FRENCH AS A FOREIGN LANGUAGE IN TURKEY: STUDENT'S PERCEPTIONS AND ISSUES OF DISSEMINATION LE FRANÇAIS LANGUE ÉTRANGÈRE EN TURQUIE: PERCEPTIONS ÉTUDIANTES ET ENJEUX DE DIFFUSION
Multilinguales, cilt.14, sa.1, ss.204-252, 2026 (Scopus)
- Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
- Cilt numarası: 14 Sayı: 1
- Basım Tarihi: 2026
- Dergi Adı: Multilinguales
- Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Scopus
- Sayfa Sayıları: ss.204-252
- Anahtar Kelimeler: French as a foreign language, language dissemination, linguistic capital, student's perceptions, Turkey
- Bursa Uludağ Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet
Özet
This study examines the position of French as a foreign language in Turkey through the perceptions of students enrolled in a French language teaching department at a Turkish public university. It is based on the observation that, despite its historical, diplomatic and cultural legacy in the Ottoman and Republican contexts, French now occupies a secondary position in comparison with English, which dominates educational, professional and media domains. The study therefore aims to identify the factors that contribute to the limited dissemination of French, while also analysing students’ learning motivations, language representations, perceived difficulties and suggestions for improvement. A descriptive mixed-method design was adopted. Data were collected through a semi-structured questionnaire administered to 51 undergraduate and graduate students. Quantitative data were analysed using frequencies and percentages, whereas open-ended responses were examined through thematic analysis. The findings indicate that students’ motivation to learn French is mainly instrumental, being closely related to career prospects and academic requirements. The results also show that the perception of French as a difficult language, the lack of oral practice, the limited visibility of professional opportunities and the dominance of English are major barriers to the wider dissemination of French in Turkey. Finally, the study suggests that strengthening French as a foreign language requires integrated pedagogical, institutional and policy-oriented strategies. Such strategies should aim to enhance the social visibility, symbolic value and professional attractiveness of French within the Turkish educational and sociolinguistic context