The Intersection of French Immersion Teachers’ Identities and Teaching French Immersion

Abstract

This scoping review explores how French Immersion (FI) teachers in Canada construct their professional identities within the sociopolitical landscape of official bilingualism. Drawing on published scholarship between 2012 and 2022 (n=15), the review surfaces central themes, including tensions in content and language integration, program accessibility, shifting roles of educators, and contested notions of linguistic authenticity. Across these themes, FI teachers often navigate systemic barriers including limited preparation, resource scarcity, and ideologically charged narratives about language and identity that shape pedagogical decisions and self-understanding. The findings underscore the need for more inclusive and culturally responsive practices, as well as institutional support for teachers in holding complexity rather than simplifying it. Broader research that includes multiple interest-holder perspectives and French as a Second Language (FSL) program types to respond to and consider  the layered realities of bilingual individuals and education in Canada