The Effects of Different French Immersion Programs on the Language and Academic Skills of Children from Various Socioeconomic Backgrounds

The author compared two different types of French immersion programs -- "early immersion" where French is used as the medium of instruction from kindergarten through grade four and "late immersion" where French is introduced as the medium of instruction at grade four -- regarding their effects on the academic achievement, language skills. and intelligence of fourth grade Montreal English-speaking children. In addition, the effects of social class on success within both French immersion and conventional English programs were evaluated. His results indicated that children who had participated in a French immersion program had attained an impressive mastery of the French language without detrimental effects to their native language development, their academic skills, or their measured intelligence. The author’s results also showed that children of working-class background performed as well as their middle-class peers on all measures of language skills, academic achievement, and intelligence both within the French immersion and conventional English programs.

Master's Thesis

McGill University

Montreal

1975

[v]-87p.

en