French immersion (FI) programs in Canada have historically served predominantly Canadian-born, English-speaking students and families in their endeavour to learn both of the country's official languages, French and English. However, FI programs are becoming increasingly culturally and linguistically diverse as a result of increased global…

Grounded in the cross-linguistic influence(s) (CLI) literature, this study used objective measures to compare the use of English, lexical richness and syntactic complexity, and grammatical accuracy and fluency in the texts of three groups of Grade 6 French immersion students: Canadian-born anglophones (C-A), Canadian-born multilinguals (C-M), and…

This article discusses the two main types of trilingualism, individual trilingualism and societal trilingualism, or multilingualism. Research directions in third language learning are also noted. (CLK)

A third report on the evaluation of a trilingual school program in French, Hebrew and English being offered in two schools in the Montreal area. The purpose of this evaluation was to continue to monitor the development of the pilot groups in the following areas: French, English, Hebrew and mathematics. (AMH)

Reports the case studies of three trilingual elementary school children in separate Vancouver (British Columbia) early French immersion classes, focusing on themes emerging from analysis related to the children's literacy practices and contexts for language learning, and the teachers' perceptions of these students and representations of…

A study investigated the academic, sociocultural, psychological, and linguistic adaptation of a shy four-year-old native Cantonese-speaking child enrolled in early French immersion in Canada, learning English and French simultaneously. Areas of future research on trilingualism are suggested, and the popular belief that immersion works only for…

Research on multilingualism and learning of additional languages is reviewed, focusing on research on minority language children in immersion and double-immersion programs and the factors related to success. Early partial immersion is seen as more feasible than full immersion for this group, with middle immersion the best option yet researched.…

Draws on sociocultural theories of language and learning and research on bilingual families to examine home language practices of trilingual-immersion students. Ethnography was used to explore daily language use at home, children's views of their identity as trilingual, families' values of maintenance and additional language learning, and reasons…

The structure and programs of the multilingual European Schools network are outlined, focusing on the role of language in the curriculum. The schools' linguistic outcomes are compared with those of Canada's immersion programs. The use of social engineering to foster multilingual contacts is discussed. (MSE)