| dc.description.abstract | This study focuses on mastery of French verb conjugation. Kenyan learners of French as a
foreign language at secondary level encounter difficulties with verb conjugation. These
difficulties are mainly due to the complexity of the verbal system, the large number of verb
types (regular, irregular, reflexive, etc.), the multiple rules of agreement, etc. This complexity
could lead to problems in both oral and written communication, as verbs are the basis of
sentences and utterances. The objectives of the study are: (1) to evaluate the level of mastery
of French verb conjugation among Kenyan learners in Vihiga County; (2) identify errors
made by the Kenyan learners of FFL in Vihiga County in the conjugation of French verbs; (3)
classify these errors into existing types, according to Catach's classification; (4) and to assess
the opinions of French teachers (FLE) in Vihiga County regarding the teaching of French
verb conjugation. The study is anchored on the behaviourism theory, which has two
applications in teaching/learning: objective-based teaching and mastery learning. The study
adopted a descriptive approach. A knowledge test was administered to the learners to
evaluate the acquisition of French verb conjugation forms and a questionnaire to teachers to
get their opinions. The study population comprised 21 secondary schools in Vihiga County
which offer French, with a population of 198 learners and 26 teachers. Form four learners
took part in the study, having been exposed to the language for a longer period of time and
able to conjugate verbs in French. A random sample of 57 learners and 13 teachers was
selected for the study due to their availability. The data from the language test was analysed
quantitatively and qualitatively using statistical measures, particularly scores and averages,
while data from the questionnaire was analysed by content analysis. The identification,
inventory and classification of errors made by the subjects evaluated was carried out using
Catach's error typology. The study established that none of the subjects had reached the
threshold of knowledge mastery, as dictated by the pedagogy of learning mastery. The
subjects evaluated made numerous errors in verb conjugation. The following categories
recorded the highest number of errors: omission of vowels/consonants, incorrect relationship
between grammatical categories, conjugation of reflexive verbs and past participles used with
the auxiliary verb ‘être’. As for the opinions and judgments expressed by the teachers, the
study found that despite the recognised importance of verb conjugation, the time devoted to
its teaching/learning is insufficient to allow for optimal mastery; that students find French
verb conjugation difficult and that they experience difficulties with tenses, moods and verb
types. These findings could enable learners to manipulate verb forms without too much
difficulty and teachers to draw inspiration from and comply with the relevant principles and
recommendations. | en_US |
