The impact of the intercultural approach on reading comprehension in French as a foreign language (the fable as an example)

Abstract

Our article is concerned with the impact that the intercultural approach might, in practical terms, have on reading
comprehension in French as a foreign language for Algerian learners in secondary school who often have difficulties
understanding a text in this language. In fact, this approach is not only comparative; it actually directs learners to the Other
and to themselves at the same time. It also takes into account their representations that determine the link they have with the
foreign culture which may be either favourable or unfavourable to reading comprehension in the foreign language.
By the end of our research, we found that using the intercultural approach in the activity of reading comprehension
where the support is a fable arouses learners’ interest because they feel involved, with their knowledge to their culture, in
learning. That being said, by taking advantage of the similarities that exist between the culture of origin and the foreign culture,
this approach allows a cultural rapprochement between the reader and the writer that favors the comprehension of the text,
and thanks to which the learners could access its meaning.