Using the French Tutor Multimedia Package or a Textbook to Teach Two French Past Tense Verbs

Abstract

This paper examines the difference in learning outcomes between two groups of students, one of which used the French Tutor, a multimedia package, and the other a textbook to learn the formation and use of two French past tense verbs: the perfect and the imperfect. Unlike the textbook, the French Tutor included visual effects, intelligent feedback, drag-and-drop exercises, a variety of exercises of graduated difficulty, and the game “Who wants to be a millionaire?” Both groups of students were administered a pre- and posttest on the formation and use of these two verb tenses. The French Tutor group performed significantly better than the textbook group. A questionnaire asking for comments on the effectiveness of the French Tutor software was also given to the French Tutor group. All students acknowledged that the French Tutor software helped them acquire a better understanding of these two tenses and reported that the features that contributed most to their understanding were the exercises and the “Who wants to be a millionaire?” game. Discussion of the results follows, and suggestions are made for further research.

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