“More languages means more lights in your house”

Abstract

Abstract French immersion programs throughout Canada have historically consisted of predominantly Anglophone populations pursuing bilingualism in the country’s two official languages, English and French. Nevertheless, recent developments in immigration and refugee resettlement have contributed to increasingly diverse student backgrounds nationwide (Statistics Canada, 2014). Researchers have explored the motivation for Allophone families to pursue FSL in Canada (Dagenais & Berron, 2001; Dagenais & Jacquet, 2000; Mady, 2010); the language proficiency of Allophone learners in FSL programs (Bérubé & Marinova-Todd, 2012; Carr, 2007; Mady, 2015); and the perspectives of FSL educators with respect to such learners (Mady, 2016; Mady & Masson, 2018; Roy, 2015). The present study draws from interview data to explore and compare the experiences and perspectives of seven Allophone parents and 43 FI educators in Saskatchewan. In the present article, we examine the perspectives of FI educators, the experiences of Allophone families, and the implications for immersion programs worldwide.