Unveiling the voices of Bangla-speaking immigrant parents on Ontario's International Languages Program for informed and effective policy design

• In Event: Diverse Perspectives on Language Planning and Policies

Proposal

Introduction and Rationale
Canada welcomes many immigrants each year through a variety of immigration programs from around the world. These immigrants bring a plethora of linguistic and cultural resources with them. However, research shows that immigrant students tend to lose their proficiency in their heritage language after attending a few years of school in the host country, potentially affecting their self-efficacy, their mental health, and the construction of their identity, at the risk of disturbing their well-being (Armbruster & Belabbas, 2021; Le Pichon & Kambel, 2022).

Acknowledging the importance of maintaining children’s heritage languages and cultures, the Ontario Ministry of Education offers free language classes known as the International Languages Program. The International Languages Program (ILP) is a policy that allows school boards to offer heritage language classes after regular school hours or during the weekends. Importantly, according to the policy, there should be a minimum of 23 students enrolled in the International Language class in order to be offered. This requirement of a minimum number of students has been criticized by scholars as it might hinder interested children from less commonly spoken languages from enrolling in free language classes (Bale, 2019). Regardless of the criticism, the ILP still heavily relies on a minimum number of interested families in sending their children to the classes. Therefore, the perception of the immigrant parents on the ILP might have a significant impact on the enrolment and, thus, the number of classes that could be offered by a school board. However, little to no research has been done to understand the parents' perspectives on the ILP in Ontario. Our study was designed to fill the gap in the literature by interviewing 20 Bangla-speaking parents (10 from India and 10 from Bangladesh) in Toronto and the Greater Toronto Area. Our preliminary findings indicate that parents' perception of the ILP has a significant effect on their decision about sending their children to the program. Three different types of perceptions were identified among parents who choose to send their children to the ILP, among parents who choose not to send their children to the ILP, rather send their children to community-run Bangla schools, and among parents whose children mainly learn their heritage language at home.
Research Questions
How do Bangla-speaking immigrant parents perceive the International Languages Program in Ontario, Canada?
To what extent do the parent’s perceptions of the International Languages Program affect their decision about enrolling their children in the program?
Methods
60 minutes semi-structured interviews with each participant were conducted to understand parents' perspectives on the International Languages Program offered by the local school boards. We used open coding and pattern coding to analyze our qualitative data. Next, a cross-case analysis was done to understand the individual interviews in relation to others.
Theoretical framework
We used the theory of "investment" to understand learners' varying desires for social engagement (Norton, 2013, p. 6). Investment challenges binary identity classifications, considering learners' agency and actions shaped by power dynamics within specific contexts (Norton Peirce, 1995). Learners invest in language to gain symbolic and material resources, increasing cultural capital and social power (Darvin and Norton, 2015). This highlights how social context, personal circumstances, and aspirations influence engagement in community practices.
Findings
Our preliminary findings indicate that parents' perception of the ILP has a significant effect on their decision about sending their child to the program. All parent participants express their pride and gratitude towards the ILP program. In their views, these ILP programs are another form of Canadian inclusiveness. Most parents acknowledge the importance of transmitting their language and culture to the next generation and think the ILP program could serve the purpose. However, despite the pride and gratitude, not all parents are able to send their children to the ILP program for various reasons. We found out about three groups of parents and how their perspectives of the ILP affect their decision-making. First, parents who send their children to the ILP express their beliefs in the Canadian school system, especially the school board’s management and standard of the quality of teaching. Although not always specific about the teaching quality of the Bangla class, the parents’ positive view of the Canadian school system extends toward the ILP program. Second, despite holding a positive attitude toward the ILP, some parents, especially those who work odd hours find it difficult to arrange transportation for their children for after-school or weekend Bangla classes. Third, some parents find the syllabus of the Bangla class irrelevant to their children’s needs. For example, a parent says that the primary purpose of teaching their children Bangla is to develop basic speaking and literacy skills. However, the ILP classes focus on developing the academic Bangla language proficiently. Therefore, these groups of parents select community Bangla language schools with less academic content for their children. Furthermore, parents prefer community-run Bangla schools because of the networking opportunity it creates in their commuting, particularly helpful for newcomers. Some of the parents also raised the issue of multilevel class systems in school boards where they think their children do not make the best use of the time and gradually lose interest in staying after school.
Significance
Understanding the parents' perspectives on International Languages Programs will help the policymakers to design a policy that could effectively serve the community. For example, getting rid of the minimum number of student enrolment. Importantly, the policy can offer heritage language classes within the regular school hours as many immigrant parents struggle to invest time after school hours or during the weekend to provide transportation for their children. Additionally, schools can use the information, such as using relevant curriculum for the heritage language classes, to serve the interested students better and avoid dropout rates. One way to cater to student's needs could be for teachers in the International Languages Program to communicate with the parents to understand their needs and develop the courses accordingly.

Authors

• Sudhashree Girmohanta, O.I.S.E. University of Toronto

• Umme Kulsum, Toronto Catholic District School Board, University of toronto