La motivation et le concept de soi : Regards croisés de l’élève et de l’enseignant de français langue étrangère en Suède

La motivation et le concept de soi : Regards croisés de l’élève et de l’enseignant de français langue étrangère en Suède

This thesis contains two studies focusing on motivation in learning and teaching French as a foreign language in Sweden. In the first study, the effect of three specifically designed pedagogical activities on learners’ Ideal French Self (IFrS) and Intended Effort (IE) was examined in a group of 15-year-old Swedish pupils. No significant difference could be found between the two intervention classes (n=45) and the control class (n=14) after the intervention (z=0,56, p=.924). However, a positive and significant effect was observed in one of the two intervention classes (Class M: t(23)=-2,33, p=.029). Moreover, the interviews and open questionnaires indicated that the activities increased the learners’ awareness of the possibility of French becoming a part of their future. After the intervention, students mentioned they realised that (teenage) French speaking cultures were closer to their own and they considered the school subject “French” to be more “real”. The students found the activities’ authenticity and the fact that they connected directly with French speaking cultures very stimulating. The study also confirmed a strong link between the variables IFrS and IE (rs=.71**).
The second study proposes a new concept, the Teacher Motivator Self (TMS), to examine French teachers’ perception (n=294) of their role as a motivator. The TMS is built on teachers’ beliefs which in turn are based on their experiences and knowledge gathered from their past experiences, their current situation and their vision of a future and an ideal teacher situation. The responding teachers reported a strong and increasing TMS over the years. Cluster analysis revealed two major teacher profiles: in the first cluster, teachers had a generally high and stable level of TMS over the years and a weaker Ideal TMS whereas in the second cluster, teachers had a general weaker TMS over the years but a stronger Ideal TMS. The variables I had motivating teachers during my schoolyears (rs=.35**) and I perceive my work as meaningful (rs=.32**) had a moderate and positive effect on the TMS’s strength. The three motivational strategies reported as mostly used in the classroom were adapting the lessons’ content to individual student needs, reinforcing the link between lessons’ content and the world outside and using authentic material.
The two studies highlight the complexity of the process of motivation and the close relation between learners’ and teachers’ psychology. They also underline the need to, not only inform pre- and in-service teachers about their important role as motivator, but also to help them reflect upon their own teacher beliefs and give them tools to support language students with different levels of motivation in the classroom.