Keywords
instructional time
French language teaching
student perceptions
lecturer perspectives
bilingual education
University of Buea.
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Abstract
This study examines students’ and lecturers’ perspectives on the reduction of instructional time for French 100 (FRE 100), a compulsory foundation course at the University of Buea, Cameroon. The course is intended to develop students’ functional competence in French for everyday, academic, and professional communication within Cameroon’s bilingual educational context. A descriptive mixed-methods survey design was employed, involving 122 students selected through stratified random sampling and 10 lecturers purposively selected based on their experience teaching the course under the shortened timetable. Quantitative data were collected using a 16-item five-point questionnaire and analysed using descriptive statistics, one-sample t-tests, confidence intervals, Cohen’s d, and Holm adjustment, while lecturer interviews were analysed thematically. Findings revealed substantial concerns about rushed lesson delivery, limited lecturer–student interaction, insufficient opportunities for language practice, incomplete classroom exercises, restricted assessment and feedback, and pressure to cover an unchanged syllabus within reduced instructional time. Fourteen of the 16 questionnaire item means differed significantly from the neutral midpoint after Holm adjustment, with particularly strong support for learner-centred teaching, technology-assisted learning, additional opportunities for practice, and improved mechanisms for checking students’ understanding. Lecturer accounts largely reinforced students’ concerns and further highlighted workload, overcrowding, assessment conditions, and challenges to achieving the communicative and bilingual objectives of the course. The study concludes that instructional time should be considered alongside syllabus scope, communicative objectives, class size, assessment practices, and opportunities for meaningful language interaction. It recommends reviewing the organisation of French 100, protecting opportunities for oral practice and feedback, and strategically integrating learner-centred and technology-supported learning. However, as the study examines reported experiences rather than direct measures of language proficiency, further research incorporating classroom observation and comparative proficiency assessment is recommended.
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