CHALLENGES IN TEACHING AND LEARNING SPOKEN FRENCH IN LOWER SECONDARY EDUCATION IN NIGER

The teaching and learning of oral communication is an essential component of proficiency in French, the official language and language of instruction in Niger. However, in many lower secondary schools, students struggle to develop oral communication skills because of pedagogical, linguistic and sociocultural constraints. This study examines the challenges associated with teaching and learning spoken French among students at CEG Raouda in Maradi, with a view to identifying the main explanatory factors and suggesting avenues for improvement. The study adopts a mixed-methods approach combining quantitative and qualitative methods. Data were collected through a questionnaire and semi-structured interviews from a sample of 210 respondents, comprising 200 students in quatrième and troisième (Grades 8 and 9) and 10 French teachers. Quantitative data were processed using Excel and Sphinx Plus2-V5, while qualitative data were subjected to thematic analysis.The findings indicate that the difficulties identified are primarily associated with insufficient teacher training in oral language pedagogy, the predominance of writing-focused practices, inadequate teaching materials, overcrowded classrooms, first-language interference, students' limited vocabulary and the scarcity of authentic opportunities to communicate in French outside school.