Motivation to Study Core French: Comparing Recent Immigrants and Canadian‐Born Secondary School Students

As the number of Allophone students attending public schools in Canada continues to increase (Statistics Canada, 2008), it is clear that a need exists in English‐dominant areas to purposefully address the integration of these students into core French. I report the findings of a mixed‐method study that was conducted to assess and com‐ pare the motivation and investment of secondary Allophone and English‐speaking Canadian‐born students to study core French. Both the quantitative and the qualita‐ tive results show that Allophone students are more motivated to study French than their English‐speaking Canadian‐born peers. Key words: multilingual language motivation, second language motivation, applied linguistics À mesure que le nombre d’élèves allophones dans les écoles publiques du Canada s’accroît (Statistique Canada, 2008), il est clair qu’il faut, dans les régions où l’anglais domine, s’occuper nommément de l’intégration de ces élèves dans les cours de fran‐ çais de base. L’auteure présente les conclusions d’une recherche menée à l’aide de plusieurs méthodologies en vue d’évaluer et de comparer la motivation et l’implication d’élèves du secondaire, soit allophones, soit anglophones et nés au Ca‐ nada, vis‐à‐vis des cours de français de base. Les résultats tant quantitatifs que quali‐ tatifs montrent que les élèves allophones sont plus motivés à étudier le français que leurs pairs anglophones nés au Canada. Mots clés : motivation et apprentissage d’une langue seconde, linguistique appliquée

Voices of Immigrant Adults: Perspectives and Experiences with French as a Second Official Language in “English-dominant” Canada

The federal government of Canada, through the Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages (OCOL) (2000), claims that immigration is a challenge to English/French official language duality in Canada. In its promotion of official language duality to potential immigrants, the government cites the advantages of official language bilingualism and the responsibility of immigrants to respect official language duality (OCOL, 2002). Supported by Anderson’s theory of imagined communities (2006), Lave and Wenger’s concept of situated learning (1991) and Bourdieu’s concept of capital (1977), this study reports on immigrant parents’ perspectives and experiences with French as a second official language (FSOL) in parts of English-dominant Canada as reported through interviews with adult immigrants to Canada. More precisely, the immigrants report on their pursuit of official language bilingualism for themselves and their children and their difficulty in accessing its cited advantages. I suggest the government has responsibility in converting its claims of the advantages to official language bilingualism into realities for the immigrant populatio

French Immersion for English Language Learners?: Kindergarten Teachers’ Perspectives

Given the increasingly diverse, multilingual student body in Canada, the call for increased inclusion in education, and in light of research highlighting the potential for inclusion in French immersion (FI) to be limited by gatekeepers, this study examines the beliefs of kindergarten teachers regarding the inclusion of English language learners in French immersion where entry begins in Grade 1. The theory of planned behavior as discussed by Ajzen (2005) served as a theoretical lens through which the data were examined. In particular, through their responses to a mixed format questionnaire, including a 12 item Likert scale of agreement and open-ended questions, kindergarten teachers revealed that a) French immersion is not for everyone, and b) may be disadvantageous to English language learners in particular. The teachers grounded their beliefs in the importance and influence of English on students’ future endeavours. Beliefs that FI is not for all students were supported by the board’s provision of information to parents as revealed by a document analysis. Such findings highlight the need for information sharing on multilingual language acquisition to extend beyond administrators to include parents and additional educators who have the potential to influence parents’ choices for their children.Compte tenu du corps étudiant canadien de plus en plus diversifié et plurilingue, de la demande pour une intégration accrue en éducation et de la recherche soulignant la possibilité que des gardiens limitent l’inclusion en immersion française, cette étude examine les croyances des enseignants de maternelle face à l’inclusion en immersion française d’élèves apprenant l’anglais (où l’apprentissage du français commencerait en 1re année). La théorie du comportement planifié telle que proposée par Ajzen (2005) a servi d’optique théorique pour l’analyse des données. Les résultats d’un questionnaire à 12 items (réponses sur une échelle de Likert et questions ouvertes) ont indiqué que, entre autres, les enseignants de maternelle croient: a) que l’immersion française n’est pas pour tout le monde et b) que les apprenants de l’anglais pourraient y être particulièrement défavorisés. Les croyances des enseignants reposaient sur l’importance et l’influence de l’anglais dans l’avenir des élèves. Une analyse documentaire a révélé que les croyances selon lesquelles l’immersion française n’était pas pour tous les élèves étaient appuyées par des informations remises aux parents de la part du conseil. Ces résultats soulignent la nécessité d’un partage d’informations sur le plurilinguisme et l’acquisition des langues au delà des administrateurs de sorte à inclure les parents et d’autres enseignants susceptibles d’influencer les choix que font les parents à l’égard de leurs enfants

French as a Second Language Teacher Candidates’ Language Proficiency and Confidence: Exploring the Influences of a Home-stay Practicum Experience

Teacher language proficiency and confidence influences students’ classroom experiences. With the view to supporting French as a second language teacher candidates’ language development, 15 teacher candidates participated in a home-stay practicum experience within a French milieu. This study sought to explore teacher candidates’ self-concept of proficiency and their confidence pre and post-experience. Both qualitative and quantitative findings show an increase in perceived proficiency and confidence

