This thesis is focused on dynamic assessment (DA), an instructional approach based on Vygotskian sociocultural theory, applied to French pronunciation instruction, which can be neglected or inconsistent in the foreign language curriculum. DA aims to combine instruction and assessment into a cooperative, mediated approach in which the mediator works with the learner to identify and develop emergent abilities. These emergent abilities can appear in what is often referred to as the zone of proximal development (ZPD), or the difference between what a learner can do independently and what he/she can do with mediation, which in the present study was the difference between what the participant could pronounce correctly with or without mediation. In carrying out an individual DA session with a learner, the author aimed to find suggestions of potential benefits by applying DA to French pronunciation instruction and gain a more detailed understanding of the learner's performance than is generally possible from a traditional assessment, which is totally devoid of mediation for the sake of validity and reliability. The study includes a discussion of some potential benefits and limitations related to the use of DA for teaching French pronunciation to intermediate L2 learners based on what was observed in …

Teaching a foreign language using task-based language teaching (TBLT) has garnered a lot of attention and has been the object of worldwide scientific studies for the last thirty years. Few of these studies, however, include an evaluation of this method by the teachers themselves, or are conducted by them directly. My thesis, centered around the notion of task-based language learning, a teaching method recommended more and more though sometimes still snubbed, relies on my professional experience as a teacher of secondary level FLE classes in the United States and on the analysis of reference studies conducted in this field. I have adopted the methodology of research-action with the goal of offering a pedagogic intervention. First I identify certain hurdles encountered by high school foreign language teachers. After this introduction, I evaluate the methods and didactic principles that stood out to lead to a teaching philosophy centered around communication, such as task-based language teaching. The second part of the thesis presents some important studies that evaluate the pros and cons of this approach. The next section examines in turn each of three tasks offered as contrast against the traditional model consisting of presentation, practice and production, known as "PPP." Finally the …

This thesis examines the current system of education in Quebec. Quebec spends as much money on education as Ontario but is not seeing the same results. In this analysis the reasons for Ontario's success and the challenges that Quebec is facing are outlined along with suggestions for reform in order to improve outcomes in Quebec.

One of the most important French grammar rules is the rule of superiority: Masculine subjects always trump feminine subjects when there are multiple subjects. Superiority is closely followed by the acceptance that all nouns have a grammatical gender, either masculine or feminine. Since 1984, and over the span of forty years, these rules have been challenged on multiple levels of French society. The research conducted over the course of this thesis focuses on the mentality and reactions of the French people towards inclusive language made up of inclusive writing campaigns, the feminization of traditionally masculine names, career positions, and titles, and the introduction of gender-neutral forms of conjugating and neo-pronouns. The studied responses are be categorized into those of the French government, the Académie Française, as well as those from the Canadian government and the Office québécois de la langue française. Research demonstrates the existence of a clear division between "traditionalist" and progressive values at work within the afore-mentioned levels of French societal attitudes. While official government publications and committees seem to reflect a positive attitude towards the adoption of feminized terms, the lack of support for inclusive writing systems by the government contradicts this. This thesis outlines these responses …

This thesis explores the use of English loanwords in French discourse found on seven France-based corporate websites and the website of one government ministry in France. The following overarching question guided this research project: To what extent are English loanwords used in French for marketing purposes or other reasons? As expected, the results varied greatly from website to website, but it is clear from my analysis of this relatively small corpus that the use of English is widespread in French discourse. In this thesis, I allowed myself to engage in some speculation based on my own background and experiences. I acknowledge that further research is needed in order to provide a more comprehensive analysis of English loanwords in French since this is a very complicated topic that can be approached from many different angles.