Social Representations about Sociolinguistic-Emotional Dimensions in the First Contact with a Foreign Language

Abstract

This research analyzes the Social Representation (SR) about the first encounter of the French language to public-elementary-school students in Colima, Mexico. The investigation was developed at the scholar year 2024-2025’s ending, when the English topics were concluded, through the Nueva Escuela Mexicana’s (NEM) critical-interculturally axis, which expanded the cultural and linguistic students’ horizons. According to the observation of different actitudes towards each language, the question is: Which are the students’ SR after their first encounter with French? A qualitative methodology and the processual approach of the SR were employed. The data was collected by an open-ended questionnaire throughout a convenience sampling. Four interwoven dimensions were identified by the content analysis: attitudinal, affective, cognitive and sociocultural. These findings proved them as positive predominantly which indicates French is culturally relevant, which permits it to reflect about its integration.