A Critical Examination of the Beliefs about Learning a Foreign Language at Primary School

6.5.10 Things They Thought They Had Learned

When asked to name some of the things they had learned in their French
lessons responses displayed a wide variety in what individual children
remembered. Responses included 'how to say numbers', 'how to count', 'how to
say good morning and hello', 'what is your name', 'say some words and ask
some questions', 'say some sentences', 'spelling, speaking, listening, reading
and writing in French', 'say our name and age and where we live' and 'ask
people questions' as well as 'we have learned how to say things in French'.
Individual responses, however, ranged from simple comments such as 'how to
count' or 'how old are you' to responses such as 'have a conversation',
'communicate and talk about ourselves', 'learned things about people' and
'what's masculine and feminine'. Some children's experience of having 'learned'
French therefore seemed very different from the experience of others. Many
said that they had learned numbers and greetings, for example, but few could
remember anything close to the language material that had been covered. One
boy said that he looked forward to telling his teacher at secondary school what
he had learned which, ac∞rding to what he said on the questionnaire, is 'saying
the names of objects in French'. One boy simply stated that he could not
remember anything.

6.5.11 Finding out about French-speaking People and Countries where
French Is Spoken

The question what they would like to find out about French-speaking people or
countries where French is spoken was included to provide the teacher with

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