Speech profiles of early French immersion students at the junior high level

• Main Author: Tapp, Rose Marie
• Format: Thesis
• Language: English
• Published: Memorial University of Newfoundland 1995
• Subjects: Newfoundland
• Online Access: https://research.library.mun.ca/5131/; https://research.library.mun.ca/5131/1/Tapp_RoseMarie2.pdf; https://research.library.mun.ca/5131/3/Tapp_RoseMarie2.pdf

The purpose of this study was to describe the speech of junior high level early French immersion students in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador with the intent of developing language descriptors which could be used as a basis for evaluation. These speech profiles may constitute a realistic framework through which to examine the oral second language skills of junior high early French immersion students rather than the commonly used native-speaker criterion against which these students often do not rate well. -- The sample consisted of eighteen students, six from each of grades seven, eight and nine. Student interviews were recorded on audio-cassette. Following the data collection stage, the speech was transcribed and analyzed, and speech profiles were developed by grade level. -- In addition, ten junior high school early French immersion teachers of varying experience were interviewed regarding the language of their students. Grade level descriptions of teachers' perceptions of student speech were then produced. A high degree of consistency was found between teachers' descriptions of junior high school early French immersion students' speech and the student data. -- The student profiles indicate that, while some small distinctions may exist between grade level descriptors, the speech of junior high school early French immersion students did not differ significantly across this level of schooling. The level of oral performance attained at each grade in junior high was quite similar, with the speech containing many errors.