Recently, there have been many comments circulating
in the media relating to the immersion program. One of the questions being asked
is whether immersion programs are suitable for various sorts of at-risk students.
Fred Genesee's 1992 article entitled "Second/ foreign language immersion and at-risk
English- speaking children" presents pivotal research relating to this issue.
The following is a summary of the article's main points. The original article
appeared in Volume 25, number 3 of the Foreign Language Annals.
"It is common for students who might face problems in school to abstain from
enrolling in immersion [those programs]. The elitism that results is undesirable
because it threatens to sour the relationship between different sectors of the
educational community" (p. 200)
Five characteristics were used to examine research on learners in immersion
settings that may be regarded as disadvantaged: INTELLIGENCE: In related research dealing with immersion drop-outs, Bruck (1985) found
that those who stayed in immersion have no lower achievement than those who
have dropped out and entered the English stream. She concluded that their
problems were not specific to immersion.
In fact, research has shown that bilingualism has a positive effect on a
child's development. Researchers point to cognitive advantages to studying
a second language such as cognitive flexibility, creativity, metalinguistic
awareness. Research also has shown that academic achievement is not impaired
by learning through another language and other studies have shown that English
development of students in French immersion is often superior to that of non-immersion
children.
FIRST LANGUAGE ABILITY SOCIO-ECONOMIC STATUS ETHNIC GROUP STATUS AGE
IQ tests are often used to measure intelligence despite controversy surrounding
their validity. Not surprisingly below-average students scored lower on Math
and English test than average or above-average. Of note is that below-average
immersion students did not score significantly different from below average
students in the English stream. Also of interest is the fact students of below-average
IQ scored lower on literacy- based skills such as reading and writing but
scored the same as average and above-average on interpersonal communication
skills such as listening comprehension and speaking. IQ seems to play more
of a role in older language learners than younger ones. Intelligence is not
seen by many researchers as a good predictor of language achievement.
In general it is thought that the ability of children to acquire a first language
prior to school is important for success in school. Bruck's (1982) research
concluded that language disabled children ("…a group who despite physical
well-being and normal intelligence and a healthy personality acquire first
language with painful slowness…" p.205) required more time to acquire
skills in both programs. Linguistic, cognitive and academic skills developed
at similar rates in both programs. Language disabled students showed good
progress in French in that they learned to communicate in their second language.
Bruck concluded that language disabled students can benefit from immersion
programs and should not be excluded from them. They may not do as well in
language programs focusing on grammar and rules but they experience success
in communicative-based programs. They do not experience additional difficulty
due to the immersion setting.
Research shows that working class immersion students scored as well as comparison
groups on English tests once the English curriculum in the immersion program
had been established (grade 5 or 6). Middle class students in immersion obtained
same results as middle class in non-immersion. Working class students scored
lower than middle class in both immersion and non-immersion programs thus
showing evidence that under-achievement is related to socioeconomic status.
Immersion and non-immersion students from socio-economically disadvantaged
backgrounds obtained similar results on English, math and science tests. Working
class students scored as well on French achievement tests related to listening
comprehension and speaking as middle-class students although reading scores
were somewhat lower. Based on these and other findings, the research shows
no detrimental effects of immersion on those from a lower socio-economic background
and indeed is evidence of some positive effects of this program for this type
of at-risk student.
Are immersion programs appropriate for students whose first language is one
other than those used in the school system or those who do not do as well
in the North American public school context? Research with Mohawk children
in French immersion showed that they performed less well than their English
counterparts on English tests at the end of grade 3 but were able to do almost
as well (except in spelling and capitalization) by the end of grade 4. They
demonstrated no difficulties on the math tests. Other research showed that
African American students in immersion did as well as their peers in the English
program. In addition the African American children did as well on the oral
and comprehension aspects of French language as their white classmates. It
has been concluded based on the studies presented in this article, that immersion
programs do not cause deficits in English language development or academic
achievement in minority language (other than French and English) children
and in fact, this immersion opportunity gives these marginalized groups the
same benefits as their more advantaged white peers.
Is immersion more effective for some age groups more than others? The research
is not consistent in this area. In general there is no proof that language
acquisition happens more effectively at one age over another although it is
generally believed that the language acquisition process can happen more easily
and quickly between birth and puberty. The research results related to French
language achievement of students enrolled in immersion programs beginning
at varying ages is not consistent. In one group of studies, it was found that
early immersion students outperformed late-immersion students on a variety
of French language tests. In a Genesee study, it was discovered that late
immersion students attained an average level on a variety of French language
tests after 2 1/2 years of language study whereas early immersion students
after 2 1/2 years achieved a below-average rating on similar tests geared
for that age-group. In later studies, it was found that older students can
attain the same French language proficiency levels as those who began at a
younger age. The hypothesis relating to older learners is that their maturity
and motivation help them to reach desired levels of competency. In general
it has been found that language immersion can be effective for learners of
a variety of ages.
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