Étude comparative des compétences grammaticales d’élèves du secondaire en FL1 et en FL2 au Manitoba

Abstract

Abstract: In 2001, Rivard published a study on the composition of summaries written by high school students and based on a scientific text which had appeared in a non-technical science magazine. The author reported that there were a number of important differences in the use of language between FL1 and FL2 students. The present article focuses on the results of the second phase of the research; it examines six categories of words or grammar groupings. The summaries produced by students were evaluated using a specific marking scheme composed of 38 types of errors, which were then further subdivided into six categories: the noun, the verb, the pronoun, spelling, syntax, and expression. A statistical, quantitative analysis of the number of errors for each category variable was produced. The researchers identified the variables where significant differences existed between the two groups of students, as well as the categories where major improvements had occurred during secondary school. A further detailed analysis allowed the researchers to describe the strengths and weaknesses of both groups of students.