c anada's French immersion programs have attractedpositive attention from many countries around the

globe. For the last decade some countries, particularlyin Europe and the United States, have been offeringimmersion programs often patterned on the Canadianmodel.

French immersion is a Canadian-made educational program inwhich a child whose firstlanguage is not French studies inFrench. Begun 30 years ago inresponse to parental demand,research shows that Frenchimmersion is the most effectiveway for a child to become

functionally bilingual.

This report provides answers to some of the questionsmost frequently asked by parents of French immersionstudents {actual and prospective), This report, we hope,will also give parents a quick overview of a Canadianeducational success story. The answers are based onthe results of three decades of research about one ofthe most thoroughly studied educational programsin Canada.

Programs are named for their

entry points:

.Early French immersion startsnot later than Grade 1

.Middle French immersionstarts in Grade 3 or later

.Late French immersion startsin Grade 6 or later

Ideally, in French immersionprograms all activities andlearning during the elementarygrades, except for Englishlanguage arts, are in French.

It is rewarding to see that our education system hassucceeded, for the first time in the history of second-language teaching in Canada, in giving English-speakingand other students for whom French is a third or fourthlanguage the ability to communicate naturally in Frenchusing a wide range of vocabulary.

This high level of French proficiency is developed atno cost to students' English proficiency or toachievement in other academic subjects such asscience or mathematics.

Following this report are a list of references and a listof selected CPF resources with an order form.

* Dr. Andre A. Obadia is a Professor at Simon Fraser University (Faculty of Education J in

Burnaby, Bristish Columbia. He has published extensively on French immersion programs and hasgiven numerous presentations on French immersion at conferences in Canada and abroad. He ispresently conducting a major research project on language immersion programs around the world.

Founded in 1977, CanadianParents for French (CPF) is thenational network of volunteerswho promote and createopportunities for youngCanadians to learn and useFrench. With approximately 200chapters across the country,CPF offers concerned adults theopportunity to work with otherswho are committed toenhancing the quality of Frenchsecond-language education. @ 1996, Canadian Parents for French

some problems in trying to cope withthe French immersion curriculum -the same problems they wouldencounter in the English-streamprogram. Learning assistance shouldbe provided to them, whether theyare in immersion or in the regularEnglish program. These children(except in rare instances) should notbe denied the satisfaction and pridethat come from becoming bilingual.

F rench immersion has sometimesbeen criticized as an elitist

program, because, among otherreasons, children enrolled in thisprogram tended to come fromfamilies with high incomes and theeducational level of parents tendedto be above average. This criticismmay have been valid when theFrench immersion program began.However, with hundreds ofthousands of students in theprogram, if this was ever true it is notthe case today.

Studies have shown that there isno reason why immersion programsshould not be suitable for any child.Of course, children with aboveaverage academic abilities generallyhave an advantage in most forms oflearning, particularly, in the case ofimmersion programs, in thedevelopment of reading and writingskills. High academic ability, however,is not related to performance inFrench speaking skills.

By the same token, children withlearning difficulties will experience

T he level of French will vary fromone child to another in the same

way as performance in mathematics,for example, will vary from child tochild. Some students speak Frenchmaking many mistakes while othersmight be taken for mother-tongueFrench speakers.

The language skills of Frenchimmersion students are consistentlysuperior to those of core Frenchstudents (who study French for 20 to50 minutes per day). In general,immersion students' French oral andreading comprehension skills(receptive skills) will be almost on apar with those of native Frenchspeakers. Speaking and writing in thesecond language (productive skills)may not be as advanced as theircomprehension (receptive) skills.

We must remind ourselves thatFrench for these children is, after all,

example, imagine yourself beingable to understand Chinese spokenby a native speaker at a normalspeed and that you are able tocommunicate, in a normal way, albeitwhile making some mistakes, withthat person. Wouldn't that bewonderful?

French immersion teachers andparents should constantly seek outopportunities for the children to usetheir French with mother-tongueFrench speakers. The newtechnologies (Internet, video-conferencing, multimedia materials,etc.) will help students to establishlinks with Francophone communitiesaround the world. Theseopportunities for interaction shouldhelp students to improve theirsociolinguistic skills.

their second language and thatEnglish is the predominant languagein their environment.

To dwell too much and tobcritically on the quality of the Frenchspoken by immersion students isoften a red herring because it ignoresthe fact that immersion students notonly communicate effectively inFrench but also learn the skills ofcommunication: selecting the rightwords with the right nuances,adapting communicative strategiesto get the message across, crackingthe right joke without making acultural or linguistic gaffe, andestablishing a positive environmentby creating a friendly atmospherewith the native speaker.

