An Empirical Investigation of Whether Authentic Web Sites Facilitate Intermediate-level French Language Students' Ability To Learn Culture

Authors

  • Sebastien Dubreil University of Notre Dame
  • Carol Herron Emory University
  • Steven P. Cole Emory University

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.1558/cj.v22i1.41-61

Keywords:

Internet, Cultural Learning, Intermediate-level Foreign Language Students, Experimental Research

Abstract

This investigation examined the effects of authentic Francophone web sites on cultural learning at the intermediate level. Fifty-four students "surfed" eight web sites. A pre-posttest design assessed long-term gains in culture and the learning of practices, products, and perspectives from exposure to a curriculum with Internet activities. Eight posttask tests measured the students' ability to retain information and to make inferences. A questionnaire assessed perceptions of learning. Results indicated a significant gain in cultural knowledge with posttest scores significantly higher than pretest scores. Students learned significantly more products than practices over the semester. On the short-answer and free-recall portions of the posttask tests, students' ability to make inferences or retain information did not improve significantly in either an advance organizer (AO) or a non-AO condition. The students believed that the web sites featured significantly more cultural products than practices. Results support using the Internet to teach culture and its potential to emphasize cultural products.

Author Biographies

  • Sebastien Dubreil, University of Notre Dame

    Sébastien Dubreil is an Assistant Professor of French and the Director of the French Language Program at the University of Notre Dame. He is a fellow of the Nanovic Institute for European Studies. His research focuses on culture learning. He is especially interested in assessing the effectiveness of multimedia technologies in the teaching/learning of culture in the FL classroom. He has also investigated the redefinition of the roles of the learner and the teacher in TELL environments. He teaches and works on French and Francophone cinema. His articles appear in such publications as The Modern Language Journal and the CALICO Journal.

  • Carol Herron, Emory University

    Carol Herron is Professor of French at Emory University. She is currently the Director of the French Language Program and the Emory Summer Study Abroad Program in Paris, France. She also directs the joint doctoral program in French/ Educational Studies. She is the recipient of the Arthur M. Blank/National Endowment for the Humanities Distinguished Teaching Chair in French. Her research focuses on foreign language acquisition and more specifically on how technology can facilitate language learning. Her articles appear in such publications as The Modern Language Journal, French Review, Foreign Language Annals, and Studies in Second Language Acquisition.

  • Steven P. Cole, Emory University

    Steven P. Cole is Director of Research at Research Design Associates, Inc., Yorktown Hts., NY, and Adjunct Professor in the Department of Psychology at Emory University. He earned a Masters Degree in Developmental Psychology from Columbia University and a Ph.D. in Human Experimental Psychology from Emory University. His research interests include perceptual and memory processes, and research design and statistics. His articles appear in such journals as The Modern Language Journal, French Review, Journal of Social Psychology, and Perceptual and Motor Skills.

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Published

2013-01-14

Issue

Vol. 22 No. 1 (2005)

Section

Articles

How to Cite

Dubreil, S., Herron, C., & Cole, S. (2013). An Empirical Investigation of Whether Authentic Web Sites Facilitate Intermediate-level French Language Students’ Ability To Learn Culture. CALICO Journal, 22(1), 41-61. https://doi.org/10.1558/cj.v22i1.41-61