Inclusion of Students with Special Education Needs in French as a Second Language Programs: A Review of Canadian Policy and Resource Documents

This article describes a document analysis of policy and resource documents pertaining to inclusion of students with special education needs (SSEN) in Canadian French as a Second Language (FSL) programs.  By recognizing gaps and acknowledging advancements, we aim to inform current implementation and future development of inclusive policy. Document analysis of a) special education documents and b) FSL policy and support documents revealed that over 80% of provincial and territorial education ministries currently refer to inclusion of SSEN in FSL. With the intent of remediating identified inconsistencies in actual application, this article concludes with specific recommendations to enhance inclusive practice

LEARNING FRENCH AS A SECOND OFFICIAL LANGUAGE: RESERVED FOR ANGLOPHONES?

This article reviews federal language policies and provincial curriculum documents as they relate to Allophones and their access to French as a Second Official Language (FSOL) programs across Canada. Results of a detailed document analysis reveal that policies provide obstacles to access for allophone immigrants to Canada who seek to learn both official languages. An examination of research reveals that implementation of policy also restricts Allophones’ access to learning French in English-dominant provinces. We argue that increasing Allophones’ access to FSOL programming would not only support Canadian government initiatives and goals related to linguistic duality and official bilingualism, but also allophone students’ success in Canadian schools

Voices of Resilience from the Bottom Rungs: The Stories of Three Elementary Core French Teachers in Ontario

This paper reports on a study that used activity theory (AT) as a framework to understand the dialogical relationship between three elementary Core French (CF) teachers’ personal and professional experiences and their literacy teaching beliefs and practices. This study used a case study design collecting data from three different teachers in three different locations by means of semi-structured interviews to help capture teachers’ perspective of their professional experiences. The interviews exposed the teachers’ creativity in dealing with concerns about their personal and professional goals and (limited) resources available, documented facilitating or constraining effects on the community that operated within the same activity system, and identified unspoken agendas of their wider professional communities. The analysis of the teachers’ narratives reveals that the definition of the status and role of CF within the Canadian educational context is an essential source of tension that affects the teachers’ teaching practices and their sense of professional identity. Cet article porte sur une étude ayant comme cadre la théorie de l’activité pour comprendre le rapport dialogique entre les expériences personnelles et professionnelles de trois enseignantes de français de base à l’élémentaire d’une part, et leurs croyances et pratiques par rapport à l’enseignement de la littératie d’autre part. Cette étude repose sur modèle d’étude de cas et a impliqué la collecte de données par le biais d’entrevues semi-structurées auprès de trois enseignants différents dans trois lieux différents de sorte à obtenir leur point de vue quant à leurs expériences professionnelles. Les entrevues ont révélé la créativité des enseignants face à leurs préoccupations relatives à leurs buts personnels et professionnels et les ressources limitées disponibles; documenté les effets facilitateurs ou restrictifs sur la communauté qui fonctionnait au sein du même système d’activités; et identifié les intentions tacites de leurs communautés professionnelles élargies. L’analyse des récits des enseignants a démontré que la définition du statut et du rôle du français de base dans le milieu éducatif Canadien est une source de tension qui affecte leurs pratiques pédagogiques ainsi que le sens de leur identité professionnelle

Core or Immersion? Canadian French-Second-Language Teacher Candidates’ Perceptions and Experiences of the Best and Worst Program Options for Students with Learning Difficulties and for English Language Learners

Responding to the needs of and/or including students with different need profiles has been an area of focus within Canadian French Second Language (FSL) education for many years. This study draws on quantitative data from two questionnaires (administered before and after Canadian teacher candidates in FSL education completed their practica) and on qualitative interview data from a volunteer sample of questionnaire participants. The purpose of the study was to explore how these participants viewed the best and worst FSL program options, among four choices, for students who had learning difficulties or who were English language learners, and to see the extent to which these views could be linked to their practicum experience. Though some participants did mention less common programs, most participants restricted their responses to the traditional FSL program dichotomy of core French and French immersion. We noted differences in the participants’ views according to the program of their student teaching practicum and according to the learning need under consideration. Implications for FSL teacher education and FSL education are discussed. In particular, we recommend providing research information to teacher candidates at the Bachelor of Education level in order to encourage teacher candidates to consider evidence as they move toward greater inclusion in FSL; given that these future teachers will need to support varying student needs in their career, this information should be included in their preparation

Inclusion in French Immersion in Canada: One Parent’s Perspective

Through an examination of one mother’s journals about her son’s academic struggles to navigate the French immersion (FI) program in Canada, this article explores the tensions that exist when the construct of “inclusion” is juxtaposed against that particular second language-learning context. The analysis of the mother’s journals revealed three distinct stress points between the two systems: the conflict between the diagnostic policies/procedures for learning disabilities and the ideals of inclusion, the “status” often accorded to FI and how that has naturally inhibited inclusion, and the limitations of the research on struggling students in FI. This article argues that in this age of celebrated learner diversity and calls for corresponding differentiated instruction, these stress points must be addressed in order for FI to foster a learning environment that is accessible and beneficial to all