The Effect of Early French Immersion on English Literacy Skills in Young English Language Learners

• In Event: 77.030 - French as a Second Language Programs in Canada: Perception, Assessment, and Academic Outcomes

Abstract

Perspectives: Since the introduction of publicly funded French immersion programs in Canada in the 1970s, these programs have attracted an increasing number of students from diverse linguistic backgrounds. A body of research has demonstrated the effectiveness of early French immersion programs in facilitating French language and literacy development (Genesee & Jared, 2008; Lazaruk, 2007). On the other hand, there are still concerns about children’s development in English language and literacy skills. These concerns matter even more to families who use a different language(s) other than English at home; not surprisingly, parents who are non-native speakers of English are keen to learn how their children’s English skills would develop in French immersion, compared to their peers in an English stream. This question is becoming more important in the present day with the highly linguistically diverse population in Canada.

Purpose: The present study aims to examine the effect of early French immersion program on English reading comprehension skills in the first years of stream divergence, with language status (majority vs. minority language children) as another focal variable.

Data sources: As part of a larger research project, the data was collected from 199 Grade 2 students (122 in French immersion; 77 in English stream) recruited from 10 public schools in the Greater Toronto Area. French immersion students received school instruction in French only, whereas students in English-stream programs received instruction in English only. English reading comprehension skills and non-verbal reasoning ability were assessed by standardized measures. Additionally, a comprehensive family demographic questionnaire was used to gather information on home language use, immigration experience, parental education, and English literacy activities at home.

Methods: In order to enhance the understanding of the studied phenomenon and increase the validity of findings, a variety of statistical techniques was applied, including: (1) logistic regression with marginal effect analysis, (2) standard linear regression with different missing data management methods, and (3) average treatment effect analysis using propensity score.

Results: The results from different techniques unanimously indicate that, in terms of reading comprehension skills, Grade 2 students in French immersion performed lower than their peers in English stream. This negative effect of early French immersion on reading comprehension skills was found to be stronger among English Language Learners.

Scholarly significance: The current study contributes to the dearth of literature on the effects of French immersion on the English literacy development, especially for English language learners, the newly growing student population in the program. The findings suggest that at least in Grade Two, French immersion students are still behind in English skills due to a lack of school instruction. More research is needed to examine whether this performance gap is narrowed once the English instruction is introduced in Grade 4. Given that language minority students enrolled in French immersion programs have limited exposure to English, it is important to support for their English language and literacy development.

Author

• Hyunah Kim, Education Quality and Accountability Office