Research Ethics in the Didactics of French as a Foreign Language: Methodological Transparency and Responsibility in the Use of Tools

Abstract

This article falls within the field of the didactics of French as a Foreign Language (FFL) and addresses two fundamental imperatives that condition the quality and legitimacy of any research endeavour: methodological transparency and responsibility in the use of tools. Drawing on a theoretical framework that brings together epistemology, ethics, and language didactics, and complemented by an empirical study based on the direct observation of FFL sessions with first-year Master's students in the Department of French at Mohamed El Bachir El Ibrahimi University, Bordj Bou Arréridj, the article argues that research ethics does not constitute an external constraint upon scientific inquiry but is instead one of its founding and inseparable components. The observational findings reveal contrasting pedagogical practices, pointing at once to an emerging awareness of ethical concerns and to persistent shortcomings in methodological transparency and in the reflective use of tools.