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Article published In: Journal of Immersion and Content-Based Language Education
Vol. 12:1 (2024) ► pp.1–24

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Academic achievement of minority home language students with special education needs in English language of instruction and French immersion programs

ORCiD logo with link | University of Ottawa
 | McGill University
 | Dalhousie University
 | University of Toronto
 | Carleton University
 | Ottawa-Carleton District School Board
 | Ottawa-Carleton District School Board
Published online: 19 October 2023
DOI logo with link
https://doi.org/10.1075/jicb.23015.sut
Abstract
This study explored the academic achievement of students who speak a minority language (ML) at home (i.e., a language other than the official languages of Canada, English and French) and who have special education needs (SEN), in two educational programs that differed in language of instruction: English language of instruction (ELoI), and Early French Immersion (EFI). The proportion of students (n =  131) meeting the provincial standard in reading, writing, and mathematics and the effect of gender, place of birth, socio-economic status, English proficiency level, and program were analyzed. Writing was the strongest domain, followed by reading and mathematics. ML-SEN students were equally likely to meet the provincial standard whether in ELoI or EFI, and there were few significant predictors of achievement. Participating in EFI did not increase students’ risk of academic difficulty. Additional supports may be beneficial to ML-SEN students in ELoI and EFI programs.
Résumé
Cette étude est une exploration du rendement académique des élèves qui parlent une langue minoritaire (LM) à la maison (c’est-à-dire une langue autre que les langues officielles du Canada, l’anglais et le français) et qui ont des besoins éducatifs particuliers (BEP). La langue d’enseignement était soit l’anglais, soit l’immersion française. La proportion d’élèves (n =  131) répondant à la norme provinciale a été analysée pour les domaines de la lecture, de l’écriture et des mathématiques, ainsi que le rôle du sexe, du lieu de naissance, du statut socio-économique, du niveau de compétence en anglais et du programme selon la langue d’enseignement (anglais ou immersion). Le domaine de l’écriture était le mieux réussi, suivi de la lecture et des mathématiques. La probabilité d’atteindre la norme provinciale ne différait pas entre les participants scolarisés en anglais et ceux en immersion française et l’impact des autres prédicteurs potentiels sur la réussite était faible. Participer à l’immersion française n’a pas augmenté le risque de difficultés scolaires pour les étudiants ML-BEP. Des supports à l’apprentissage supplémentaires seraient bénéfiques pour ces élèves dans les deux types de programmes (anglais ou immersion française).
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
    • 1.1ML-SEN students: Language of education and special education
    • 1.2Academic achievement of ML-SEN students
    • 1.3Individual differences
    • 1.4The current study
  • 2.Method
    • 2.1Participants
    • 2.2Procedures
    • 2.3Analyses
  • 3.Results
    • 3.1Overall achievement (Research Question 1)
    • 3.2Achievement by domain (Research Question 2)
      • 3.2.1Reading Achievement
      • 3.2.2Writing Achievement
      • 3.2.3Mathematics Achievement
  • 4.Discussion
    • 4.1Achievement
    • 4.2Predictors
    • 4.3Comparison with similar studies
    • 4.5Limitations
    • 4.6Conclusions
  • References
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