A follow-up study at Bavarian “Gymnasium” to the project “Bilinguale Grundschule Französisch”

Attrition or Retention? The Impact of Instructional Gaps on L2-French Skills

A follow-up study at Bavarian “Gymnasium” to the project “Bilinguale Grundschule Französisch”

Our study is a follow-up investigation to the Bavarian Bilingual Primary School Program (Bilinguale Grundschule Französisch Bayern), in which French is taught either in extracurricular learning groups who receive two regular French lessons per week or as part of a bilingual German-French program. Previous findings show that students finish primary school with basic French skills ranging between A1.1 and A1.2 of the CEFR. This follow-up study seeks to trace the long-term development of the students’ French language competencies after their transition to secondary school.

The central aim of our study is to examine whether the students’ foreign language skills are retained or attrite during the gap in French language instruction that typically occurs in grade 5 when students transition from primary to secondary school. Most students who continue to learn French at a German “Gymnasium” experience a one-year hiatus because they usually continue with English as their first foreign language in fifth grade and resume French only in sixth grade.

We test students’ foreign language skills at the beginning and end of their first year of French in secondary school, evaluating listening, reading, writing, and speaking. The study compares three groups: a) students who learned French in a bilingual primary school program and continue to learn French after a one-year hiatus in grade 6; b) students who also started to learn French in a bilingual primary school program and continue to learn French without any interruption in grade 5; and c) students who start to learn French in grade 5 or 6 without prior exposure in primary school. This design allows for a comprehensive analysis of the sustainability of different approaches to French instruction in primary and secondary school.

Additionally, the study also examines students’ motivation and attitudes, as well as the pedagogical strategies used by teachers through questionnaires and interviews. This research will contribute to understanding the long-term impact of early (bilingual) foreign language education and provide insights into the possible effects of a one-year hiatus in French language education on the long-term development of students’ foreign language competencies.

Doctoral Candidate: Pia Reimann, Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Thorsten Piske