2007, p. 423). Learner beliefs can be focused on more external targets as well; Barcelos and Kalaja (2003) suggested that beliefs comprise students' "opinions and focusing on specifi c aspects of the language learning classroom: fi rst language (L1) usage (Rolin-Ianziti & Varshney, 2008), technology (Peters, Weinberg, & Sarma, 2009), the native versus nonnative class instructor (Hertel & Sunderman, 2009), and, in the context of incoming freshmen in a university program, preferred classroom activities (Mandell, 2002). Similarly, Price and Gascoigne (2006) sought to describe more general attitudes from college students about the "importance of foreign language study" and "postsecondary foreign language requirements" (Price & Gascoigne, 2006, p. 386).…”