1. COMPARISON OF PERFORMANCE BY 'FLES' PROGRAM STUDENTS AND REGULAR FRENCH III STUDENTS ON MODERN LANGUAGE ASSOCIATION TESTS.
- Author
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BREGA, EVELYN and NEWELL, JOHN M.
- Abstract
THE EFFECT OF EXPOSURE TO FRENCH IN THE ELEMENTARY GRADES (FLES) ON LATER LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY AND PERFORMANCE IN FRENCH COURSES IN HIGH SCHOOL WAS EVALUATED. ONE GROUP OF 17 HAD BEEN GIVEN ABOUT 1 HOUR A WEEK OF AUDIOLINGUAL TRAINING BEGINNING IN GRADE 3. THE OTHER GROUP OF 15 BEGAN FRENCH IN GRADE 9. BOTH GROUPS WERE ADMINISTERED THE MLA COOPERATIVE FOREIGN LANGUAGE TEST (LEVEL M) WHICH SAMPLES ACHIEVEMENT IN SPEAKING, READING, WRITING, AND COMPREHENSION. THE FLES GROUP PERFORMED SIGNIFICANTLY BETTER ON ALL FOUR OF THE MLA TESTS. SINCE THE FLES TRAINING EMPHASIZES SPEAKING AND LISTENING, IT WAS NOT SUPRISING THAT THE FLES GROUP WAS SUPERIOR ON THESE TESTS. IT IS SIGNIFICANT THAT THE FLES GROUP WAS ALSO SUPERIOR ON TESTS OF READING AND WRITING, ALL OF WHICH LENDS SUPPORT TO THE VALUE OF FLES TRAINING ON LATER PERFORMANCE IN HIGH SCHOOL FRENCH. BECAUSE OF THE SMALL NUMBER OF SUBJECTS AND BECAUSE THE MEAN IQ FOR THE FLES GROUP (141) WAS SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER THAN THE MEAN IQ FOR THE REGULAR GROUP (128), GENERALIZATION FROM THESE FINDINGS IS LIMITED. THIS PAPER WAS PRESENTED AT THE AMERICAN EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH ASSOCIATION CONVENTION (FEBRUARY 1965) AND IS REPRINTED FROM "THE FRENCH REVIEW," VOLUME 39, NUMBER 3, DECEMBER 1965. (AUTHOR)
- Published
- 1965