It will take years of immersionschooling before your child will reachsuch a level of achievement andcomfort in a second language. As an

..

R esearch has shown thatthroughout Canada French

immersion students perform at leastas well in many aspects of English-language achievement as those whoare enrolled in regular programs.Understandably, in the first two orthree years (primary grades) ofFrench immersion your child mayshow some lag in certain areas ofEnglish-language skills such as

the same alphabet makes this processof transfer much easier.

Various studies have shown thatimmersion students perform as wellas English-stream students in allschool subjects such as math,science, etc.

spelling, capitalization, etc. Theselags are, however, temporary andusually disappear when Englishlanguage arts are introduced.

It is not uncommon to seeimmersion students reading Englishfluently even though no formalclassroom English instruction has yetbeen introduced. This is due to thephenomenon of transfer of readingskills from French to English. Having

y ou can start by establishing agood rapport with your child's

immersion teacher in a spirit ofcollaboration and support. Throughregular communication with theteacher you should become familiarwith the curriculum and be able tohelp your child as effectively as

possible.At home, your child should be free

to read for pleasure in French or inEnglish and be encouraged to talkabout his/her experiences at school.Showing interest in what your childis doing at school and providingencouragement and support is of theutmost importance.

child can spell them. It is often anamusing exercise when your childtries to teach you how to pronounceFrench words. You can transcribewords phonetically to remember howto pronounce them. You may alsowish to ask the immersion teacher torecord one or more "dictees" topractise at home or your child canmake the recording and you can playback the tape. Your child can workusing the teacher's voice.

For more information about howyou can help, please see the list ofselected CPF resou rces at the end ofthis report.

For example, you can help by sittingby your child and encouraginghim/her to complete his/her work orstudy his/her lessons. This will helpyour child in the short and long run.It is particularly easy to work withyour child in math, social studies,science or art because they can bedone in English at home. Eventually,and as soon as possible, your childwill become an independent learner.

Other examples: when there is a"dictee" (spelling exercise) topractise, and if your pronunciation isreasonably good, you may ask thechild to say the words to you firstand then repeat the words so your

E xcept in unusual circumstances,

transferring a child out of

immersion is generally not advisable.Performing below grade level or gradeaverage, for example, is not a validreason for transferring your child. Inall likelihood the child would not beperforming much better if he or shewere in an English-stream program.

Transferring a child out of Frenchimmersion should be a decision thatis made first of all by parents, usually

in consultation with the immersonteacher and the school staff.Especially at the elementary level,guidance may be provided byaschool-based team generally madeup of the French immersion teacher,the English teacher, the counsellorand the learning assistance teacher.

Please remember that in theEnglish stream, where there is noalternative, the child with learningdifficulties must stay in his/her

program. The existence of this optionof transferring the child out ofimmersion sometimes encourages aparent to transfer the child toohastily. Apart from some extremecases, children with learningdifficulties should not be denied theright and privilege of becomingbilingual and also should be able todraw satisfaction and pride fromunderstanding and speaking twoworld languages.

T he level of learning assistance,whether in English-stream or

French immersion programs, variesfrom school district/board to schooldistrict/board and sometimes fromschool to school. Depending on theavailable resources, children who are

in need of learning assistance inFrench immersion should normallyreceive the same level of help as thatavailable in the English stream.

Teachers should work in co-operation with the learningassistance teacher to provide help

based as much as possible on achild's particular learning style.Parents are encouraged to participatein the process if it will help the child.

the language. The teachersprovide clear explanations usingvarious communicationsstrategies and by makingexperiential activities meaningful.

3. Research has shown the positiveresults of language immersionprograms in Canada and othercountries.

While it is "natural" for children tolearn French in very early immersionprograms (kindergarten), it requiresmotivation to work much harderwhen immersion starts in latergrades (grade 6 or 7). Students in

I t is estimated that about 80% of allFrench immersion students are

enrolled in early immersion programsThe popularity of this program can beexplained by many factors.1. Studies have shown that it is

easier and more "natural" for achild to learn another language ata very early age. In Finland, forexample, a Swedish immersionprogram is offered to children atthe age of three.

2. Early French immersion teachersare very conscious of the fact thatat first children do not understand

these grades will want their opinion

to count in the decision to enter the

French immersion program and the

decision will be dependant on their

attitude to, ability in and perception

of French.

Results of Late immersion

programs {with some differences in

favour of Early immersion) have

been positive.

