Needs for a Future in French: A Needs Analysis of Undergraduate French Majors at Georgetown University

Abstract

This exploratory study investigated the needs of undergraduate French and Francophone Studies majors at Georgetown University. This needs analysis sought to answer three questions: 1) What are the communicative needs of French and Francophone Studies majors at Georgetown University as perceived by the language majors themselves and by their instructors? 2) What are the purposes and motivations that underly French language study in undergraduate French majors? 3) To what extend does the Georgetown University French and Francophone Studies curriculum reflect and satisfy the communicative needs of French majors? The study identified needs connected to humanistic purposes for language study with a secondary need for utilitarian purposes related to employment and education opportunities, all of which were underpinned by integrative motivation tied to both the linguistic culture and the department of study. Finally, this study made recommendations associated with the identified needs of this learner population.