Frequency and change in communication strategy use : a study of the most successful core French students at the intermediate and senior high levels in three Upper Trinity South schools

Sturge, Joyce B. (1990) Frequency and change in communication strategy use : a study of the most successful core French students at the intermediate and senior high levels in three Upper Trinity South schools. Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

[English] PDF (Migrated (PDF/A Conversion) from original format: (application/pdf)) - Accepted Version Available under License - The author retains copyright ownership and moral rights in this thesis. Neither the thesis nor substantial extracts from it may be printed or otherwise reproduced without the author's permission. Download (14MB) [English] PDF - Accepted Version Available under License - The author retains copyright ownership and moral rights in this thesis. Neither the thesis nor substantial extracts from it may be printed or otherwise reproduced without the author's permission. (Original Version)

Abstract

This study was undertaken to examine communication strategy use by second language learners in grades seven, nine, and eleven of a core French Program. The investigation attempted to ascertain which strategies were employed most frequently by students at each of the three levels, and determine whether or not strategy use was related to the learners' linguistic competence in French. -- To achieve this goal, a total of eighteen of the most successful core French students, from grades seven, nine, and eleven, were chosen from three schools in the Upper Trinity South School System. By means of an interview format elicitation task, each subject was interviewed by his present French teacher for ten minutes, with the speech samples being recorded on audio cassette. -- The speech samples were then analyzed using a typology of communication strategies, based on the typologies developed by Tarone (1983) and Willems (1987). The information obtained from the samples was then converted into tables showing individual strategy use. Strategies were categorized as Reduction and Achievement types, with the latter being further subdivided as Interlingual and Intralingual. This information was then presented in graphic form, making use of descriptive statistics. -- The results of this study showed that intermediate and senior high students use communication strategies that adults, in previous studies, were found to have used. We found that the Interlingual Strategies were used more frequently than Intralingual Strategies in the three grades, with Borrowing being the most-frequently-used strategy. Grade eleven students tended to employ more strategies in their interlanguage communication than the subjects in grades seven and nine. These subjects also used Retrieval Strategies more frequently than the other two groups. -- In this study students at each grade level demonstrated a preference for use of Interlingual strategies. While, theoretically, one might have anticipated that the grade eleven students, with a presumed higher level of linguistic competence, would have used a higher percentage of Intralingual strategy types, this was not the case. All three grades, however, tended to choose Achievement Strategies over Reduction Strategies in their communication.

Actions (login required)

View Item