Contact : graveleau.elodie@gmail.com
Abstract
The field of research about French teaching to allophone students concerns children newly arrived in France, enrolled in so-called «ordinary» class, and who receive French courses in UPE2A groups. Specifically focused on the French high school, our study shows that linguistic support is very unequal in the territory, and that the 2012 circular on the schooling of newcomers is very variously applied. The institutional constraints are very strong, because the welcome programs remain rare, limited to one school year, and capped at level B1. As for questioning the teaching of French to these students with special educational needs, it took at least two directions: on the one hand, in academic research, it attempts to define French Language of Schooling (FLSCO) as a function of the language in school context, as a “continuum” between French as a foreign language (FLE) and French as a native language (FLM), tending towards French on a specific objective (FOS). On the other hand, the Ministry of Education uses the term French as a Second Language (FLS), seen as a break with FLE, and as an attachment to FLM. Our analysis of institutional texts also shows that the Ministry of Education does not specify what to teach to allophone students, which school curriculum to rely on, or how to consider French in so-called “non linguistic” disciplines: the educational curriculum of French in UPE2A has yet to be built. We start from the theoretical framework of FLE/FLS/FLSCO/FLM/FOS, we then present the institutional framework of the UPE2A and its constraints, with the purpose of working on the special educational needs of allophone students. The final objective of this work is a proposal of a Framework of Reference for the high school UPE2A groups.
Date and place of defense: November 19, 2021, University Rennes 2 Director: Élisabeth Richard (University Professor, University Rennes 2) President of the jury: Mariella CAUSA (University Professor, University Bordeaux 3) Members of the jury: Jean Pierre CUQ (Professor EMERITE of Universities, Côte d’Azur University) Herve ADAMI (University Professor, University of Lorraine) Catherine MENDIOCA DIAS (Lecturer, University of Paris Sorbonne Nouvelle 3)Congratulations Elodie !
