This is a study comparing the amount of change in the level of competence in language skills between beginning students of French in two types of instructional programs. Significant differences were found between students enrolled in regularly scheduled classes and those using a multimedia, self-paced, individualized instructional system. Students using the individualized system made significantly more progress than the students attending regular classes in speaking, reading, writing, and composite language skill. There was no significant difference between the two groups in listening comprehension. Levels of language competence were measured by the "MLA--Cooperative Foreign Language Tests", and additional data was obtained by administering the "Otis Quick Scoring Tests of Mental Ability." An additional conclusion of the study was that students scoring in the upper and lower extremes of measured mental ability benefited more from the individualized program than did the students in the middle one-third of the sample. (Author/SW)