Are French Immersion Programs Suitable for Working-Class Children? A Follow-up Investigation

This report presents the second evaluation of the progress of two groups of children from working class, English-speaking Canadian homes who have participated in a French immersion program for the first two and three years of schooling. The children in the experimental program are compared with control groups conventionally educated in French or in English at the appropriate grade level. The findings suggest that the children in the Experimental group have begun to master basic French and English language skills and are able to acquire content material taught via French without detrimental side effects. The progress of these children is comparable to that of their middle-class peers who are also in immersion programs.