Foreign Language Annals · 1993 · 51 citations · 12 references
Language StudiesFrenchLiteratureLanguage EducationLiterary StudiesSecond Language LearningLanguage LearningLanguage TeachingSecond Language AcquisitionAttitudes Toward Language LearningForeign Language InstructionForeign Language PedagogyOral Proficiency DevelopmentStudent Language Proficiency
Students often rate literary studies lower than linguistic components, and the reasons—including possible culture panic—remain poorly understood. The study tested whether students view literary studies as unhelpful for achieving oral proficiency. Survey data from intermediate French students support the hypothesis that literary studies are seen as unhelpful for oral proficiency, though other factors also emerged.
ABSTRACT It is well‐known that language students consistently rate the study of literature below the linguistic aspects of their foreign language course. The reasons for this low priority accorded to literary studies are less well understood. One plausible hypothesis was tested: Students do not perceive literary studies to be useful in helping them to achieve their primary goal of oral proficiency. This hypothesis can be supported from the evidence of a survey of a group of intermediate‐level university students of French, but it does not account for all the findings. The phenomenon of “culture panic” may be at least as important.
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