Citizenship Concepts in LINC Classrooms

Abstract

In this study we surveyed teachers and program coordinators of Language Instruction for Newcomers to Canada (LINC) from Ontario, British Columbia, and Alberta to determine to what degree they believe they are incorporating citizenship concepts into the ESL classroom. Respondents provided us with information on the nature of their programs, the role of LINC, the types of materials they used, general course content, challenges faced, and their evaluation of the success of LINC in view of the government mandate to provide instruction that will lead to social integration. Most LINC providers felt that their programs were well tailored to the needs of their students, but in general they did not see LINC as a substitute for citizenship preparation courses. We recommend that optional citizenship courses be made widely available to immigrants after LINC, where the focus is on complex issues facing Canadians rather than a superficial coverage of facts for the citizenship test.

The Development of L2 Oral Language Skills in Two L1 Groups: A 7‐Year Study

“…Policy makers in immigrant receiving countries such as Australia, Canada, and the United States tend to assume that newcomers require a certain proficiency level in the language of the community in order to integrate successfully into mainstream society (Burns & De Silva Joyce, ; Derwing & Thomson, ; McHugh, Gelatt, & Fix, ). In these and other countries, government‐funded language instruction programs for adults provide a foundation on which the individual learners are expected to build.…”

“…& Thomson, 2005;McHugh, Gelatt, & Fix, 2007). In these and other countries, government-funded language instruction programs for adults provide a foundation on which the individual learners are expected to build.…”

Denials of Racism in Canadian English Language Textbooks

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“…But when married couples entered the country ("married couples" meant a man and a woman at that time), they would be asked who the principal breadwinner was. Usually women deferred to their husbands, but in fact it was often women who first secured employment (Derwing & 88 TRACEy m. DERwiNg Thomson, 2005). Settlement Language Programs (SLPs) were introduced in the 1980s to give support to the many newcomers who could not access other language instruction; Manitoba showed leadership in this area.…”