Abstract:

The current study is part of a teaching innovation project carried out in the Bachelor’s Degree in French Studies at the University of Granada (Spain). The two main objectives of the project were, on the one hand, to determine the level of French as a foreign language (FFL) and to design a personalized tutoring strategy according to the language level of the students to ensure the acquisition of FFL skills at C1+ level at the end of their 4-year university studies; and on the other hand, to encourage greater responsibility, self-reflection, autonomy, and internal motivation of the students in their learning process.

With regard to methodology, an initial assessment test was designed and developed to assess the prior knowledge of the students. An online survey was also developed and conducted to determine the profile and motivation of students to learn FFL. Subsequently, personalised and collaborative tutoring has been organized, individually and collectively, for the students.

At the end of the semester, students carried out a satisfaction survey on the FFL assessment, and the collaborative and personalised tutoring, in order to evaluate their perceptions on responsibility, self-reflection and autonomy in their learning process.

The outcomes of these surveys showed positive evaluations. Students confirmed that these collaborative and personalised tutoring strategies helped them to reflect on the way they learn, which has increased their motivation to improve their FFL language skills in an autonomous way. In conclusion, the use of a FFL assessment in conjunction with collaborative and personalised tutoring should be applied in all FFL courses to keep students engaged.

Acknowledgement:
This study was supported by Grant Nº21-15 (Proyecto de Innovación y Buenas Prácticas Docentes Básicos II 2021-2022, Universidad de Granada, España) and by Grant Nº PPJIA2020.07 (Proyecto de Investigación Precompetitivo para Jóvenes Investigadores del Plan Propio 2020, Universidad de Granada, España).

Keywords:

French as a foreign language, language skills, assessment, DIALANG, self-reflection, tutoring.