Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-dzt6s Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-26T20:49:33.522Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Effectiveness of partial French immersion for children from different social class and ethnic backgrounds

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 November 2008

Naomi E. Holobow ,
Fred Genesee ,
Wallace E. Lambert ,
Joseph Gastright  and
Myriam Met
Naomi E. Holobow*
Affiliation:
McGill University
Fred Genesee
Affiliation:
McGill University
Wallace E. Lambert
Affiliation:
McGill University
Joseph Gastright
Affiliation:
Cincinnati Public Schools
Myriam Met
Affiliation:
Cincinnati Public Schools
*
Naomi E. Holobow, Psychology Department, McGill University, 1205 Dr. Penfield Avenue, Montreal, Quebec, Canada H3A 1B1
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

A program of partial (half-day) French immersion in the Cincinnati Public Schools was evaluated in the kindergarten year. The English and French language development of participating native English-speaking children from both working and middle class backgrounds was assessed. The results indicated, firstly, that the pupils who spent half of their academic time in a foreign language (French) progressed just as well in English as carefully matched control pupils who followed a conventional all-English program. Secondly, it was found that socioeconomically underprivileged children (both black and white) benefited from an immersion-type introduction to a foreign language as much as pupils from middle class homes did. The degree of progress made in French was not linked with the social class background of the pupils even though this background factor clearly affected the students' performance on the English language tests. These results suggest that the immersion experience may help to diminish the effects of social class background.

Type
Articles
Information
Applied Psycholinguistics , Volume 8 , Issue 2 , June 1987 , pp. 137 - 152
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1987

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

Barik, H. C. (1976). French Comprehension Test: Primer. Toronto: The Ontario Institute for Studies in Education.Google Scholar
Bruck, M. (1984). Feasibility of an additive bilingual program for the language impaired child. In Paradis, M. & Lebrun, Y. (Eds.), Early bilingualism and child development. Lisse: Swets & Zeitlinger BV.Google Scholar
Dunn, L. M. (1959). Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test. Circle Pines, MN: American Guidance Service Inc.Google Scholar
Genesee, F. (1976). The role of intelligence in second language learning. Language Learning, 26, 267–280.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Genesee, F. (1983). The bilingual education of majority language children: The immersion experiments in review. Applied Psycholinguistics, 4, 1–46.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Genesee, F., Lambert, W. E., & Holobow, N. E. (1985). Second language acquisition through immersion: The Canadian approach. Infancia y Aprendizaje, 33, 27–36.Google Scholar
Jones, L. V. (1984). White-black achievement differences: The narrowing gap. American Psychologist, 39(11), 1207–1213.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lambert, W. E. (1984). An overview of issues in immersion education. Studies on Immersion Education (pp. 8–30). Sacramento: California State Department of Education.Google Scholar
Lambert, W. E., & Tucker, G. R. (1972). Bilingual education of children: The St. Lambert experiment. Rowley, MA: Newbury House.Google Scholar
Met, M. (1982). Second languages in the elementary schools: Alive and well in Cincinnati. Mimeo, Cincinnati Public Schools, Cincinnati, OH.Google Scholar
Nurss, J. R., & McGauvran, M. E. (1976). Metropolitan Readiness Tests. New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich Inc.Google Scholar
Raven, J. C. (1956). Coloured progressive matrices. London: H. K. Lewis & Co. Ltd.Google Scholar
Stevens, F. (1983). Test linguistique maternelle. Montreal: Concordia University.Google Scholar