IDENTIFICATION AND ANALYSIS OF DIFFICULTIES IN READING FRENCH LANGUAGE IN SENIOR SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN NSUKKA EDUCATION ZONE

This work dealt with the identification and analysis of difficulties in reading French language in Senior Secondary Schools in Nsukka Education Zone. The introductory aspect looked at some definitions of language and the need for the study of French language in Nigeria, including some of the problems militating against the implementation of French language policies. Such variables as phonological awareness, reading fluency, multilingualism, gender and location of students were speculated as possible causes of students’ difficulties in reading French Language. The study was delimited to identifying and analyzing the difficulties of Senior Secondary School French language students’ reading in relation to pronunciation, lexis, syntax, and fluency. Four research questions and two null hypotheses guided the work. Descriptive survey research design was adopted in this research. One hundred and twenty (120) senior secondary school students of French language were randomly composed from thirteen (13) secondary schools that offer French language in the zone. A French Language Reading Achievement Test (FLRAT) was used to collate the necessary data. The study revealed that the major areas of difficulty in pronunciation were in articulation of syllable and nasalization, while recognition of suffixes and gender issue in French language grammar constituted difficulties in reading syntax, with distinction of homophones difficulties in reading lexis.