4.6.2 Questionnaire: Procedure

The questionnaire was piloted by 11 individuals during the months of October and November, 1998. The participation in the pilot study was requested by the researcher. The individuals chosen represented a range of participant types and included a university professor, teachers in training, Core French and Immersion teachers. The most important changes made in the design allowed for wording that would accommodate users who either did not use the Internet or who used it little.

The questionnaires were mailed to French Program Specialists during the month of January and distributed to schools and the individual teachers through district mail. Teachers were asked to return the questionnaire by February 15^th, 1999. This time of year was chosen to avoid the busier times of year such as at the beginning or end of year or reporting times. Each questionnaire included a return, stamped envelope as well as a small button with a slogan related to the teaching of French such as J’aime parler français. If the questionnaire had not been returned by the end of February, a follow-up letter was sent to the teacher (see Appendix P) . If the questionnaire had not been received by the middle of March, a second follow-up letter and questionnaire were sent out (see Appendix Q). This letter also included an Internet address of a site created by the researcher where participants could complete the questionnaire online. The final response rate was approximately 68% with 88 out of 130 questionnaires returned.