Attitudes of French teachers, principals and school board professional staff in Newfoundland and Labrador to French remediation

• Main Author: Dohey MacKenzie, Marie Mary
• Format: Thesis
• Language: English
• Published: Memorial University of Newfoundland 1997
• Subjects: Newfoundland
• Online Access: https://research.library.mun.ca/4997/; https://research.library.mun.ca/4997/1/MacKenzie_MarieMaryDohey.pdf; https://research.library.mun.ca/4997/3/MacKenzie_MarieMaryDohey.pdf

This thesis deals with the attitudes of French teachers, principals, and school board professional staff in Newfoundland and Labrador to remediation in French second language programs. It was partially initiated in response to an apparent problem that many French teachers were having with the current lack of attention to this problem in the province. -- The instrument at the centre of this thesis was a questionnaire that was distributed to principals, school board professional staff, and French teachers in the province. This questionnaire was designed as a means to elicit a response concerning whether students are receiving remediation in the French classroom and the current practices used so that all children can achieve the outcomes of the program and experience success. This study investigated whether teachers, principals and school board professional staff across the province believe they have adequate knowledge and resources to make these adjustments. The questionnaire also addressed the question of the need for a policy specifically addressing the provision of remediation in the French programs. -- The analysis of the results of the questionnaire included the frequency of responses, valid percentages, and the mean responses for Likert scale items. -- The findings revealed that there is a definite desire among respondents and principals to keep the students in the French programs and provide remediation to them. However, they feel lack of resources, time and knowledge prevent them from doing so. They also cite the lack of a specific policy document for French as one of the major reasons behind the lack of provision of remedial support for French. -- Recommendations and suggestions for improvement are made. The major recommendations involve the need for inservice to further educate French teachers, principals and school board professional staff on the available resources and strategies for French remediation, and the creation of a document specifically supporting the serious need for and merits of providing ...