International Multilingual Journal of Contemporary Research

La Problématique de la Cohésion et de la Cohérence dans les Productions Écrites des Candidats aux Épreuves du DELF Et DALF en Zambie, de 2002 à 2012
Gerald Chishiba

Résumé
This research work looked at the issue of cohesion and coherence in 100 French essays produced by candidates in Zambia who wrote DELF (Elementary Diploma in French as a Foreign Language) and DALF (Advanced Diploma in French as a Foreign Language) Examinations, from 2002 to 2012, at the Alliance Française of Lusaka. The aim of this study was essentially to determine the ability by the Zambian candidates to produce texts that were coherent and correctly knitted together. The objectives were threefold. To start with, the research claimed to establish whether the essays written by Zambian candidates lacked cohesion within sentences as well as between sentences. Secondly, the research was to determine whether the essays produced by the Zambian candidates lacked coherence. Lastly, the study wanted to establish whether our Zambian candidates’ essays qualified to be called texts. The decision to analyse DELF and DALF essays was motivated by the simple reason that DELF and DALF are a common denominator for all learners of French as a foreign language, not only in Zambia but also in the whole world. Each essay was analysed on the basis of an evaluation grid developed by Gérard Vigner (2001), a French Educationist. Furthermore, in analysing the 100 copies, the focus was on questions that required the candidate to write an essay that was coherent and properly knitted together. At the end of the study, it was discovered that the Zambian candidates were facing serious challenges in the area of written discourse competence and that urgent remedial measures were needed for both the learners and their teachers.

Full Text: PDF     DOI: 10.15640/imjcr.v4n2a1