"I Told the Principal the Curriculum Was Systematic Intellectual Abuse": Parents and Quebec Language Policies

• In Event: Sheraton Roundtable Session Eighteen
  In Roundtable Session: Diverse Parent Perspectives of Their Children's Access to Resources, Funding, and Support (Table 8)

Abstract

In Quebec, the survival of French – a language considered by some as under threat (Termote, 2017) – has served as justification for the enactment of restrictive language policies including compulsory French language instruction for Quebec pupils (Rousseau & Côté, 2017). This paper relates findings from a focus group study where n = 28 Quebec parents reveal a disconnect between official language policies and the quality and quantity of English second language (ESL) instruction they wished for their children. A thematic analysis of data based on Grounded Theory methodology casts a shadow on the state-stakeholder relationship (Buchholz & Rosenthal, 2004), as parents oppose language policies institutionalizing the privilege of learning a second language in Quebec schools.

Author

• Andréanne Langevin, McGill University
  Presenting Author