The relationship between early childhood education in French and the linguistic, cognitive and academic development of anglophone children enrolled in French immersion program

This thesis presents the results of five case studies of four French Immersion students and one Core French student who were previously enrolled in a French preschool program. It explores the role French preschools may play in a child's future linguistic, cognitive and academic performance in a French Immersion classroom or in a Core French program. The main question deals with the relationship between early acquisition of French listening and speaking skills and future performance in a French Immersion school: Do such skills represent an advantage in a child's future scholastic achievements? And, to what extent is early childhood bilingualism related to a child's cognitive development? Subquestions are concerned with potential relationships between the acquisition of reading and writing skills in French and former enrollment in a French preschool: Do children who acquired oral proficiency in French during their preschool years exhibit crosslingual and intralingual interferences in oral French? What is the relationship between early exposure to French and acquisition of literacy skills in French and in English? What happens to acquired French proficiency when a child does not continue his/her education in French Immersion and is exposed to Core French lessons only?;To examine these questions interviews were conducted with five anglophone children who received their early childhood education in a French preschool. Four of the students continued their education in French Immersion schools, while one transferred into an English school in grade two where she received French instruction through Core French. Research data is complemented by interviews with the children's preschool teachers and the preschool director, parent questionnaires, and information gleaned from the students' report cards as well as literature on this subject.;The evaluation of the data tends to confirm earlier reports regarding the superior auditory and oral French skills of French Immersion students. (Abstract shortened by UMI.).