Features of using information technologies in teaching French as a native and foreign language in schools in France, Canada, Morocco, and Russia

Full Text

Problem statement. Information Technology has rapidly evolved into a significant component of modern society’s life and activities. Today, many countries regard understanding these technologies and mastering their fundamental concepts as an integral part of basic education, on par with reading, writing, and arithmetic. In contemporary Russian schools, the use of IT in teaching is becoming a commonplace component of the educational process, opening new opportunities for enhancing the quality and accessibility of education. However, for the effective application of these technologies, it is essential to consider international experience, which demonstrates successful practices and innovative approaches, including those in foreign language teaching. The methodological foundations and conceptual frameworks for the application of new information technologies in education have been explored by scholars such as Ya.A. Vagramenko [1], K.K. Kolin [2], E.S. Polat [3], among others. The development and implementation of software and methodological complexes for organizing instruction in educational institutions using new information technologies were the focus of work by T.A. Boronenko [4], A.P. Ershov [5], and A.E. Maron [6]. Meanwhile, issues of pedagogical support for the use of new information technologies in learning, including challenges related to corresponding teacher training, were addressed by S.A. Beshenkov [7], Yu.S. Branovsky [8], V.V. Grinshkun [9;10], L.Yu. Monakhova [6], and others. Foreign language training represents an area of the education system where IT can fundamentally transform both teaching methods and educational outcomes. This potential has been noted by many domestic scholars, including A.G. Oleynik [11], E.S. Polat [12; 13], and I.V. Robert [14]. The selection of France, Canada, and Morocco for examination within this study, which is dedicated to improving French language instruction, is justified by their historical ties to the language, the extensive scope of its dissemination, and the differences in the status of the French language within each country. In France, French is the native language, which allows for an investigation into the application of IT in its instruction from the perspective of cultural identity and traditions. As a bilingual country, Canada presents a compelling case for studying the use of information technologies in teaching French, potentially enabling the identification of specific features that distinguish its application from English language teaching, and vice versa. In Morocco, the primary language is Arabic, while French is not an official language but holds the status of a second language. It is widely used in education and business. The experience of integrating IT into the educational process for teaching French writing, phonetics, and grammar is of particular interest due to the language’s significant dissimilarity from the native language of Moroccans. It is important to study the existing educational electronic resources in these countries to adapt and utilize best practices for teaching the French language in Russia. Thus, the relevance of this study is driven by the rapid development of information technologies and their penetration into all spheres of life, including education. The use of information technology in teaching foreign languages in schools, particularly French, is becoming increasingly popular and in demand. Against this backdrop, a significant problem is the near-total absence of a comparative analysis of the specifics of using modern information technologies in teaching the French language within the general education systems of different countries. It is, therefore, advisable to identify best practices and, on this basis, develop recommendations for optimizing the relevant approaches in the Russian Federation. The aim of the research conducted and described in this article is to perform a comparative analysis of the specific features of using information technologies in teaching French as both a native and a foreign language in France, Canada, Morocco, and Russia. A further objective, based on the results of this analysis, is to formulate recommendations for enhancing the effectiveness of French language instruction using IT in Russian schools. Methodology. The study involves an analysis of the theoretical aspects of using IT in the field of foreign language education. This analysis is grounded in the fact that the development of IT has a rich history in science, and the term ‘information technology’ itself carries varying definitions depending on the context. The research considers that in the sphere of education, IT is transforming instructional approaches. Such technologies encompass the use of computers, software, the Internet, etc., to enhance the effectiveness of the educational process. The study acknowledges the evolution of teaching aids in foreign language instruction, from audiovisual tools such as tape recorders and projectors to modern online platforms and mobile applications. Audiovisual teaching methods laid