Browsing by Author "Mgeni, Dietram Efrem"

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    The Challenges of Past Tense Learning Among High School Students of French Foreign Language in Tanzania
    (Kenyatta University, 2025-12) Mgeni, Dietram Efrem
    Reports from the National Examinations Council of Tanzania (NECTA) on the performance of high school students in French final exams (2019 to 2022), reveal that French Foreign Language learners experience difficulties related to the use of the French tenses, especially past tense (passé composé and imparfait). As we cannot address all challenges in this single research, we focused much on passé composé than imparfait. According to several studies, the majority of French Foreign Language learners cannot apparently use French Past tense (passé composé and imparfait). Based on these NECTA reports, our study aimed at identifying the tense related challenges faced by French Foreign Language learners in Tanzania. The hypothetical argument lies on the fact that, the differences between Swahili-French tenses are the source of difficulties in learning French foreign Language. In Tanzania, from the early childhood, learners acquire their first language L1 (Swahili/vernacular), then English after attending school classes. At fairly advanced age, some learn French Foreign Language (contrary to what critical age theory holds). How can the learners effectively acquire new foreign language aspects they have never known in their prior language (Swahili)? In order to propose practical solutions to reduce academic failure rate and improve foreign language teaching practices in Tanzania, we collected data from teachers and learners of Muyovozi, Milambo, Korogwe, Makongo and Zanaki high schools (these are the only high schools with French language in Tanzania at a time of this research). We used interviews, tests and questionnaires, which were given to both high school students as well as their teachers. The data collected were subjected to analysis through the theory of error analysis, though we had a little discussion on contrastive analysis. The research used purposive and convenience sampling. Regarding the analysis, we included other common tenses, the copies of texts administered to the learners with the use of the past tense, French textbooks used in the educational system of Tanzania and the questionnaire. It is our hope that the results and recommendations provided based on data analysis of this study is useful to the French learners, teachers, government officials and authors of French foreign language teaching materials in Tanzania.