Abstract:

The aim of this experiment was firstly to develop students’ French oral and written communication skills, using Problem based learning (PBL) methodology. The second aim of the experiment was to develop the skills needed to meet the business world expectations, such as critical and analytical skills, independent thinking and decision- making, social skills as well as problem solving.

PBL is an eight-steps student-centered pedagogical approach which simulates a professional meeting, during which students create knowledge. The knowledge is initiated by a trigger created and provided by the teacher, and built through independent research carried out by the students. It is then shared collectively in a discussion. The role of the teacher is limited to tutoring and guiding the learning process.

The experiment involved a group of 9 undergraduate students, with a A2/B1 level in French and was conducted in the middle of the Spring semester 2021.

Data collection was carried out in two steps: teacher’s observations and students’ feedback survey. The learning process was monitored by following and assessing students’ research notes and professional assignments, as well as their participation during the discussion. The students’ feedback survey provided information on their learning self-assessment, as well as their assessment of the methodology.

The experiment demonstrated that with the PBL method, besides practicing and developing their language skills, the students expanded their professional skills, by experiencing the use of the language in a realistic professional situation. The students’ motivation, dynamism and autonomy increased and the students demonstrated a better assimilation of their learning.

Future experiments with larger samples would provide more information and insights for using PBL in language teaching.

Keywords:

Problem Based Learning (PBL), Language learning, Professional skills, Trigger.