Difficulties in Listening and Speaking in French Language Learning: The Strategies Adopted by Aviation Department Students

This study handles how aviation students learn French as a second foreign language, focusing on difficulties in listening and speaking skills, and the factors behind them. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 15 Aviation Managements students, selected through purposive sampling, using a qualitative case study design. Each interview lasted for 40-50 minutes, and the data were analyzed descriptively. Findings revealed that students’ motivation was primarily based on external factors, such as compulsory courses and career goals, but internal factors like cultural interest, were constantly developed. Anxiety in speaking, fear of making mistakes, pronunciation difficulties, and a mismatched reduced communication desire. In listening skills, speech speed and spelling-pronunciation differences stood out. The participants implemented various strategies, such as repetition and imitation, subtitled media, self-recording, peer practice, and digital applications. French was considered more concerning than English due to later and limited exposure and phonetic complexity. This study suggests pronunciation workshops, authentic materials, fault-tolerant and technology-enhanced classrooms.