L1 and L2 in the Education of Inuit Children in Northern Quebec: Abilities and Perceptions

Students in transitional bilingual education programmes, like students in immersion programmes, are expected to learn subject matter through their second language (L2) and to improve their knowledge of that language while using it for subject matter learning. Concern has been expressed about how well students cope with complex subject matter taught in a language they do not yet know well (e.g. Cummins & Swain, 1986). Inuit students in northern Quebec, Canada, receive their first schooling (Kindergarten to Grade 2) in Inuktitut, their home language (L1). After that, their education is entirely in their L2 (English or French) except for a brief daily period of language and culture instruction in Inuktitut. In this study, we observed primary and secondary classrooms in which students received instruction in their L2, interviewed teachers about students' knowledge and use of L1 and L2, and examined the students' ability to understand and produce written and oral samples in their L2. This paper includes findings from three schools, with a more detailed look at a classroom in which students were taught in French. The results suggest that many students are faced with a situation in which the cognitively demanding language of the classroom is beyond their grasp.