French Makes Communication and Structures Make English : An Analysis of Official Language-Teaching Documents in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Sweden

Abstract: The Democratic Republic of the Congo is one of the least developed countries in the world and its school system needs to be improved. The aim of this research is to find out what the Congolese state expects from language teaching (French and English), how this is described in the curriculum, and whether this differs from the curriculum of a more developed country, such as Sweden. Through a content analysis, the language view, the role of the teacher and views of pupil participation are investigated. The Swedish curriculum and the Congolese programme of French show similarities by communicative and constructivist views, while the Congolese programme of English demonstrates behaviouristic features. This study can serve as an example of how the language context, i.e., second language v. foreign language, as well as the national culture, influence the curriculum.