On Thursday, April 12, 2018, Grace Amarachukwu Obaigbona, a doctoral student in language sciences specializing in didactics and linguistics at theLangages, Languages, Literatures, Societies, Transborder and International Studies (LLSETI), will defend her dissertation titled “The Integration of Multimedia (Pedagogical, Methodological, and Technological Aspects) in FLE Didactics as a Motivational Factor for Multilingual FLE Learners in Nigeria.”
The defense will take place at 9 a.m. in Building 13, Room 13107, on the Jacob-Bellecombette campus.
Thesis summary
The integration of multimedia (pedagogical, methodological, and technological aspects) into FLE instruction as a motivational factor for multilingual FLE learners in Nigeria. In our research, we aim to study the use of multimedia as a motivational factor among multilingual learners and in the teaching of French as a Foreign Language (FLE) in Nigeria, a developing country. One of the challenges facing foreign language teaching in Nigeria is the general linguistic situation of learners. With over 400 languages, Nigeria is known for its “extreme linguistic diversity” (Elugbe 1994:62). In the teaching and learning of French, teachers and students are confronted not only with this multilingual reality but also with other negative factors such as class size, student heterogeneity, and often a lack of motivation. We note that certain technologies have already been implemented in nearly all Nigerian universities. In all government ministries, officials are required to acquire basic computer skills. Internet cafes exist in every city, and people can now even surf the web from home. Blended learning is an approach that combines traditional classroom learning with computer-mediated learning (Graham, 2006:5). Language learning is a comprehensive social and cultural practice, all the more so when it incorporates new technologies that facilitate a wide variety of social interactions (Kern & Warschauer, 2000). If a communicative approach is desirable, then it is worth exploring the possibilities offered by hybrid learning to improve language teaching and learning in Nigeria. For the research methodology and data collection, we used a questionnaire that was sent to FLE teachers and students in Nigeria to determine the various approaches and methods used in the teaching and learning of French as a foreign language in Nigeria. In conclusion, this research presents the results of a study on the motivations of Nigerian teachers and learners for learning French, with or without the use of blended learning. However, we cannot claim that the results we obtained will be valid for the entire country (Nigeria). Nevertheless, it is important to note that these results will facilitate the implementation of blended learning within the country’s overall system of teaching and learning French as a foreign language.