Study Duration or Grades?

Upper Secondary Qualifications in French and First-Semester University Success

Abstract

This study examines the relationship between upper secondary school qualifications in French and academic achievement in the university’s first semester French course. The measures of qualification used in the study include the number of upper secondary school courses in French and the upper secondary school grade in French. The study includes students who took the first semester French course in the years 2015 to 2021. The results indicate a connection between the upper secondary grade in French and the performance on the exam that largely determines academic success in this French course, namely the Swedish National Test in French grammar and vocabulary. However, taking more courses than the required qualifying course does not seem to increase the likelihood of passing this exam. This implies that students should pay more attention to the grade of prior education in French at secondary school than to the number of years studying the language when choosing to study French at university level. This result could also be considered by study counsellors. The grade relates to what the student has learnt but may also reflect other factors such as a general language-learning aptitude, study habits, and motivation.