O n f e r e n c e

Research challenges 
There are a number of challenges that have to be faced in this study, the first of which is 
the sample size. Of the 71 students enrolled for this module, 64 have no previous 
knowledge of French. As the participants will be divided into 3 groups that will undergo 3 
different interventions, the size of the groups will be around 23. The chances are high 
that the groups will get smaller as the semester advances as the fall-out rate over the 
past three years from the beginning of the first semester until the examinations at the 
end of the first semester was about 12%.
The duration of the study is limited to the first semester (13 weeks teaching time) as the 
fall-out rate from the first to the second semester is quite high (±39%) so the sample 
size will not be sufficiently big during the second semester. Only 3 themes can be treated 
during this short period of teaching time as the cycle foreseen for each and the orals that 
will be conducted would take a considerable amount of time.
Replication studies are recommended by Chun (2012) and Smith and Schulze (2013) 
amongst others. A conceptual replication study could be conducted at the NWU and other 
institutions in 2015. It would be important though to adhere to the same selection 
criteria as with the current study. One would have to find an institution with the same 
setup as at the NWU Potchefstroom campus. Factors like plurilingualism (as defined by 
the Common European Framework of Reference), different textbooks, different teaching 
methods and different teachers would have to be taken into consideration. 
We are also aware of the other factors influencing foreign language learning as 
mentioned by Chun (2012), and have thus decided to limit the replication study/ies to 

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2014 CALL Conference 
LINGUAPOLIS
www.antwerpcall.be 
the South African context. This could not possibly eliminate all the variables, but should 
contribute at least to a certain extent to limiting these variables.
Here are a few important considerations when deciding on an institution for a replication 
study: 

Is a learning management system (LMS) similar to the one at the NWU used 
regularly by participants? 

Do learners have the same access to mobile devices as the original participants 
(smart phones, tablets, etc.)? 

Is the sample group (beginner students in French as a Foreign Language) big 
enough to produce meaningful results? 

Are the same outcomes reached in the same timeframe by the two different 
sample groups? 

How do the motivations behind learning French coincide/differ between the two 
groups?
Conclusion 
Taking Colpaert’s (2013) CALL challenges of replication, psychology and smart design as 
a starting point, the project under consideration, which at the time of submission of this 
article is still in its beginning stages, is confronted with a number of unanswered 
questions. Regarding the replication challenge and its susceptibility to local factors, the 
heterogeneous South African academic context turns conducting a valid replication study 
into a taxing methodological requirement. Replication in the form of reiteration and 
reimplementation of the developed CALL environment at the same institution using a new 
student cohort, seems most feasible.
Further specific questions related to the project’s me
thodological choices are: What is the 
optimal sample size? To what extent should the pedagogical patterns differ? How will the 
transcribed data be analysed? What should be done to ensure that none of the