The State of French-Second-Language in Canada 2002

Please scroll to the bottom of the page for the links to the report.

What is the report about?

This is the third in a series of annual reports on how French second-language (FSL) programs are faring across the country. Support for FSL programs exists at four interconnected levels: national, provincial/territorial, school district, and school. The State of FSL provides information to decision makers and advocates for FSL programs about the quality of national and provincial support for FSL programs offered to Canadian students.

What is in the 2002 report?

The 2000 report assessed the national and provincial/territorial levels and identified areas for action to improve FSL support. The 2001 Report provided updated information and highlighted progress being made at the national, provincial and territorial levels. The 2002 report assesses progress - or lack of progress- in those areas for action identified in the 2000 report.

Provincial/Territorial and National Support: In addition to assessing current support for FSL programs, the report outlines current challenges identified by CPF branch executives.

Provincial and Territorial Action Plans: The report identifies the amount of federal contributions to FSL programs and provides capsule versions of provincial and territorial action plans detailing how federal funding is to be applied to support FSL programs.

FSL Teacher Shortage Study: The report provides a brief summary of national findings, and outlines CPF recommendations to address issues identified by the study.

How was the report created?

The 2002 report was created with the participation and cooperation of CPF branches across the country. CPF branches gathered information regarding FSL in each province and territory with the co-operation of ministries of education, while CPF National gathered information with the co-operation of Canadian Heritage.

Two volunteer groups were organized to assist in the development of this report: a National Task Force and a Working Group responsible for advising CPF on the development of the teacher shortage study. The CPF National Board of Directors, Branch Presidents and Executive Directors reviewed the report at its draft stage, providing verification of the material published in the report.

CPF National FSL Task Force
. Joan Netten, CM PhD, President CPF
. Ian Richmond, PhD, Vice President, CPF
. Evy Milan, CPF National Board Member
. Paula Kristmanson, Acting Director, Second Language Education Centre, UNB
. Paul Caron, Retired FSL Co-ordinator
. Alina MacFarlane, PhD, Independent Research Consultant
. Joan Hawkins, Research Officer, Canadian Parents for French

Working Group on Teacher Shortage
. René Chiasson, President, Canadian Association of Immersion Teachers
. Joseph Dicks, Professor/Associate Dean, Graduate Programs, Faculty of Education, UNB
. Susan Forward, President, Canadian Association of Second Language Teachers
. Doug Hart, PhD, Institutional Researcher, OISE, University of Toronto
. Alina MacFarlane, PhD, Independent Research Consultant
. Joan Netten, CM PhD, President CPF
. Miles Turnbull, PhD, Professor, Faculty of Education, University of Prince Edward Island
. Larry Vandergrift, PhD, Professor, Second Language Institute, University of Ottawa
. Joan Hawkins, Research Officer, CPF

Chief Researcher FSL Report
The chief researcher for the FSL report was Dr. Alina MacFarlane; she received her PhD in Psychopedagogy from the University of Ottawa, rounding out her BA and BEd in French and English and her MEd in Second Language Education. Dr. MacFarlane's background is in teaching, consulting and research. She has been a sessional professor and ESL teacher at the University of Ottawa and a French teacher at the high school level. She was formerly coordinator of ESL programs for international students at the University of Ottawa. Dr. MacFarlane has completed a number of research projects, including work with the Department of Canadian Heritage, the Ottawa Board of Education and the Centre for Canadian Language Benchmarks. MacFarlane has received a number of awards and distinctions and has written several publications on the subjects of French immersion, language teaching and language testing.

CPF FSL Teacher Shortage Study, A. MacFarlane & D. Hart; 2002

Dr. Hart received his PhD in Sociology from York University
in 1981 and is currently an institutional researcher with the Ontario
Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto. Dr. Hart 's
background includes research into student performance and attrition in
French immersion programs, assessment of the effectiveness of teacher
education programs and teacher performance, as well as workplace literacy.
Recent projects and publications include: (2001) Building Momentum. Finding
Champions, a research consultancy with the Ontario Literacy Coalition;
(2000) French Immersion Students' Performance on Grade 3 Provincial Tests:
Potential Impacts on Program Design; (1999) Beck, C., Hart, D. and Kosnik,
C. Effective Teaching Practices: Final Report to the Education Quality and
Accountability Office; and (1999) Effective Teaching Practices. Dr. Hart
has been associated with the OISE/UT public opinion survey of educational issues since its inception in 1978.

What is CPF?

Canadian Parents for French (CPF) is the national network of volunteers that values French as an integral part of Canada and is dedicated to the promotion and creation of French second language learning opportunities for young Canadians.

CPF has been Canada's leading force in support for FSL programs since its founding in 1977. CPF creates and promotes opportunities for young Canadians to learn and use French as a second language. CPF is a registered charitable organization with a volunteer board supported by a professional staff. Branches work at the provincial and territorial level to facilitate the work of some 170 local chapters in communities across the country.

The State of French-Second-Language in Canada 2002

Preface

Chapter 1: Introduction

Chapter 2: Provincial and Territorial Action Plans

Chapter 3: Provincial and Territorial Support for FSL education Programs

Chapter 4: National Support for FSL education programs

Chapter 5: FSL Teacher Shortage Study
Teacher Shortage Study Summary
Teacher Shortage Report

Chapter 6: An Agenda for Change

Please note that the report is provided in Adobe Acrobat Reader format. If you do not have Adobe Acrobat, it can be downloaded free of charge from Adobe: