L’EVALUATION DE LA COMPRÉHENSION ÉCRITE
La compréhension écrite
1.1 Qu’est-ce qu’un acte de lire ?
Reading is the process of constructing meaning from a text, and it is only considered complete when comprehension is achieved The learner plays an active role in this meaning-making process The act of reading encompasses several components: direct word recognition, indirect recognition of unfamiliar words, and the overall construction of the text's meaning.
Identifying a word through direct means involves visually recognizing its spelling and linking this orthographic image to its corresponding sound and meaning stored in memory This process facilitates both the verbalization and comprehension of the word.
The automation of word recognition occurs through direct pathways when a word, whether presented in context or in isolation, is immediately identified This recognition is confirmed through verbalization.
Le lecteur confirmộ reconnaợt quasiment tous les mots des textes qu’il lit habituellement
During the process of learning to read, the number of automatically recognized words will increase significantly, expanding from just a few words by the end of kindergarten to hundreds of words by the end of first grade.
Identifying words through indirect means involves breaking down an unfamiliar word into recognizable segments This process relies on familiar components from previously learned words and includes attempts at vocalization or subvocalization By piecing together these segments through trial and error, one can arrive at a known word that fits the context.
Experienced readers seldom use this technique, as it serves only as a temporary measure It is beneficial until all words have their spelling images memorized, enabling automatic and direct recognition of the text.
Building the meaning of a text involves extracting explicit information from identified words and smaller units like phrases and groups of words It requires creating a comprehensive understanding of the text through memorization and synthesis of the gathered explicit information Additionally, it entails linking the explicit information to existing knowledge and inferring implicit meanings For instance, if a text discusses snow, it indicates winter; if it mentions savannas and elephants, it suggests a setting in Africa.
Reading involves extracting essential information from a text while recognizing additional data The process of constructing meaning begins with the identified information and requires processing that information Thus, reading is an information-processing activity that includes visual intake, meaning construction from perceived data, memory storage, integration with prior knowledge, and cognitive and emotional responses to the constructed meaning.
Reading is not merely the act of recognizing words sequentially; it requires readers to connect the information within the text to their prior knowledge to derive meaning It involves more than just utilizing linguistic skills such as phonetics, vocabulary, and grammar Reading is an everyday activity that prompts intellectual and emotional responses based on the mental representations formed from the text's content and structure During the reading process, individuals continuously reorganize new information alongside their stored knowledge to create a coherent and personal understanding Therefore, researchers define reading as an interactive activity between the reader and the text within a specific context, aimed at constructing meaning.
Understanding involves grasping the fundamental meaning of a text or spoken content In the context of foreign language teaching and learning, acquisition begins with listening or reading, followed by expressive activities, whether oral or written This highlights that comprehension precedes expression The relationship between language reception and production warrants special attention.
Understanding a text involves creating a mental representation of the described situation This representation is formed from explicit lexical information (the words) organized into sentences according to the language's syntax rules, with these sentences sequentially arranged within the text.
Understanding is a dynamic process that continually requires the activation of prior knowledge, the connection of new information, and the integration of this information with existing knowledge to form a coherent mental representation of the described situation, which researchers refer to as a "situation model."
In written communication, comprehension is enhanced by the ability to revisit and reread content, unlike in oral communication where information is presented in a linear fashion without the option to go back.
La compréhension qui résulte de la lecture et/ou de l’audition d’un texte est toujours le fruit de l’interaction de deux composantes :
- un texte avec ses caractéristiques propres (lexique, structure, syntaxe, culture)
- un lecteur avec ses caractéristiques également : connaissances antérieures, expériences, buts, intentions
Understanding is an interactive process that involves the reader's prior knowledge and experiences to derive meaning from a text It is viewed as a purposeful activity aimed at constructing a coherent representation of the text's message This construction occurs through the interplay between the text, which contains explicit information organized according to specific linguistic and cultural rules, and the reader, who utilizes their understanding of language and the world, while also facing limitations in their memory's capacity to store and process information Recent theoretical models suggest that text comprehension is a complex information processing activity rather than a passive encoding of letters, words, or sounds It is a multidimensional mental activity aimed at creating a semantic representation of the content presented.
Text comprehension is now widely regarded by researchers as the result of an interaction between a reader and a text During reading, the reader must leverage their existing knowledge to construct meaning by comparing it with the information and linguistic structures presented in the text Thus, the reader's knowledge base plays a crucial role in text comprehension The interactive nature of reading is universally accepted among researchers, who also agree on the key components of the reading comprehension model: the reader, the text, and the context.
1.2.2 Les étapes de la compréhension
L’évaluation de la CE
2.1.1 Qu’est-ce que l’évaluation ?
According to Weiss (1972), evaluation is defined as the systematic collection of information to inform decision-making The likelihood of making the right decision depends not only on the decision-maker but also on the quality of the information available Generally, the more reliable and relevant the information, the higher the probability of making the correct choice Evaluation does not inherently require testing, as tests themselves are not necessarily evaluative Instead, tests are often employed for educational purposes, to motivate learners, or to review taught material, and may also serve descriptive functions Evaluation occurs when tests are used as a basis for decision-making It involves accurately measuring the achievement of predetermined objectives and making judgments based on indicators and tools that provide information aligned with training goals and criteria Evaluation engages various stakeholders and fulfills multiple functions, ultimately expressing the degree of alignment between a set of information and appropriate criteria to facilitate decision-making.
Evaluation can primarily focus on motivating or stimulating learners, while also conveying the importance of certain aspects of the training (Scallon, 2000).
Qu’est-que l’évaluation en langue ? L’évaluation en langue, c'est l'évaluation de la connaissance pour poser des jugements
La langue, autrefois, coresspond à un répertoire d’items lexicaux et grammaticaux isolés
Language today is fundamentally tied to communication, operating within the context of specific sociocultural discourse This usage reflects the interplay between language and the social environment in which it is employed.
2.1.2 Pourquoi, quand, quoi et comment évaluer ?
Evaluation is not an end in itself; it serves as a milestone in the learning process, providing a comprehensive assessment of acquired skills, necessary remediation, and remaining tasks to achieve initial objectives It informs both teachers and learners about progress, focusing on the specific points covered in French as a Foreign Language (FLE) classes This process enables teachers to adapt their instructional strategies and organize remediation effectively It is crucial for educators to consider the methods learners employ to complete assigned tasks Students' awareness of their progress and challenges is enhanced through self-evaluation, and they can be encouraged to take an active role in the evaluation process by suggesting potential formats based on previous classroom activities Tools like language portfolios can facilitate self-assessment by highlighting various competencies under development As Lussier (1991: 24) noted, "Evaluation is always conducted with an intention, meaning the type of information needed to make informed judgments and appropriate decisions."
Un enseignant peut avoir trois raisons principales d’évaluer les élèves : a) pour porter un pronostic
Exemple : l’élève a-t-il les connaissances nécessaires pour aborder tel ou tel cours ?
L’élève a-t-il les aptitudes requises pour suivre telle ou telle formation ? b) pour contrôler une donnée
Exemple : l’ộlốve a-t-il fait des progrốs depuis telle date ? L’ộlốve connaợt-il telle une définition ? L’élève comprend-il ce que je dis ? c) pour porter un diagnostic
Exemple : D’ó vient la difficulté de tel élève dans telle matière ?
Les outils nécéssaires pour ces trois types d’évaluation peuvent être dans certains cas les mêmes, mais les objectifs d’évaluation, on le voit, sont bien différents
On évalue à divers moments de la démarche d'enseignement/apprentissage pour répondre à des besoins différents
Avant l'apprentissage : pour vérifier si les élèves ont les acquis préalables à ceux visés par la nouvelle séquence d'apprentissage
During the learning process, it is essential to monitor students' progress to identify their strengths and weaknesses, recognize their challenges, and implement necessary corrections.
Après une séquence plus ou moins longue d'apprentissage : pour vérifier le degré d'atteinte des objectifs qui étaient visés dans la séquence et aussi pour apporter les correctifs nécessaires
At the conclusion of an educational program, it is essential to assess the level of mastery of the learning objectives across the entire curriculum This evaluation plays a crucial role in determining whether students are promoted to the next grade or awarded a diploma.
In evaluating a student, we focus on assessing their abilities, such as communication skills in a foreign language, within a specific educational activity context It is essential to separately consider the communicative and experiential dimensions of evaluation A communicative approach emphasizes skill development, recognizing that language is not merely a collection of lexical and grammatical items, but rather a tool for communication within a sociocultural framework This implies that practical application and performance take precedence over the mere acquisition of linguistic knowledge in a second language (L2) If a student demonstrates their ability to communicate effectively in L2, we can infer their understanding of relevant linguistic and sociolinguistic concepts; otherwise, we can address these concepts through targeted corrective activities.
In an experiential approach, objectives can be defined in terms of outcomes such as knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors related to various areas of experience For instance, in travel initiation, students engage in the steps of trip planning and acquire knowledge on how to organize a journey; they may also be encouraged to reflect on and adjust their attitudes and behaviors based on this newfound understanding.
A fundamental principle in educational assessment is the alignment between learning and evaluation Therefore, acceptable assessment situations must include the following characteristics: a) Alignment with the learning objectives being evaluated.
- La situation reflète bien l’objectif d’apprentissage ?
- L’accent est mis sur la communication ?
- Les éléments d’apprentissage sont définis en termes de messages à produire ou à apprendre ? b) Congruence avec la méthodologie du communicatif/expérientiel
- Une mise en situation plausible ?
- Un type d’item approprié ? c) Être complète
Every teacher fulfills two primary social roles: that of a pedagogue, facilitating learning, and that of a selector, assigning grades and conducting exams (Nguyen, 2008) Each of these roles corresponds to a specific type of assessment Since evaluation is always conducted to inform decision-making, the nature of the decision determines the distinction between two types of assessment: summative evaluation and formative evaluation.
C'est l'"évaluation ayant pour but de sanctionner (positivement ou négativement) une activité d'apprentissage, afin de comptabiliser ce résultat en vue d'un classemment ou d'une sélection." (Raynal et Rieunier, 2005 : 133)
Summative assessment is the process through which educators assign grades and calculate averages to certify a learner's competence in specific subjects This form of evaluation encompasses continuous assessment, examinations, or a mixed system to validate skills and award diplomas (Nguyen, 2007).
Summative assessment is the process of inventorying acquired skills or evaluating performance after a training period of varying length It focuses on the outcomes produced, assessed against specific success criteria While it primarily serves as a form of evaluation, it also encompasses aspects of regulation, as noted by Hadji (1990).
Summative assessment provides a comprehensive evaluation of learners' achievements at the conclusion of an educational program It enables educators to compare students' performance, differentiate their levels of understanding, and potentially rank them Additionally, it serves as a formal acknowledgment of academic success at the end of the year.
- a pour objectif principal la sanction d’un travail inscrit dans une progression voulue;
- revêt le caractère d’un bilan (ex : bilan d’acquisition au terme d’un trimestre d’une année);
- intervient après un ensemble de tâches d’apprentissage constituant un tout;
- permet la communication à d’autres (parents, institutions );
- peut permettre de prendre une décision (ex : passer dans une classe supérieure, interrogations, examens pouvant aboutir à un classement, un diplôme );
- les résultats sont caractérisés par une somme de notes et on établit des moyennes
Cette évaluation qui a davantage pour rôle de constater l’insuccès plutôt que de promouvoir le succès scolaire pourrait se résumer en trois mots : notation, sélection, classement
In recent years, particularly in Europe, the term "certificative assessment" has increasingly replaced "summative assessment." According to Weiss (1977), certificative assessment should be associated with the conclusion of a learning process Scallon (2000) emphasizes that certifying a skill at the end of training cannot simply be achieved through an arithmetic sum of isolated components Tourneur (1985) identifies two types of certificative assessment: external certificative assessment, which focuses on professional skills, and internal certificative assessment, aimed at competencies necessary for further studies.
The assessment aims to inform both the learner and the teacher about the extent to which objectives have been achieved It should never result in a score out of 20 or any form of punishment (Raynal and Rieunier, 2005: 134).
Conclusion
Reading is the process of constructing meaning from a text, and it is only considered complete when comprehension is achieved It involves actively extracting significance by identifying essential information while recognizing additional data Reading goes beyond merely utilizing linguistic knowledge, such as phonetics, vocabulary, and grammar; it also entails an intellectual and emotional response to the mental representation formed from the text's content and structure Researchers define reading as an interactive activity between the reader and the text within a specific context, aimed at meaning construction.
Text comprehension is now widely regarded by researchers as the result of an interaction between a reader and a text When reading, the reader must utilize their existing knowledge to construct meaning by comparing it with the information and linguistic structures present in the text.
The reading comprehension model is an interactive framework that incorporates three key components: the reader, the text, and the reading context Consequently, the level of understanding in reading will vary based on the degree of interaction among these three elements.
Interactive models are now regarded as the most effective reading frameworks These models integrate the strengths of both top-down and bottom-up approaches, emphasizing the interaction between the two Readers can employ strategies from either approach or a combination of both, depending on the contextual information available in the text According to interactive models, understanding a text is the outcome of an interactive process between the reader's prior knowledge and the new information provided in the text.
The reading process consists of three key stages: pre-reading, the actual reading, and post-reading Throughout these phases, the learner engages continuously with both the text and the reading context to construct meaning.
Assessment plays a crucial role in language teaching and learning, primarily focusing on motivating and engaging learners while highlighting the importance of certain training aspects (Scallon, 2000) It is not an end goal but rather a means to track progress, evaluate achievements, identify areas for remediation, and determine what remains to be accomplished in order to reach the initial objectives.
Assessment occurs at various stages of the teaching and learning process to address different needs before, during, and after the learning experience, aligned with established objectives It evaluates learners' foreign language communication skills and encompasses three main types: summative assessment, formative assessment, and diagnostic assessment.
The evaluation of reading comprehension (CE) focuses on assessing the ability to derive meaning from a text With the evolution of assessment systems, particularly following the introduction of the Common European Framework of Reference, expectations for learner submissions have become more clearly defined Therefore, French as a Foreign Language (FLE) teachers must carefully consider the evaluation tools used to assess these competencies.
The evaluation of the French language (CE) is a crucial topic in Vietnam, where French was taught in schools primarily through written methods until 2000 Previously, the evaluation system focused solely on written skills, assessing language structure, reading comprehension, and written expression It is essential that the evaluation of the CE adheres to established testing processes to ensure effective assessment.
LA PRATIQUE ÉVALUATIVE DE LA CE DU FLE À L’AMM
La méthodologie de la recherche
Cette premiốre enquờte a ộtộ effectuộe auprốs de tous les ộtudiants de Franỗais de l’AMM
The survey population consists of all medical students learning French at AMM, with a research sample of 50 students selected from this group As shown in Table 1, the participants are predominantly young, aged between 17 and 21 years The number of female students is significantly lower than that of male students; however, this disparity does not affect the validity and reliability of the research results.
Tableau 1 Les caractéristiques sociales des étudiants-participants
The first questionnaire was selected as the measurement tool to explore the evaluative practices of the CE conducted at the AMM This questionnaire consisted of 40 questions organized into six sections.
The first section includes three questions (Q1-Q3) aimed at understanding teachers' perceptions of Communicative Competence (CC), its significance, and the level of difficulty associated with it compared to other communicative skills It also explores the impact of linguistic (lexical, grammatical, and textual), sociocultural, and strategic competencies on this perception.
Les 4 questions (Q4-Q7) constituait la deuxième rubrique portant sur quelques conditions d’enseignement et d’apprentissage de la CE (manuels, volume horaire, équipement, etc.)
La troisième rubrique comprenait 8 questions (Q8-Q15) portant sur le contenu d’évaluation de la CE
La quatrième comprenait 12 questions (Q16-Q27) concernant les modalités d’évaluation de la CE
La cinquième constituée de 10 questions (Q28-Q37) portant sur la perception des étudiants sur la pratique évaluative de la CE à l’AMM
Les 3 dernières questions (Q38-Q40) constituaient la dernière rubrique portant sur des informations personnelles propres aux participants enquêtés
All questions were closed-ended to streamline the respondents' experience To enhance understanding and encourage accurate responses, the questions were presented in the participants' native language, Vietnamese Additionally, some questions included French translations in parentheses to further aid comprehension and minimize misunderstandings among the surveyed students The structure of the questionnaire is detailed in the following sections.
