BETWEEN STRESS AND EVOLUTION – TEACHING AND LEARNING FRENCH FOR SPECIFIC PURPOSES IN ONLINE COURSES DURING COVID-19 PANDEMIA / ENTRE STRESS ET ÉVOLUTION – L’ENSEIGNEMENT/APPRENTISSAGE DU FOS À DISTANCE DANS UN CONTEXTE DE CONFINEMENT

Abstract

The pandemic calls into question the very functioning of humanity. In a world disturbed at all levels, education is inevitably suffering. The sudden passage without proper preparation exclusively to distance learning has changed the routines of all implied parties. This way of teaching and learning has pointed to many challenges, which led to new approaches, strategies, and methods as well as a need for a rapid adaptation to this unusual context. Our study, carried out during March and April 2021, proposed highlighting the representations and expectations of economics students (several specializations combined) at the beginning of their academic path. Through quantitative and qualitative analysis, the article identifies how the teaching and learning of the French language for affairs were influenced by the distance learning process imposed during the state of emergency and alert decreed by the government. In the beginning, the students stressed their preference for the traditional learning paradigm (face-to-face courses, meeting with fellow students, the excitement of student life), even if they never crossed the doorsteps of an amphitheater. During the isolation period, despite the stress and challenges, they managed to discover the positive parts of online education, naturally provided by the tools used (unlimited access to courses, variety of teaching resources, freedom of access, the permanence of materials, video conferencing applications, etc.). As a result, the ideal learning environment is a combination of the two above-mentioned approaches that incorporate both worlds’ advantages.