Investigating Online Presence in The French Online Classroom

Abstract

Foreign language teaching and learning have shifted from traditional physical classrooms to online classrooms. Online learning becomes a prominent learning medium and even a necessity during the recent outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the lack of students’ engagement challenges the implementation of online learning. Thus, this quantitative study investigates online engagement in foreign language classrooms, especially in the French online classroom. A survey consisting of 22 items using 5-Likert scales has been given to learners studying French as a foreign language in a Malaysian public university. The theory of online learning by Anderson (2008) and online engagement by Martin and Bolliger (2018) were used as the conceptual framework of this study. The survey contains four sections: demographic profile, learner-to-learner interaction, learner-to-instructor interaction, and learner-to-content interaction. The data have been collected from 151 respondents in social discipline and social sciences discipline. Findings showed that the instructors’ teaching style involves the active participation of learners from the perception of learners. In addition, learners think peer support is important in motivating them to learn foreign languages. They prefer to collaborate with the chosen peer in learning activities. Last but not least, learners perceive that learning activities and the overview of learning content can improve language learning. The findings of this study shed light on the understanding of online engagement in French online classes from the learners’ perspective. It may further contribute to the effect of learning activities on online engagement in foreign language learning.