English as a Second Language in Quebec: A Teacher Profile

The authors note that the state of the teaching of English as a second language (ESL) in the French-speaking schools of Quebec (circa 1978) has become a critical issue now that alternative means of learning English, including the informal but powerful processes of acquiring it in the context of work, are to be closed off under Quebec's language policy. The authors inquired into the prevailing characteristics of the teacher of English as second language in a Quebec school, and reveal some of the severe deficiencies in knowledge and attitude under which this work is typically carried on. Their preliminary survey of ESL teachers studied the demographic characteristics, English language competence, professional training, and attitudes of a sample of teachers enrolled in two teacher retraining programs in the province. They found the teachers to be native speakers of French with a tenuous grasp of English and a doubtful knowledge of Anglo-Canadian culture. The authors found that these teachers seemed genuinely concerned with pedagogical problems involved in the teaching of English, but displayed a surprisingly low level of awareness of the socio-cultural implications of teaching English, the language of the principal minority group in the province. Moreover, as the teaching of ESL is limited in French schools under Quebec's language policies, the authors further argue that one outcome might be the creation of a technocratic élite in which French-speaking Quebecers will be under-represented, or which will be restricted to members of the Francophone upper socio-economic brackets who can afford the luxury of summer camps or foreign travel as a means of assuring the development of English language skills by their children.

McGill Journal of Education

Vol. 13

no. 2

189-197

1978

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