To Like or Not to Like! Student Perceptions of Technological Activities for Learning French as a Second Language at Five Canadian Universities

Abstract

This article examines student attitudes towards and perceptions of technological activities in the language classroom. Data collected from students (n = 71) in the French language departments of five Canadian universities were used to examine which technological activities students preferred, whether and to what degree different activities were judged useful, and how frequently students perceived that they were doing these activities. Four trends emerged. First, students find computer-assisted activities useful. Second, students prefer activities that are less mediated, more based on authentic materials and more like activities they do in everyday life, to didactic activities. Third, students tend to prefer and judge more useful the computer-assisted activities done individually rather than collaborative activities. Finally, it seems that traditional types of computer-assisted activities such as listening, grammar, and vocabulary exercises are more appreciated and judged more useful than are newer types of activities such as blogs and WebQuests. Concluding remarks offer pedagogical suggestions based on these findings.