Attitudes of Primary School Pupils Toward French Language Learning in Enugu State

Early attitudes toward foreign language learning are widely considered formative in shaping long-term engagement and achievement, making their investigation at the primary school level a pedagogically significant undertaking. This study examines the attitudes of primary school pupils toward French language learning in Enugu State, with particular attention to affective, cognitive, and behavioural attitude dimensions. A descriptive survey design was adopted, with data collected from 400 primary five and six pupils drawn from forty government and private primary schools across three local government areas of Enugu State. An age-appropriate, pictorial attitude scale validated through pilot testing was used for data collection, supplemented by structured teacher interviews. Results indicate predominantly positive affective attitudes toward French, with pupils expressing curiosity about the French language and francophone cultures. However, cognitive attitudes were more cautious, with many pupils expressing uncertainty about their ability to learn French successfully. Behavioural attitudes, as reflected in self-reported out-of-classroom engagement with French, were weak, indicating limited extra-curricular exposure. Private school pupils recorded significantly higher positive attitude scores across all three dimensions than public school pupils. Teacher enthusiasm and use of songs, games, and visual aids were positively associated with pupil attitude scores. The study recommends adoption of activity-based, communicative approaches in primary French instruction in Enugu State and argues for early attitude formation as a policy priority. Keywords: attitudes, French language learning, primary school, Enugu State, early language education