Effects of a Literacy-Based Summer Learning Program on Second Language Reading Skills

• In Event: Summer Learning Makes a Difference!

Abstract

1.This paper describes the impact of Literacy Summer Programs offered by French-language school boards in Ontario, Canada. The four main goals of our research are 1) to describe the initial knowledge of French-language students identified as experiencing writing difficulties, 2) to examine gains and/or losses experienced during the summer, 3) to describe the students’ family literacy and linguistic practices, and 4) to document the Summer Program teachers’ pedagogical practices. Our purpose is to better understand the long-term effects of the Literacy-Based Summer Learning Program on plurilingual literacy practices of students enrolled in Ontario’s French-language schools.

2.The New Literacies Studies (Street, 1993), plurilingualism and the concept of plurilingual repertoires (Moore, 2006) provide the main theoretical frameworks of this research. Since the 1990s, researchers have linked the development of reading and writing skills to metalinguistic abilities (Armand, 2005; Fleuret et Montésinos-Gelet, 2011). Fortier (2013) highlights three specific characteristics that define these abilities: 1) language awareness, 2) language as object and 3) cognitive control and manipulation of linguistic structures. In a French Canadian context, Sénéchal (2006) examined the link between family literacy practices and academic literacy skills. She noticed that home literacy activities prepare children for kindergarten, and that exposure to books and reading stories promote the development of linguistic abilities.

3. We use a mixed method design (Creswell, 2008). Quantitative data is used to establish initial and final reading levels. We conduct semi-structured interviews with the Summer Learning Program’s teachers to document their pedagogical practices and perspectives.

4. Our data set consists of approximately 400 summer program attendees. Students are tested using GB+ in June and then again in September. Questionnaires are also sent to parents to establish family literacy and linguistic practices.

5. Our initial findings suggest the Summer Learning Program has a positive effect on the development of French literacy skills among participating students. School principals and teachers have indicated that struggling readers who do not participate in the Summer Learning Program tend to regress during the summer break.

6. This paper examines the reading skills of what has been described as an under-researched group, French-language students in Ontario, Canada. This research is particularly focused on exploring the linguistic and literacy skills of plurilingual students, both at school and at home, along with their impact on reading achievement. We believe French-language school boards need to legitimize their students’ varied linguistic repertoires, as they largely contribute to the development of metalinguistic skills and promote school and social integration of students. Our findings can inform government policy and school board decisions involving plurilingual students, especially for those who are situated in a minority language context.

References
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Authors

• Chantal Fournier, Ontario Ministry of Education

• Francis Bangou, University of Ottawa

• Carole Fleuret, University of Ottawa