Tableau 2 à la page suivante Le questionnaire est présenté dans les annexes
Tableau 2 Structure du questionnaire de la premième enquête
Rubrique Nombre de questions Contenus
Rubrique 1 3 La perception des étudiants sur l’importance et le degré de difficulté accordés à la CE et sur l’influence des compétences linguistique, socioculturelle et stratégique sur la CE
Rubrique 2 4 Quelques conditions d’enseignement et d’apprentissage de la CE à l’AMM
Rubrique 3 8 Le contenu d’évaluation de la CE à l’AMM
Rubrique 4 12 Les modalités d’évaluation de la CE à l’AMM
Rubrique 5 10 La perception des étudiants sur la pratique évaluative de la
Rubrique 6 3 Des informations personnelles propres aux étudiants enquêtés
The survey was conducted in March 2010 at AMM, a time chosen for its ideal conditions as students were neither busy with the start of the academic year nor final exams This ensured that participants were available to respond to the questionnaire, making the survey more relevant and timely.
Questionnaires were distributed simultaneously to 50 participating students, who completed and returned them immediately after their task We received all 50 questionnaires back, resulting in a 100% response rate This ensures that data analysis poses no issues and confirms the reliability of the survey.
Les donnộes recueillies ont ộtộ analysộes de faỗon quantitative et qualitative
La population de l’enquờte ộtait composộe de l’ensemble des enseignants de franỗais de l’AMM Elle compte actuellement 7 enseignants au total
The sample consisted of five teachers selected from the survey population, ensuring representativeness despite some teachers being absent during the survey Table 3 below outlines the social characteristics of the teachers who participated in our research.
Tableau 3 Les caractéristiques sociales des enseignants-participants
Effectif Sexe Âge Ancienneté Diplôme
M F 30 - 35 ans > 40 ans 5 -10 ans > 10 ans Licence Master
The second questionnaire was selected as the measurement instrument to explore the evaluative practices of the CE conducted at the AMM Comprising 40 questions organized into six sections, this questionnaire mirrors the content and structure of the one used in the initial survey The detailed structure of the questionnaire can be found in Table 4 on the following page.
The first section includes three questions (Q1-Q3) aimed at understanding teachers' perceptions of communicative competence (CC), highlighting its importance and the level of difficulty associated with it compared to other communicative skills Additionally, it explores the impact of linguistic (lexical, grammatical, and textual), sociocultural, and strategic competencies on teachers' views of CC.
Les 4 questions (Q4-Q7) constituait la deuxième rubrique portant sur quelques conditions d’enseignement et d’apprentissage de la CE (manuels, volume horaire, équipement, etc.)
La troisième rubrique comprenait 8 questions (Q8-Q15) portant sur le contenu d’évaluation de la CE
La quatrième comprenait 12 questions (Q16-Q27) concernant les modalités d’évaluation de la CE
La cinquième constituée de 10 questions (Q28-Q37) portant sur la perception des enseignants sur la pratique évaluative de la CE à l’AMM
Les 3 dernières questions (Q38-Q40) constituaient la dernière rubrique portant sur des informations personnelles propres aux participants enquêtés
Tableau 4 Structure du questionnaire de la deuxième enquête
Rubrique Nombre de questions Contenus
Rubrique 1 3 La perception des enseignants sur l’importance et le degré de difficulté accordés à la CE et sur l’influence des compétences linguistique, socioculturelle et stratégique sur la CE
Rubrique 2 4 Quelques conditions d’enseignement et d’apprentissage de la CE à l’AMM
Rubrique 3 8 Le contenu d’évaluation de la CE à l’AMM
Rubrique 4 12 Les modalités d’évaluation de la CE à l’AMM
Rubrique 5 10 La perception des étudiants sur la pratique évaluative de la
Rubrique 6 3 Des informations personnelles propres aux étudiants enquêtés Comme les questionnaires utilisés à l’enquête menée auprès des étudiants-participants, toutes les questions du questionnaire étaient fermées afin de faciliter le travail des participants enquêtés et de recueillir davantage d’informations Quoique ces enseignants- participants maợtrisent bien le franỗais langue ộtrangốre, les questions ộtaient rộdigộes en vietnamien pour assurer de la qualité des informations obtenues Certaines questions ộtaient à la fois en vietnamien et en franỗais Pour assurer de la validitộ du questionnaire, nous l’avons soumis, comme un prétest, à un groupe d’enseignants (n=5) qui ont presque les mêmes caractéristiques que les enseignants participant à l’étude, c’est-à-dire les enseignants qui enseignent aussi la CE aux étudiants, mais dans une autre université La structure du questionnaire est présentée dans le Tableau 4 ci-dessus Le questionnaire est présenté dans les annexes
The investigation took place concurrently with the first one in March 2010 at AMM, a strategic time for conducting the survey This period was chosen to enhance the relevance of the inquiry, as it coincides with a time when the interviewed teachers are more available to provide their responses, having been in the academic year for over two months.