the groundwork for the integration of IT into language teaching, and the advent of computers and the Internet expanded opportunities for interactive and distance learning. Modern technologies, such as distance learning platforms, video conferencing, and mobile applications, have made language learning more accessible and interactive. While these technical tools offer several advantages, certain disadvantages exist, including technical challenges and over-reliance on technology. Nevertheless, information technologies continue to transform the foreign language learning process, offering new ways of interaction and enhancement of language skills. Instruction in French as a native language emphasizes adherence to linguistic norms and rules established by official governing bodies. The learning process involves mastering orthography, grammar, and style, as well as developing reading comprehension, text analysis, and written expression skills. In bilingual countries, instruction also considers the interaction between French and other languages, which requires additional attention to the specific features of the language. The research considers that several approaches to teaching French as a foreign language exist, including the traditional grammar-translation method, the communicative approach, project-based learning, and intensive instruction, each of which emphasizes different aspects of the learning process. The study employs a comparative analysis of existing methods for teaching French and applying IT across different countries. This is followed by the development of corresponding recommendations for Russian schools and the experimental testing of the effectiveness of the proposed approaches and digital resources. Results and discussion. The integration of IT into the educational process has become a priority in the 21st century across all the countries under study. Governments actively support this process and direct their policies toward developing students’ digital skills and integrating technology into instruction. For instance, France has implemented the Digital Technologies for Education 2023-2027 strategy; Canada invests in IT projects such as MétaLingo and Voilà Learning; Morocco has initiated the GENIE, NAFIDA, and Maroc Numeric programs; and Russia is implementing the federal project Digital Educational Environment. In French schools, digital platforms are widely used to provide access to educational materials, support school administration, and facilitate communication among participants in the educational process. The Ministry of National Education actively supports the development and dissemination of digital educational resources, such as Éduthèque and BRNE (Banque de Ressources Numériques pour l’École), enabling teachers to adapt materials to their students’ needs. Platforms like Édubase and TraAM (Travaux Académiques Mutualisés) foster the sharing of pedagogical practices and resources among educators. For French language instruction, innovative digital resources such as Orthonémo, Ridisi, and Corneille are employed. These tools exemplify the use of technology to enhance students’ writing and reading skills through interactive and adaptive learning approaches. French holds a significant place in Canada’s educational system as one of the country’s two official languages. In 2023, the Canadian government approved a new action plan for official languages, which includes substantial investments to ensure the equal status of English and French. Regarding French language education, Canada actively develops immersion programs and French as a Second Language (FSL) instruction. Canadian schools are integrating information technologies into teaching, ranging from interactive whiteboards and online platforms such as Google Read and Write, Conjuguemos, and BonPatron, to metaverse technologies like the MétaLingo project. These innovations contribute to more effective learning and enhanced interaction between students and teachers. According to statistics, 79% of Canadian teachers consider technology essential for lesson preparation, as it facilitates the learning process for students and helps educators adapt to diverse student abilities. However, Canada also faces challenges, including disparities in IT infrastructure across schools and insufficient training for teachers in effectively utilizing new technologies. In Morocco, despite lacking official language status, French retains significant importance in education and is widely used in schools. France actively participates in supporting French language education in the Kingdom: from 2010 to 2023, a notable increase has been observed in the number of educational institutions and students within the network of French schools. Morocco is implementing ambitious national initiatives, such as the GENIE, NAFIDA, and Maroc Numeric programs, aimed at integrating information technologies into the educational process. For teaching French, computer programs and applications are utilized, though these are predominantly developed outside Morocco. The use of the digital resource TV5Monde, and telecommunication platforms like Parlons français, c’est facile and France Université Numérique is expanding. These