Classroom Language Experiences of Trilingual Children in French Immersion

Abstract

This article reports on a case study of the school language experiences of three trilingual children enroled in early French immersion programs in metropolitan Vancouver, British Columbia. Fieldwork included classroom observations of French and English language lessons and semi-structured interviews of the participating children and their teachers as well as document collection. We discuss themes emerging from analysis related to the trilingual children's literacy practises and contexts for language learning and the teachers' perceptions of these students and representations of trilingualism.