The questionnaires were distributed simultaneously to five participating teachers, who completed and returned them immediately after their tasks, resulting in a 100% response rate This ensures that data analysis poses no issues and confirms the reliability of the survey The collected data were analyzed using both quantitative and qualitative methods.
We randomly selected 15 exam topics that have been used in recent years to assess French language learning outcomes for students at AMM All these topics focus on written skills and are titled either "Written Comprehension – Written Expression" or "Written Expression – Written Comprehension" (see appendices).
Comme structure gộnộrale, ces sujets peuvent se diviser en deux ô catộgories ằ en fonction du nombre de parties Il y a 10 sujets qui comportent 6 exercices et 5 sujets qui comprennent 5 exercices.
Les résultats des enquêtes
2.1 L’analyse et l’interprétation des résultats obtenus de la première enquête
2.1.1 La perception des étudiants sur la CE
La Figure 2, à la page suivante, nous le montre très bien que la compétence d’expression orale est considérée comme la compétence la plus importante par les étudiants interrogés
A survey revealed that 60% of students consider oral expression to be important or very important, followed by 50% who value oral comprehension similarly Written expression ranks third, with 48% of respondents deeming it important or very important In contrast, written comprehension is viewed as significantly less important, with only 18% of students recognizing its importance This finding was quite surprising to us.
Figure 2 Importance accordée aux CC par les étudiants
Très importante Importante Plutôt importante Peu importante
According to Figure 3, a significant majority of respondents (76%) perceive Emotional Intelligence (EI) as difficult or very difficult to grasp Following closely, 64% of those surveyed find Emotional Engagement (EE) similarly challenging Cognitive Operations (CO) rank third, with 60% of participants considering it difficult or very difficult.
La CE est au dernier rang : 34% des enquêtés la pensent difficile et très difficile
Figure 3 Degré de difficulté des compétences communicatives perỗu par les ộtudiants
Très difficile Difficile Assez difficile Peu difficile
En observant la Figure 4, à la page suivante, on constate très facilement l’influence des compétences linguistiques, de la compétence socioculturelle et de la compétence stratégique sur la CE des étudiants
Con nais san ce le xica le
Con nais san ce g ram ma tica le
Con nais san ce s ocio cultu relle
Con nais san ce s traté giq ue
Con nais san ce t extu elle
Figure 4 Perception des étudiants sur l'influence des connaissances linguistique, socioculturelle, stratégique et textuelle
Très influente Influente Assez influente Peu influente
Among the five competencies discussed, the sociocultural competence is deemed the most influential on students' communicative competence, with 80% of respondents affirming its impact Following this, lexical competence ranks second, as 68% of participants believe it significantly affects students' communicative abilities Strategic competence comes next, with 56% acknowledging its influence, while textual competence is recognized by 52% of respondents Lastly, grammatical competence is viewed as having the least impact on communicative competence.
CE des lecteurs en LE par les interrogés (44%)
2.1.2 Quelques conditions d’enseignement et d’apprentissage de la CE à l’AMM
Figure 5 illustrates the teaching and learning conditions for CE at AMM While 74% of surveyed students rate the course notes and educational materials as good to very good quality, 26% consider them of lower quality Additionally, a significant majority (84%) believe that the time allocated for CE instruction is insufficient, with only 16% deeming it adequate Regarding classroom resources and multimedia tools, 82% of respondents find them lacking, while just 18% rate them positively Lastly, 88% of participants feel that the class size is inappropriate for language learning, hindering the development of students' reading comprehension skills.
