Student attrition in specialized high school programs : an examination of three French immersion centres

Student attrition has always been a problem for French immersion programs, especially at the high school level. In response to a lack of current research, this study seeks to discover if the problem persists. It also examines how today's French immersion high schools are dealing with other problem areas identified in research done in the past. These areas include, among others, students' learning challenges, behavioural challenges, and difficulties with the French language. The study documents the attrition rates from 1990 to 2004 in three high schools in Manitoba that are French immersion centres. In an effort to understand why students remained or left the immersion programs, 35 teachers, 220 current students, and 18 former students who have left the program to attend English schools were surveyed. All three sample groups' perceptions of the program show that while many things that were considered problematic in the literature are no longer a concern, other issues continue to persist. Furthermore, the data show that male and female students tend to leave the French immersion program for different reasons. However, the common motive that instigates the decision to leave appears to be the perception that higher grades can be achieved in an English school.

Authors

• Cadez, Ronald V.
• University of Lethbridge. Faculty of Education

• French language -- Study and teaching -- Immersion method
• French language -- Study and teaching (Secondary) -- Manitoba
• Immersion method (Language teaching)
• Dissertations, Academic

Identifier

hdl:10133/340

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:opus.uleth.ca:10133/340