platforms host courses in French as a Foreign Language (FLE), which can assist beginners in mastering the fundamentals of French. The assignments from such courses can be effectively employed in teaching school students. In Russia, state initiatives aimed at integrating information technologies into the educational process support the modernization of teaching methods, including the instruction of French. Regarding the application of IT in teaching French, both domestically developed and foreign products are utilized. Examples include the set of interactive French textbooks Débutant A0 et A1, developed by Nizhny Novgorod State Linguistic University, and the educational series Extra, among others. Online resources such as the collections of the Russian Electronic School (Rossiyskaya Elektronnaya Shkola) and the Moscow Electronic School (Moskovskaya Elektronnaya Shkola) are widely popular. These platforms are designed to facilitate comprehensive familiarity with all aspects of the French language. Thus, each of the four countries under investigation pursues a policy of integrating IT into education, while implementing diverse projects. In teaching the French language, both domestically developed technologies and those recognized worldwide are utilized. To conduct a comparative analysis and develop recommendations for the use of information technologies in teaching French to school students, the study has identified several criteria and methods for comparing the capabilities and advantages of such technologies. Educational digital resources are evaluated according to the following criteria: 0 - does not meet the criterion; 1 - some components of the resource meet the criterion; 2 - the entire resource meets the criterion. As part of the comparative analysis of educational electronic resources, a table (Table 1) has been constructed. In this table, such resources are grouped by country and evaluated according to the proposed criteria, while a general characterization of the resources from each of the studied countries is also provided. To date, twentytwo digital educational resources have been examined. Table 1 Comparative analysis of educational digital resources across different countries that are important for teaching French Educational Digital Resource Evaluation criteria* General characteristics ENT 1 2 1 0 1 1 0 0 In-depth study of rules and exceptions. Culture- and history-based examples from France. Most materials are developed by native speakers Orthonémo 2 2 1 0 0 2 2 0 Ridisi 1 2 1 1 1 1 0 1 Corneille 2 0 1 1 0 2 2 2 ÉduNum 0 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 TraAM 0 1 1 1 0 1 0 1 Édubase 0 1 1 1 0 1 0 1 Voilà Learning 1 1 0 1 1 1 1 1 Integration of English and French language instruction, utilizing adapted versions of validated English-language teaching materials for French language education. The materials include culture- and geography-based examples from Francophone regions of Canada. Exposure to regional dialectal and lexical specificities MétaLingo 2 0 0 1 2 1 0 1 Google Read and Write 1 0 1 1 1 1 1 0 Conjuguemos 2 1 0 0 0 2 2 1 Seesaw 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 BonPatron 1 0 0 0 0 1 2 1 Google Classroom 2 1 1 1 2 1 1 0 Frantastique 2 0 1 1 0 2 2 2 Primary focus on learning phonetics and writing the characters of the French alphabet Podcast fran ais facile 0 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 Teachapp 1 1 1 0 0 1 0 0 MESH 1 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 Availability of explanations and comparisons in Russian, focus on the Federal State Educational Standard. Examples adapted to the culture, history, and geography of Russia RESH 1 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 Debutant A0 и A1 1 0 1 1 0 2 2 1 TV5Monde 2 0 1 1 0 2 1 1 TV series Extra 0 0 1 1 0 2 0 0 *Note: 0 - does not meet the criterion; 1 - partially meets the criterion (not all components comply); 2 - fully meets the criterion. Source: compiled by Ekaterina S. Yakovleva. The analysis of approaches to using information technologies in teaching French in the schools of the specified countries enables the development of recommendations for Russian educational institutions. To formulate and describe such recommendations, the study has categorized types of learning activities, and for each recommended digital educational resource, a specific component has been identified as a corresponding example. The developed recommendations are presented in an abbreviated form in Table 2. Table 2 Recommendations on the use of educational digital resources in French language instruction by type of learning activity Type of learning activity Recommended educational digital resource Country Resource component Commentary Grammar instruction Orthonémo France Flashcards for memorizing the spelling of new words The use of new words in the lesson to practice spelling Debutant A0 и A1 Russia Interactive activities for noun-adjective agreement practice Recommended for practicing agreement rules Conjuguemos Canada Verb conjugation minigame for comprehensive tense/mood practice Possibility for individual athome practice and self-guided classroom training BonPatron Canada Exercises offered by the platform