Evolution(s) of the représentations sociales on French language amongst German-speaking future teachers in Berne: a matter of educational time?

Abstract

The Institut Vorschulstufe und Primarstufe at the Pädagogische Hochschule Bern (PHBern) trains future German-speaking primary school teachers with a three years Bachelor program. It is compulsory for all students to study French as a subject and to attend a professional mobility experience in a French-speaking environment so that they articulate linguistic and intercultural competences with professional competences. The new learning environment set to supervise mobility, including preparation (before), support (during) and reflection (after), is based on social anthropological approaches and addresses the notion of représentations sociales. Through the analysis of case studies, we will see how time influences the process at stake.