Doc um ents pé dag ogiq ues
D'a utre s m até riels Effe ctif
Figure 5 Conditions d'enseignement et d'apprentissage de la CE à l'AMM
Très bon(s) Bon(s) Moins bon(s) Pas du tout
In the context of CE assessment content, a majority of respondents (64%) indicated that formative evaluation was prioritized at AMM, followed by summative evaluation at 20% and diagnostic evaluation at 16% This prioritization aligns well with the communicative approach to learning assessment However, the analysis reveals that the evaluation of communicative knowledge and skills was not effectively implemented at AMM The evaluation content predominantly focused on lexical knowledge (10% of respondents), grammatical knowledge (40%), textual knowledge (30%), and sociocultural knowledge (6%), while only 14% addressed communicative skills According to the communicative approach, assessment should encompass all four communicative skills rather than concentrating on specific types of knowledge, as evaluating communicative skills inherently includes assessing lexical, grammatical, and sociocultural knowledge.
Figure 6 L'évaluation des apprentissage du FLE
Connaissances lexicales Connaissances grammaticales Connaissances socioculturelles Connaissances textuelles Compétences communicatives
The analysis of Figure 7 reveals that the evaluation of student competencies at AMM focuses primarily on two communicative skills: oral expression (CE) and written expression (EE), along with translation Specifically, 42% of surveyed students indicate that the assessment emphasizes CE, while 40% point to EE, and only 18% mention translation This distribution does not align with the comprehensive evaluation of language learning among students.
Figure 7 L'évaluation des compétences communicatives
Compréhension écriteExpression écriteTraduction
The assessment of French as a Foreign Language (FLE), particularly in relation to the specific evaluation of comprehension skills, presents similar challenges This evaluation encompasses various knowledge areas, including the comprehension itself Notably, the focus on assessing comprehension skills is relatively minimal.
Figure 8 L'évaluation de la CE du FLE
Connaissances lexicales Connaissances grammaticales Connaissances socioculturelles Connaissances textuelles Compétence de CE
A significant 40% of respondents indicated that assessments focus on grammatical knowledge, while 26% emphasize textual knowledge, and only 8% address lexical knowledge Additionally, 6% consider sociocultural knowledge, and merely 26% evaluate the actual reading comprehension skills This distribution does not align with a communicative approach to assessment As previously mentioned, the evaluation should prioritize written comprehension skills rather than solely focusing on lexical, grammatical, textual, or sociocultural knowledge.
The vast majority of respondents (90%) believe that the exam topics of the CE align very well with the learning objectives and curriculum of the CE However, 10% of those surveyed feel that these exam topics do not correspond to the curriculum Regarding student levels, most participants (68%) think that the CE exam topics are appropriate for the students' level, while 32% disagree, suggesting a notable discrepancy in perceptions of exam relevance.
Niveau des étu diants Objectif s d'app rentissa ge
Figure 9 Correspondance entre contenu d'évaluation et objectifs d'apprentissage et niveaux des étudiants correspond ne correspond pas
A survey revealed that 60% of students believe that exam topics designed to assess their comprehension skills effectively differentiate between varying levels of understanding However, 40% of students disagree with this assessment Additionally, 62% of respondents feel that evaluative practices accurately measure students' written comprehension abilities, while 38% contend that these methods do not provide an accurate evaluation.
In an examination context, objective questions account for only 20% of the total, while subjective questions make up a significant 80% This disproportionate ratio raises concerns regarding the appropriateness of the examination format for the given subject.
In examination topics, authentic documents account for 74% of the total materials selected, while 26% consist of fabricated documents created for educational purposes However, it is essential that all documents used in an examination topic are authentic.
A significant majority of respondents (78%) believe that the formats of exam questions lack variety, while only 22% feel that they are diverse.
The correction process in academic assessments still faces significant issues Regarding mid-term exams, only 32% of surveyed students reported that instructors frequently analyzed and discussed their results, while 50% indicated this occurred sometimes, and 18% said it never happened In stark contrast, 100% of respondents noted that for final course exams, teachers never analyzed or discussed student performance Interestingly, a majority of participants (76%) stated that mid-term assessments were either never or rarely conducted, leaving only 24% who disagreed with this assertion.
The self-assessment process was effectively conducted, with 90% of participants reporting that it occurred often or very often Notably, all respondents (100%) indicated that the teachers did not provide any feedback or support during this process.