Assessment of French Language Teacher Competencies in Adamawa State Secondary Schools

Teacher competence is a critical determinant of language learning outcomes, and systematic assessment of French teacher competence is essential for designing effective professional development and deployment policies. In Adamawa State, where French language instruction has strategic significance given the state's border with francophone Cameroon, teacher competence data are particularly important yet unavailable in the published literature. This study assesses the language, pedagogical, and professional competencies of French language teachers in secondary schools in Adamawa State. A mixed methods design was employed, with a validated French teacher competency assessment instrument combining a proficiency test, pedagogical knowledge survey, and self-assessment scale administered to 48 French teachers across Yola, Mubi, and Ganye zones. Classroom observations were conducted for a purposive sub-sample of 15 teachers to triangulate self-assessed competencies with observed practice. Results indicate that 62% of French teachers in the study achieved only A2 or B1 French proficiency on the administered test, falling below the C1 level recommended for secondary school French teaching. Pedagogical knowledge scores were particularly weak in communicative and task-based language teaching approaches. Teachers with degrees in French scored significantly higher on all competence dimensions than those with education certificates without specialist French training. The study recommends urgent deployment of qualified French graduates to Adamawa State secondary schools, targeted immersion-based professional development in Cameroon, and a language proficiency benchmarking policy for all French teachers in the state. Keywords: French teacher competence, Adamawa State, professional development, language proficiency, teacher assessment