Attitudes et représentations des élèves en situation d’enseignement/apprentissage du mə̀ dʉ̂ mbά au secondaire : cas de quelques établissements secondaires de bangangte

Abstract

This study examines on the Attitudes and Representations of students towards the Teaching/Learning of mə̀dʉ̂mbά in secondary schools using the case of some secondary schools in the Bangangté council. The primary objective of this study is to identify the attitudes and linguistic representations (via an epilinguistic speech) that students hold towards the mother tongue (mə̀dʉ̂mbά) taught in their schools and to understand how these influence their learning process. The central research question is: how does the teaching of mə̀dʉ̂mbά relate to student’s attitudes and representations in the school context? Based on this, the following hypothesis is formulated: The teaching/learning of mə̀dʉ̂mbά may be negatively affected by unfavorable images, opinions and behaviors. To verify this hypothesis, we drew on the Social Representation Theory: central core and the Theory of Reasoned Action (Fishbein and Ajzen 1975). This study employed a mixed-methods approach (quantitative and qualitative), using a questionnaire to gather data on students’ representations and attitudes towards the teaching/learning of mə̀dʉ̂mbά, and observations to assess actual practices. The results show that although students in Bangangté are aware of the importance of national language proficiency, they do not prioritize the teaching/learning of mə̀dʉ̂mbά due to its perceived lack of economic value and limited use in family interaction. To encourage students in Bangangté to take a greater interest in teaching/learning of mə̀dʉ̂mbά, we propose some recommendation for key stakeholders in the education sector.