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Article published In:
Issues and Perspectives on Student Diversity and Content-Based Language Education
Edited by Fred Genesee and Diane J. Tedick
[Journal of Immersion and Content-Based Language Education 9:2] 2021
► pp. 336–363

“More languages means more lights in your house”

Illuminating the experiences of newcomer families in French immersion

| University of Regina
| McGill University
| McGill University

French immersion programs throughout Canada have historically consisted of predominantly Anglophone populations pursuing bilingualism in the country’s two official languages, English and French. Nevertheless, recent developments in immigration and refugee resettlement have contributed to increasingly diverse student backgrounds nationwide (Statistics Canada, 2014). Researchers have explored the motivation for Allophone families to pursue FSL in Canada (Dagenais & Berron, 2001; Dagenais & Jacquet, 2000; Mady, 2010); the language proficiency of Allophone learners in FSL programs (Bérubé & Marinova-Todd, 2012; Carr, 2007; Mady, 2015); and the perspectives of FSL educators with respect to such learners (Mady, 2016; Mady & Masson, 2018; Roy, 2015). The present study draws from interview data to explore and compare the experiences and perspectives of seven Allophone parents and 43 FI educators in Saskatchewan. In the present article, we examine the perspectives of FI educators, the experiences of Allophone families, and the implications for immersion programs worldwide.

Keywords: French immersion, minority languages, newcomers, immigrants, education, multilingualism
Article outline
  • 1.Overview of French immersion
  • 2.Languages in Saskatchewan
  • 3.Allophone family motivation
  • 4.Allophone language learning in Canada and Europe
  • 5.Research questions and methodology
  • 6.Findings
    • 6.1Canadian culture and identity in FI
    • 6.2Economic opportunity in FI
    • 6.3Motivation for multilingualism
    • 6.4French language learning in FI: Confidence and competence
    • 6.5English language learning in FI: Confidence and concern
    • 6.6Heritage language learning in FI
  • 7.Discussion
  • 8.Conclusion
  • Acknowledgements
  • References
Published online: 13 April 2021
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/jicb.20015.dav
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