French Language Teaching and Learning at the Tertiary Level in a Pandemic Lockdown Nigeria: Pressures and Prospects

Abstract

A pandemic lockdown situation is not much different from a war situation. Nations brainstorm on how to get on, get by and survive and do what can be done while hoping for a quick return to normalcy. Teaching and learning have been affected all over the world to an alarming extent due to the sudden break in studies. The teaching and learning of French language are by extension affected too. The study examined the bright side of the pandemic that in every war situation, opportunities abound. This article suggests what the teaching and learning of French language in Nigeria should look like in a pandemic lockdown at the tertiary level. This article aims to point at some gains for the Nigerian French Language teachers and students in a pandemic lockdown. French language teachers, French students, parents of French Language students, and the government all have practical roles to play, ensuring that the learning of the French language is not halted in a pandemic. The article sets basis, Skinner’s theory of behaviourism and Krashen’s second language acquisition theory as it discusses alternatives to the French students’ immersion program and French language teachers’ language training abroad.