A fundamental goal of second language instruction in Canada is the promotion of greater cross-cultural understanding. Intensive programs such as immersion should therefore be characterized by increased effort toward the attainment of such social outcomes. However, until now the assessment of second-language immersion programs has been devoted almost exclusively to linguistic or academic achievement outcomes (e.g., Edwards, Doutriaux, McCarrey & Fu, 1977; Swain & Barik, 1978). Furthermore, in the typical school board immersion program, while notions about the second-language culture are communicated to the student through the use of audio-visual materials and some contact with members of the second-language-speaking group (such as the teacher or a secondlanguage monitor), the introduction of social aspects seems only incidental to the primary concern of teaching linguistic skills. Finally, budgetary and political considerations have focused the attention of program administrators and assessors on the repeated demonstration that the academic achievement of immersion students is not being curtailed relative to students in regular programs. Immersion programs, however, are privileged in the extent to which they can expose the student to the second-language culture. Such intensive contact can not only enhance cross-cultural appreciation but also serve to improve linguistic competence (Gardner & Lambert, 1959, 1972), reduce the drop-out rate (Gardner & Smythe, 1975; C16ment, Smythe & Gardner, 1978), increase participation in the second-language classroom activities (Gliksman & Gardner, 1976), and increase the student's willingness to speak with members ot the other language group (Clement, Gardner & Smythe, 1977a). Intensification of the social/psychological aspects of immersion programs should, therefore, promote both linguistic competence and cross-cultural appreciation. The first step toward a relevant restructuring of immersion programs appears to be the investigation of the differing social impact of various program types from the structured program involving formal study in the second language (as, for example, in the type of immersion program discussed in this paper) to the less structured program aimed at providing the student with an opportunity to practise language skills informally with native speakers (as, for example, in the typical residence program). For anglophone students, the total immersion program considered here usually involves residence on a campus located in a French language area. The student in such a program participates, together with a group of similar students, in relatively structured activities that include living with a French family where the informal atmosphere and the smaller population might favor intimate contact and a qualitatively superior experience. Both programs