Week 10 Blog Entry
Well, here we are – my final blog post for the SLAT2002 learning challenge. To keep this blog from becoming too lengthy, I will briefly mention the results from my vocabulary/RFI listening exercise/dictation tests before presenting all of the results I have accumulated from week 6 until now in graph form.
The overarching theme for this week was “dating”: I learnt a vocabulary set related to feelings, took a listening test titled “Les Français vont-ils au restaurant?” (Are French people still going out to restaurants?), watched a rom-com named “The Art of Love” and took a dictation test relating to the uses of social media.
As per usual, I took my vocabulary set from BonjourDeFrance.
With a total of twelve words to memorise, I succeeded in retaining ten of them by the end of the week; again, it was one of those periods where I was busier than usual which consequently affected the amount of time I devoted to my language learning challenge.
In terms of my RFI listening test, out of 12 questions I scored 11 correctly, a result with which I was content. The actual audio clip was easy enough to comprehend although some of the questions were quite tricky and thus required some thought.
The film for this week however was relatively easy to understand; again, this was a result of its formulaic storyline and familiar vocabulary. I rated it an 11/15, just the same as last week’s movie.
Sadly, my dictation test did not go quite as well as expected; having been short for time this week, I had to do the dictation test at 10pm on a weeknight when I was fatigued both mentally and physically, compared to the usual time of 10am on the weekend when my brain is definitely functioning at a higher capacity! The way in which this negatively influenced my results was staggering; I received an accuracy rate of 69%, my second-worst score to date.
On a more positive note, let us analyse the results that have been gathered over the past five weeks of this language learning challenge. In terms of my RFI listening tests:
As evidenced by the graph, there was an overall upward trend until Week 10, where my results fell slightly (specifically, by 8%). The biggest increase seems to have occurred between weeks 6 and 7, which I found quite interesting; perhaps it is a reflection that the brain, although having failed to practice its second language for quite some time, quickly remembers what it once knew and is able to return to its previous proficiency level (or at least, close to it.) I am proud that my results increased for the most part, however I think that they may have decreased in Week 10 because I scored 11/12 compared to 6/6 in Week 9; as there were twice as many questions to answer, the likelihood of making a mistake was subsequently doubled. Ideally, to make the RFI listening test more equitable, I would answer the same number of questions each week however this was simply out of my control.
Results for my film evaluation were considerably more sporadic; again, the largest increase occurred between weeks 6 and 7 and may be attributed to the reason previously given. In addition, I would argue that the downfall witnessed in week 8 is the result of watching a film that was perhaps too advanced for my level (if you look back at my week 8 blog post I mention how the film featured a heavy amount of legal jargon with which I was unfamiliar.) It is reassuring, however, to see that there is a continuing upward trend after this particular downfall, with my comprehension skills stabilising by week 9 and 10.
Conversely, the dictation results show slightly less positive results. Although significant improvements were made between weeks 6 and 8, my performance seemed to decline slightly in week 9 and even further in week 10. Although week 10’s results can be attributed to mental fatigue, week 9 may have simply been a more difficult dictation or was perhaps a reflection that I still had a considerable way to go until I could proclaim that I was completely proficient in French listening.
Overall, the results are rather mixed, yet what I have taken from them is clear: that in spite of certain setbacks, it is worth investing time in practicing my French listening skills as general improvements were made. It would be unrealistic to encounter no difficulties whatsoever along the way; what is most important is to stay motivated and continue engaging with the language because improvements, no matter how long they may take, will always be achieved in the end.
I should also add that I had planned to undertake a quiz comprising all the vocabulary I have learnt over this five week period; unfortunately, this has not been possible as my StudyBlue application has unexpectedly signed me out of my account, and for some reason I am unable to log back in again! A reminder that even technology has its bad days…
Regardless, thank you for taking the time to read my blog for the SLAT2002 language learning challenge and, for the last time, au revoir!
