L3 instruction and target language use

Scholars generally agree that a high amount of target language use is beneficial for L3 learning in school settings. In the Scandinavian countries, like in many other countries, L3 students receive very limited exposure to the target language in out-of-school contexts. The teacher's use of target language in the classroom context therefore becomes essential. However, target language use remains limited in many L3 classrooms and many teachers claim that they are reluctant to use the target language because they fear that the students will feel frustrated if they do not understand what the teacher is saying.

The study that I will present in this talk explores teachers' target language use and students' experiences of it through an analysis of two types of data: 1) video recordings from six French as L3 classrooms in lower secondary schools in Norway and 2) survey data from the students in these classrooms. Four consecutive French lessons were filmed in each classroom twice: once in 2016, then again in 2017, giving a total of 48 video-taped French lessons. The video data are analyzed in order to answer questions concerning the French teachers’ target language use, such as: To what extent do they use the target language and in what situations? What strategies do they employ to make the students understand? These findings are compared with students’ responses to the survey, in which they were asked about their experiences related to a series of aspects of classroom instruction, including the teacher’s target language use.