Few studies have examined willingness to communicate (WtC) changes resulting from short-term intensive immersion programmes. This study investigated the antecedents to and changes in WtC during one such programme held at a Macau university. The programme required students to reside on campus and participate in extensive task-based communicative…

This booklet is designed for eleven-to-fifteen year old students who are in, or who have just completed, a French immersion program. It addresses two concerns of students and their parents: (1) how well students are achieving in French, in English, in other subjects, and in their overall intellectual development; and (2) what possibilities exist…

French immersion is seen as a viable alternative to traditional unilingual education. Issues needing to be addressed so that French immersion education can be supported and enhanced as part of a pluralistic approach to language and culture are discussed. (23 references) (Author/MSE)

This paper reviews the results of research on various programs for learning French as a second language from kindergarten to grade 11 or 12 in selected Canadian school systems. Generally, it examines the effects of a number of factors on French learning, such as student selection procedures and student ability, starting age, total amount of time…

The modified American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages Educational Testing Service (ACTFL/ETS) oral proficiency scale was developed in response to a request from the New Brunswick (Canada) Department of Education for assistance in comparing the results of its French immersion and core programs. Because the existing ACTFL/ETS academic…

Canada's French immersion program began in 1965 in response to anglophone parent demand for bilingual French/English instruction. Instruction entirely in French begins in kindergarten, and formal English instruction begins in third grade. The program's popularity has caused rapid expansion, with success attributed to changing attitudes toward…

The level of bilingualism of high school students entering Ottawa bilingual programs after having attended early- or late-immersion French programs in elementary school was evaluated by comparing student test scores to outside criteria. On a reading and grammar-based test, the immersion students did not perform as well as native francophone…

Reports on evaluation studies of the French proficiency of graduates of early- and late-entry immersion programs in Ottawa and Carleton, describes the tests used, and interprets results. The report also examines the students' perceptions of their ability to participate effectively in out-of-school situations using all four language skills. (MSE)

The results of a longitudinal evaluation of an innovative educational program in bilingual immersion at the San Diego City Schools are presented. The program's goals emphasized the acquisition of communicative proficiency, in English and Spanish, for both native-English-speaking and native-Spanish-speaking students. Using a quasi-experimental…

This study investigated the degree of communicative competence of 8-year-old (n=45) students in five Welsh language immersion programs or Welsh-medium schools, comparing the children's skills with those of 10 native Welsh-speaking children. All were asked to retell a story show previously on video, and to participate in a group discussion task. In…