This study examined data elicited by the Beliefs About Language Learning Inventory (BALLI), which was administered to first-year, advanced learners of French at the University of the West Indies. The questionnaire looked at students' attitudes regarding the difficulty of language learning, foreign language aptitude, the nature of language…

Given the strengths and weaknesses of previous research on second language writing, a study was undertaken to investigate the comments made by six native speaker (NS) and non-native speaker (NNS) teachers of intermediate French regarding compositions written by their students. The teachers were asked to grade a set of regularly scheduled…

This paper proposes that activity theory provides a useful framework for understanding how students learn to write in a foreign language and how student and classroom practices evolve over time. Activity theory emphasizes the sociocultural and historical nature of the learning setting. The paper outlines central tenets of activity theory,…