THE “BILINGUAL GAME” IN THE CAMEROON FRENCH-MEDIUM SECONDARY EDUCATION / LE "JEU BILINGUE" DANS L'ENSEIGNEMENT SECONDAIRE FRANCOPHONE AU CAMEROUN

Leundjeu Walter Yepdia

Abstract


This paper investigated teachers’ and students’ attitudes towards the “bilingual game” in Cameroon French-medium secondary education since its implementation in 2009. Attitudinal factors under scrutiny were behavioural, affective and cognitive gathered from a total number of 400 informants through questionnaires. Data were analysed following Wenden (1991)’s theoretical framework. The findings revealed that the majority of teachers pooled scarcely practised the bilingual game during classroom activities, an attitude which hampers students’ achievement in English. Nevertheless, these teachers acknowledged the positive impact of the game on students’ competence in English and students likewise viewed it as a catalyst for knowledge, proficiency, and communication. The present investigation calls for the revision of the EFL curriculum of Cameroonian French-speaking students while including content-integrated language learning activities, to make them full-fledged bilingual, a goal that the bilingual game could not utterly meet.

Cet article a mené une investigation sur l’attitude des enseignants et des élèves à l'égard du "jeu bilingue" dans l'enseignement secondaire francophone au Cameroun depuis sa mise en œuvre en 2009. Les facteurs attitudinaux examinés étaient d'ordre comportemental, affectif et cognitif, recueillis auprès d'un nombre total de 400 informateurs par le biais de questionnaires. Les données ont été analysées en suivant le cadre théorique de Wenden (1991). Les résultats ont révélé que la majorité des enseignants interrogés pratiquaient à peine le jeu bilingue pendant les activités de classe, une attitude qui entrave l’apprentissage des élèves en anglais. Néanmoins, ces enseignants ont reconnu l'impact positif du jeu sur la compétence des élèves en anglais et les élèves à leur tour l'ont également considéré comme un catalyseur de la connaissance, de la compétence et de la communication. La présente enquête appelle à une révision du programme d'enseignement de l’anglais comme langue étrangère aux élèves francophones camerounais en incluant des activités d'apprentissage aux contenus intégrés, afin de les rendre parfaitement bilingues, un objectif que le jeu bilingue ne pourrait pas totalement atteindre.

 

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attitudes, bilingual game, Cameroon French-medium secondary education / attitudes, jeu bilingue, enseignement secondaire francophone au Cameroun

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DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.46827/ejals.v6i1.401

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