An investigation of the effect of evaluation techniques on pupil achievement in the teaching of a French program

Mooney, Aloysius H.(Aloysius Hugh) (1981) An investigation of the effect of evaluation techniques on pupil achievement in the teaching of a French program. Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

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Abstract

The purpose of the present study was to examine the effect of evaluation on student achievement in the learning of French as a second language. The study questioned whether student knowledge of the evaluation of listening and speaking skills would affect student achievement in these skill areas. -- The sample consisted of 64 grade eight students attending two separate elementary schools in an urban district of eastern Newfoundland. Each class was randomly assigned to treatment and traditional groups. Students in the traditional group anticipated traditional evaluation procedures, which stressed the reading and writing skills. Students in the treatment group anticipated evaluation of all four language skills--listening, speaking, reading, and writing. -- Tests were developed for each of the skill areas of listening, speaking, reading, and writing to accompany Component V of the Passeport Francais program, the basic skills approach to French language learning currently in use in the schools. The tests were checked for validity and reliability. After five weeks of instruction by their teachers, which was monitored by the investigator, the students were administered the tests focussing on each of the language skill areas. -- The hypotheses predicted that there would be no significant difference in achievement between the treatment and traditional groups with respect to the results of the criterion-referenced achievement tests in the skill areas under investigation. -- The data collected from the four subtests were compared between the two groups using a series of t-tests for independent samples. A .01 level of significance was used. -- The major findings of the study revealed that students achieve at a higher level in French, if they are aware that their evaluation includes each of the language skills of listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Students who do not anticipate evaluation of the listening and speaking skills do not achieve at as high a level in those skill areas. -- The findings also suggested that students experience greater success when evaluation procedures reflect the aims and teaching strategies of the French language program being used.

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