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An exploration of oral language profiles of students in early French immersion

ORCiD logo with link | University of Ottawa
 | Dalhousie University
 | McGill University
 | University of Toronto
ORCiD logo with link | Carleton University
 | Ottawa-Carleton District School Board
 | Ottawa-Carleton District School Board
Published online: 29 April 2025
DOI logo with link
https://doi.org/10.1075/jicb.23031.sut
Abstract
This article describes an exploratory study of bilingual oral language profiles among a diverse group of students in Early French Immersion (EFI), in Ontario, Canada. Participants were 28 EFI students in Grade 4 (9–10 years of age). Oral language components were assessed with measures of comprehension (receptive vocabulary and following directions) and production (recalling sentences and mean length of utterance). Hierarchical cluster analysis was used to identify performance patterns in each language. There were substantial differences between English and French in terms of contrasts between, and consistency within the performance patterns, leading to identification of four bilingual profiles. The findings reinforce the importance of considering multiple language components in both languages in assessing bilingual students. A profiles approach may contribute to our understanding of variability in oral language skills and provide a broader perspective for the study of cross-linguistic interdependence by considering multiple components in both comprehension and production.
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
    • 1.1Early French Immersion
    • 1.2Oral Language proficiency in EFI students
    • 1.3Individual differences
    • 1.4The current study
  • 2.Method
    • 2.1Participants
    • 2.2Materials
      • 2.2.1Oral Language comprehension
      • 2.2.2Oral Language production
    • 2.3Procedures
    • 2.4Analyses
  • 3.Results
    • 3.1Question 1 (Performance Patterns)
      • 3.1.1English patterns
      • 3.1.2French Patterns
    • 3.2Question 2 (Profiles)
    • 3.3Question 3 (Participants with and without SEN)
  • 4.Discussion
    • 4.1Oral language proficiency
    • 4.2Individual differences
    • 4.3Participants with SEN
    • 4.4Limitations
    • 4.5Conclusion
  • References
References (69)
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