Tandem as a Motivational Strategy in foreign Language Learning

The following article is based on the analysis of the accounts given by a group of students Francophone and Romanian students who have participated in the Tandem project implemented at the Medicine and Pharmacy in Cluj in collaboration with the Babes-Bolyai University, in 2013 and 2014. The students' answers showthat the intercultural exchange with a native speaker facilitated a clearer point of view on the respective country and culture. It led to bonding and to an increased motivation in second language learning. The authors' conclusion is that tandem learning, seen as complementary to the traditional language class, is an innovative and efficient motivational strategy.