after finding a mistake made in the text The platform offers exercises for training based on previous mistakes RESH Russia Interactive training exercises Using Moscow-Paris flight lesson materials to introduce the Subjunctive mood Phonetics instruction Corneille France Audio tracks with speech accuracy assessment capability Possibility for individual student phonetics practice Video sequence with pronunciation of letters and letter combinations Use for speech warm-up in the lesson’s initial phase Podcast fran ais facile Morocco Set of illustrations demonstrating labio- nasal articulation positioning Recommended for use as a speaking warm-up activity before the main lesson Orthonémo France Pronunciation and memorization flashcards for difficult words Use for practicing pronunciation and spelling of words TV5Monde Russia Authentic materials (videos) from TV shows Recommended for pronunciation training Teaching speaking skills Voilà Learning Canada Platform functionality Use to practice dialogic speech skills through communication on the platform during extracurricular time Google Read and Write Canada Voice recording subsystems Recommended to use it in the preparation of monologues during extracurricular time Frantastique Morocco Online communication with artificial intelligence tools Possibility of individual use to practice the speaking skill Life situation modeling training Frantastique Morocco Audio and video dialogues, for example, Anna et Nadia parlent à la réception Recommended for practicing listening skills Table 2, ending Type of learning activity Recommended educational digital resource Country Resource component Commentary RESH Russia Practice exercises on various topics Each lesson is based on the interests of the students, for example, 3rd grade - ‘my family and friends’, 10th grade - ‘career choice’ TV series Extra Russia Using series for thematic vocabulary instruction (e.g., going shopping, preparing dinner, etc.) Capability to teach all language aspects through a single series Teaching the history, culture and geography of France and French-speaking countries Frantastique Morocco Educational video about Catherine Deneuve and Françoise Dorleak based on the film The Young Girls of Rochefort Introduction to French culture and listening comprehension practice through post- viewing tasks RESH Russia Interactive tasks to choose a quote from the national symbol of France Recommended to use it when exploring the culture of different countries MESH Russia Videos about the sights of Canada Working in groups Conjuguemos Canada A mini-game for conjugation training Possibility to play against each other and teams Google Classroom Canada Creating student groups on the platform Use to assign tasks to the entire group and monitor their completion Implementation of educational projects Seesaw Canada Maintaining and using student portfolios Project execution and registration of results on the platform, it is possible to provide access to the teacher Google Classroom Canada Group creation and collaboration through the platform Possibility of using in group project activities ÉduNum France Letters ÉduNum Lettres No. … Possibility to find new material for project activities Spelling training Corneille France A simulator for a phone/ tablet, during which students need to repeat the spelling of a letter or syllable Use in extracurricular activities to practice spelling Teachapp Morocco Letter cards that tell you how to spell the alphabet correctly Flashcards are used in lessons to introduce students to the symbols of the alphabet Syllable and word writing simulator Recommended for practicing lowercase letter writing Source: compiled by Ekaterina S. Yakovleva. Based on these recommendations, lesson plans have been developed that incorporate the use of information technologies identified through the study of approaches to teaching French in the aforementioned countries. These lesson plans can serve as prototypes for their further implementation in teaching Russian school students. To experimentally verify the effectiveness of teaching French to school students using the proposed recommendations and developed lesson plans, a pedagogical experiment was conducted in a school setting. The goal of the experiment was to substantiate the assumption that studying the experience and conducting a comparative analysis of the specifics of using IT in teaching French as both a native and foreign language in France, Canada, and Morocco, as well as comparing and incorporating the results of this analysis into improving the methodological system of French language instruction in Russia, contributes to enhancing the effectiveness of this training for students in Russian schools. The pedagogical experiment was conducted at School No. 8 in Smolensk during the second quarter of the 2024/2025 academic year in ninth grades: 9A, 9B and 9C. It should be noted that in class 9C, there are two subgroups of students learning French. The total number of participants involved in the experiment is 73. The classes were compiled into two groups: a control group and an experimental group. The control group was taught without the use of the recommended educational resources and developed lesson plans, while the experimental group was taught using the recommended information technologies and developed materials. Table 3 presents the distribution of classes among the groups, as well as the number of individuals who participated in the experiment. Table 3 The allocation of classes into groups in the framework of a pedagogical experiment These are the stages of the pedagogical experiment. 