Examining English Phonological Awareness Among Early French Immersion Students in Canada

• In Event: Examining the Impact of Multilingual Instructional Approaches and Language Orientations

Abstract

This study compared early French immersion (FI) students’ English phonological awareness (PA) skills relative to their English program peers in Canada. A total of 2196 children in kindergarten and grade 1 were tested in the fall on elision and blending. Demographic variables (i.e., English language learner (ELL), socioeconomic (SES) status) were collected to determine their impact on performance. Results showed that FI students outperformed their English peers on both measures and that program mediated the SES effect in favor of FI. Although ELL students performed lower than their EL1 peers in both programs, no significant differences were observed. Findings suggest that FI does not impede English PA skills among ELLs and instead promotes positive learning results for diverse students.

Authors

• Songtao Wang, University of Toronto
  Presenting Author

• Krystina Raymond, University of Toronto
  Non-Presenting Author

• Kathleen HIpfner-Boucher, University of Toronto - OISE
  Non-Presenting Author

• Becky Chen, University of Toronto - OISE
  Non-Presenting Author