Social Media: A Way Forward in Students’ Perception of French Language in Junior Secondary Schools in Benin Metropolis

International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS) | Volume IV, Issue VIII, August 2020 | ISSN 2454–6186

Social Media: A Way Forward in Students’ Perception of French Language in Junior Secondary Schools in Benin Metropolis

ALUFOHAI, Peace Joan

Department of Curriculum and Instruction, Faculty of Education Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma

Abstract: Over the years, the lackadaisical way in which students, parents and the society in general treat French language in Nigeria is very worrisome. Thus, this study is geared towards investigating the place of social media in students’ learning abilities in French. The simple random sampling technique was used to select a sample of 100 JSS 3 students in 5 private junior secondary schools in Benin metropolis, Edo State. The descriptive survey design was used for the study. A four point Likert type rating scale questionnaire was adopted for the study. The descriptive statistics of frequency counts and percentage were used to analyse the demographic data while chi-square statistics was used in testing the research hypothesis. The findings of the study revealed that majority of the JSS 3 students use social media wrongly and that social media can be used to enhance students’ perception of French. Based on the findings, it was recommended that social media should be used by French language teachers to enhance students’ perception of the subject. In addition, social networking sites should be expanded to enhance academic activities.

Keywords: Social media, students’ perception, French language.

I. INTRODUCTION

French is described as a foreign language in Nigeria. The language is one of the most recognized international languages in the world. In fact, it is regarded as one of the most important foreign languages spoken by most countries (Bariki, 1999). Thus, French language is both a foreign and as well an international language spoken by a vast section of the human race. Its importance spreads across the area of economic, technological, social and political development. For Nigeria to effectively interact and communicate with her neighbours for developmental purposes there is need for its citizens to learn and speak the French language. The reason why it is very important and necessary for Nigerians to speak French is because she is surrounded by four Francophone countries. She is bounded on the northwest by Niger, on the northeast by Chad republic, on the east by Cameroon and on the west by Benin Republic. Accordance to Emordi (1998), Nigeria needs French Language to communicate with the large number of other francophone countries in Africa and the world over. From the foregoing, Nigerian’s ability to communicate with French language will go a long way to enhance the growth and development of the nation.

Read More