1. Conducting initial testing in the classes at the beginning of the second quarter. 2. Conducting lessons in the classes according to their distribution into control and experimental groups. 3. Conducting final testing at the end of the second quarter of instruction. Each of the four sections in the administered testing was assessed on a scale from 0 to 25 points. Thus, the maximum possible score for the entire test was 100 points. The test results for each student from the experimental group are presented in Figure 1, and for those from the control group - in Figure 2. During the experimental work, statistical processing of the obtained data was carried out using the Pearson’s chi-squared test, which is used to compare the distribution functions of objects from two populations based on the state of a certain property, utilizing measurements of this property in two independent samples drawn from the calculated populations. Figure 1. Academic performance of students in the experimental group Source: created by Ekaterina S. Yakovleva. Figure 2. Academic performance of students in the control group Source: created by Ekaterina S. Yakovleva. The Pearson’s correlation coefficient (r) is calculated using the following formula, where x and y are the sample means: ∑(x- x) (y - y) r =. ∑(x- x)2∑(y - y)2 To facilitate the mathematical calculation using the formula, Microsoft Excel spreadsheet software was employed, with all obtained data entered into the program. The Pearson’s chi-square test value for the control group was 0.78, while for the experimental group it was 0.86. The comparative results diagram in Figure 3 displays the number of students in each group (N), the change in average score after initial and final testing, as well as the Pearson’s coefficient for each group. The average test score in the control group increased from 35.5 to 63.6, while in the experimental group it rose from 35.8 to 74.1. Figure 3. A comparative diagram based on the results of a pedagogical experiment Source: created by Ekaterina S. Yakovleva. Thus, the obtained experimental results demonstrate that the application of information technologies from the studied countries in French language lessons in schools contributes to enhancing the effectiveness of student preparation. Conclusion. During the research, criteria and methods of comparative analysis of the possibilities and advantages of using information technology in teaching French in different countries are proposed. The purpose of such a comparative analysis is to identify the features of an educational electronic resource according to the proposed criteria for further development of recommendations on its use based on the data obtained. More precisely, it can be stated that the study has yielded the following main findings and results. 1. Criteria and methods for the comparative analysis of the capabilities and advantages of using information technologies in teaching French across different countries have been proposed. 2. Based on a comprehensive analysis, the specific features of using information technologies in teaching French as both a native and foreign language in France, Canada, Morocco, and Russia have been identified, which are significant for consideration in improving methodological systems for teaching French to school students in Russian educational institutions. 3. Recommended information technology tools used in different countries have been selected and systematized according to the main types of learning activities characteristic of teaching French to school students. 4. Recommendations for teaching French in Russian schools have been developed, considering international experience in using information technologies. 5. It has been experimentally substantiated that incorporating the results of the conducted comparative analysis into improving the methodological teaching system contributes to enhancing the effectiveness of French language training for students in Russian schools. 6. Based on the consideration of international experience, recommendations have been developed for teaching French in Russian schools according to the following types of learning activities: grammar instruction, phonetics instruction, teaching speaking skills, instruction based on modeling real-life situations, teaching the history, culture and geography of France and Francophone countries, working in groups, implementation of educational projects and spelling training.

About the authors

Ekaterina S. Yakovleva

Moscow Metropolitan Governance Yury Luzhkov University

Author for correspondence.
Email: makarovskaya.ekaterina@yandex.ru
ORCID iD: 0009-0008-7979-892X
SPIN-code: 6269-5253

Education Program Manager, Center for Special Education Programs

28 Sretenka St, Moscow, 107045, Russian Federation

References

Supplementary files