« Like Understanding the Language from a Different Angle » : Réactions étudiantes à des pratiques plurilingues et interculturelles en contexte universitaire anglophone

This article explores the reactions of university students to French as an Additional Language (FAL) teaching practices based on plurilingual and intercultural approaches, in the context of one of Québec’s three English-language universities. These plurilingual and intercultural (PI) approaches, explored in a pedagogical action research project and involved the use of students’ linguistic, cultural, and metacognitive repertoires, were generally well received, although responses varied depending on individual backgrounds. This article discusses the reactions of four participants from diverse sociolinguistic, sociocultural, and socio-educational backgrounds. The analysis is supported by the Complexity Theory and shows that student reactions to PI approaches are influenced by complex and interconnected factors: learning cultures, proficiency levels, linguistic and cultural repertoires, and the emotional connections associated with these repertoires. In the socio-political context where learning French in English-language universities continues to make the headlines, this article advocates for teaching practices that recognize the diversity and richness of students’ repertoires without, however, mandating their use.