The author wishes to thank Kate Merry, the President of

CPF for her help with this report

FDr more information about French immersion in Canada,

please consult the list of references and the list of selected CPF

resources thatfollows

Lambert, W.E. & Tucker, G.R. (1972). Bilingual Education ofChildren. Cambridge, Mass.: Newbury House Publishers.Lambert, W.E. (1984). An Overview of Issues in ImmersionPrograms Education. In Studies on Immersion Education.California State Oepartment of Education.Lapkin, S. (1984). How Well Do Immersion Students Speak andWrite French? The Canadian Modern Language Review/LaRevue canadienne des langues vivantes, 40: 575-585.Lapkin, S., Hart. D. & Swain, M. (1991). Early and MiddleImmersion Programs: French Language Outcomes. TheCanadian Modern Language Review/La Revue canadienne deslangues vivantes, 40: 575-585.McGillivray, W.R. (1985). Senior students and French -How dothey rate themselves? In McGillivray, W.R. (Ed.) More Frenchs'il vous plait! Ottawa: Canadian Parents for French.Obadia, A.A. (1995). French Immersion in a global economy: Is itadding value to your kid's education? Educational Excellence,March 1995.12-15.Pawley, C. (1985). How Bilingual Are French ImmersionStudents? The Canadian Modern Language Review/La Revuecanadienne des langues vivantes, 41: 865-876.Ross Kendall, J., Lajeunesse, G., Chmilar, P. & Rauch Shapson,L. (1987). Longitudinal Examination of Kindergarten, Grade Oneand Grade Two French Immersion Students' English ReadingSkills. Contact, revue canadienne destinee aux professeurs defran{:ais, 6(1 ): 2-8.Spilka, I.V. (1976). Assessment of second language performancein immersion programs. The Canadian Modern LanguageReview/La Revue canadienne des langues vivantes, 32: 543-561.Stern, H.H. (1984). A Quiet Language Revolution: Second-Language Teaching in Canadian Contexts -Achievements andNew Directions. The Canadian Modern Language Review/LaRevue canadienne des langues vivantes, 40: 506-524.Swain, M. (1981 ). Bilingual Education in Ontario: A Oecade ofResearch, Toronto: Ministry of Education.Wiss, C. (1989). Early French Immersion Programs May Not BeSuitable for Every Child, The Canadian Modern LanguageReview/La Revue canadienne des langues vivantes, 45-3: 517-529.

Anderson Curtain, H. & Rhodes, N.C. (1985). Milwaukee followsthe Canadian Example: U.S. Immersion Programs. InMcGillivray, W.R. (Ed.), More French, s'il vous plaIt! Ottawa:Canadian Parents for French.Buss, M. et Lauren, Christer (Ed.) (1995). Language Immersion:Teaching and Second Language Acquisition from Canada toEurope. Vaasa (Finland): University of Vaasa.Cashion, M. & Eagan, R. (1990). Spontaneous reading and writingin English by students in total French immersion: Summary offinal report. English Quarterly, Vol.22, Nos 1-2, 30-44.

Clipperton, R. (1994). Explicit Vocabulary Instruction in FrenchImmersion. The Canadian Modern LanguageReview/La Revuecanadienne des langues vivantes, 50-4: 736-749.Cummins, J. (1979). Should the child who is experiencingdifficulties in early immersion be switched to the regular Englishprogram? A reinterpretation of Trites'data. The CanadianModern Language Review/La Revue canadienne des languesvivantes,36:139-143.Cummins, J. (1983). Language Proficiency, Biliteracy and FrenchImmersion. Canadian Journal of Education/La Revuecanadienne de /'education, 8:117-137.Cummins, J. & Swain, M. (1986). Bilingualism in Education. NewYork: Logman, 235 pp.Dicks, J.E. (1992). Analytic and Experiential Features of ThreeFrench Immersion Programs: Early, Middle and Late. TheCanadian Modern Language Review/La Revue canadienne deslangues vivantes, 49-1: 37-59.Edwards, V. & Rehorick, S. (1990). Learning Environments inImmersion and Non-lmmersion Classrooms: Are They Different?The Canadian Modern Language Review/La Revue canadiennedes langues vivantes, 46-3: 469-493.Genesee, F. (1976). The Suitability of Immersion Programs for AllChildren. The Canadian Modern Language Review/La Revuecanadienne des langues vivantes, 32:494-515.Genesee, F. (1987) Learning through Two Languages. Studies ofImmersion and Bilingual Education. Cambridge, Mass.: NewburyHouse, 213 pp.Geva, E. & Clifton, S. (1994). The Development of First andSecond Language Reading Skills in Early French Immersion.The Canadian Modern Languages Review/La Revue canadiennedes langues vivantes, 50-4: 646-667.

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