Choosing the Language of Instruction for One's Children

Abstract

It is not unusual in Quebec to find English-Canadian parents sending their children to French language schools and French-Canadian parents sending their children to English language schools. Why some parents decide on this form of language experience for their children was the focus of this investigation. Examined in some detail were the ethnic identity patterns and motivations of selected subgroups of French-and English-Canadian parents, who were compared with parents who send their children to "other"' language schools with those whose children attend schools where the home language is used as the medium of instruction. All parents agreed on the benefits of bilingualism in occupational and educational matters. In contrast, particular subsets of parents, depending on their ethnicity, the community they come from, and the decision they make about schooling for their children, have distinctive constellations of personal motivations and ethnic allegiances. Clearly, people perceive different costs and rewards associated with choice of language of schooling; this decision, furthermore, has implications not only for the relationships within the family, but for the established network of social relationships within the community.