Refereed articles
Access and outcomes of children with special education needs in Early French Immersion
This study investigated access to and outcomes of Early French Immersion (EFI) for students with special education needs
(SEN) attending a large school board in Canada. Data analysis was carried out on: provincially mandated achievement test scores for all
Grade 3 students with SEN participating over a three-year period (n = 705) who attended either EFI or English programs;
standardized French and English language and reading scores for a small subset of students (n = 20); and interviews with
parents of Grade 4 students in EFI (n = 9). Results revealed lower participation but higher English academic and language
performance for students with SEN in the EFI program as well as development of French language and reading skills. Interviewed parents often
believed children with SEN ‘could not handle’ EFI and that withdrawal should be an option in response to learning difficulties. Implications
for inclusive practices in EFI are discussed.
Article outline
- 1.Introduction
- 1.1Children with special education needs in dual language school programs
- 1.2The present study
- 2.Methods and results
- 2.1EQAO testing
- 2.1.1Participants
- 2.1.2Procedures
- 2.1.3Analyses
- 2.1.4Results
- Use of accommodations
- Meeting provincial standards
- 2.2Direct testing
- 2.2.1Participants
- 2.2.2Procedure
- Cognitive test
- Language tests
- Reading tests
- Analyses
- 2.2.3Results
- 2.3Interviews
- 2.3.1Participants
- 2.3.2Procedure
- 2.3.3Analysis
- 2.3.4Results
- Enrollment considerations
- Withdrawal
- EFI special education supports for children with SEN
- Supports parents provided outside of school
- 3.Discussion
- 3.1Question 1: Access and participation
- 3.2Question 2: English language and academic outcomes
- 3.3Question 3: French language outcomes
- 3.4Limitations
- 3.5Conclusions
- Notes
-
References
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2023.
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Nic Aindriú, Sinéad
2022.
The reasons why parents choose to transfer students with special educational needs from Irish immersion education.
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