AQPC

Avec un grand R

This article and the research that follows will be a critical discussion online February 10, 2010, 8 h 15 AM at 10 h 15 AM. For more details, see the editorial on page 3.

Author :
Julie ROBERGE, French teacher and coordinator for the International Bachelor's degree, Cégep André-Laurendeau

The task of correcting gives rise to many implications for French language teachers, notably the responsibility for consolidating written language skills and the study of literary works. This article presents the results of a study aimed at determining which correction-related comments were the most useful for students. After reviewing the reasons why it is necessary to look into the students’ understanding of the teachers’ comments, the author breaks down the process of correcting a written production, defines the various types of comments and illustrates the students’ and teachers’ points of view on different aspects: the quality of the text and language used; the definitions of textual structure, content and proper correction. Having specified the purpose of a good comment, the author presents the results obtained in her research on both written and oral correction modes,, emphasizing the better performance of the latter. The author also proposes an insightful inventory of the most and least helpful comments in their respective contexts. In concluding, the author proposes a number of intervention and solution strategies.

Download the complete article [PDF 396 kb, 8 pages]