Abstract:
The purpose of the study is to identify the difficulties in the use of the prepositions en
and dans by learners in the two senior high schools, Ghana Senior School Tamale
(Ghanasco), and Tamale Girls Senior School (TGSHS). Learners at that level are
challenged in the use of these two prepositions due to the similarities of their meanings
in English grammar. Eighty (80) students offering French were sampled though simple
random sampling and the data was solicited by administering questionnaires. The
results showed that the prepositions en et dans are ambigious and present more pitfalls
in the knowledge and handling of the constituent rules of French grammar. Specifically,
the results reveal that while about 25% of the students could identify en et dans as
prepositions in French, as high as approxatively 75% admitted that their usage were
very confusing. About 73% of the students also showed poor interest in the learning of
the language. The study also finds that 75% of the French teachers teach in English.
Hence a good application of the grammar in the bases of French as Foreign Language
((FLE), the learner must broaden their learning interest of the subject by laying a more
solid foundation that will allow them an opener of the grammatical system in all forms.
This could be achieved if government could make French compulsory from the basic
level. Heads of SHS should also monitor to ensure that French is taught in French in
order to enhance familiarity to the language. Finally, there should also be a frequent
periodical training to revive/ update the teachers that will enable them to be current in
order to effectively deliver.
Description:
A dissertation in the Department of French Education,
Faculty of Foreign Languages Education and communication
submitted to the School of Graduate Studies in partial fulfilment
of the requirements for the award of the
Masters of Philosophy
(French Education)
in the University of Education, Winneba
