The Research Project
This website reports some of the stories, experiences, and findings from a doctoral research project about race and racism in French immersion programs. On this website, we share stage 1 of the research process.
​
Participants were all racial minority students who had participated in French immersion programs in Ontario. We responded to the question:
​
What are our experiences related to race and racism in French immersion?
As a collective, we shared stories about what it is like to be a racial minority in French immersion and we compiled a list of needs to make the program better.
​
Participants created short scripts emphasizing one or two elements of their experiences in immersion and turned them into videos or audio recordings. Please join us in viewing and reading the stories that emerged from this study.
​
The goal of this project is to improve the French immersion experience.
You are invited to read, listen, and watch as many stories as you would like. Once you are done, you are invited to complete our survey.
​
Should you have any questions or concerns, please contact Marika at: https://mkunnas.wixsite.com/mkunnasportfolio.
ÀPROPOS
A background on French Immersion
French immersion was created as an experiment in Quebec for middle-class Anglophone families who were worried that their children would be excluded from the Francophone economy. Since then it has grown to be a very popular language learning program.
​
Immersion is known to be beneficial for cognitive development as well as on the job market. Many people view this program as "elite". However, immersion programs are also very exclusionary.
​
Immersion programs are known to exclude:
-
English language learners
-
Immigrants
-
Students with special education needs
-
Lower-income students
-
Racially minoritized students
Racial identity in French immersion is under-researched. This study aims to understand how racially minoritized people experience(d) French immersion programs in Ontario.
​
Visit: www.who-is-immersion-for.com for more information about French immersion policies.
About Me!
Hi! My name is Marika Kunnas. I am a PhD candidate at York University and a secondary school teacher certified to teach French, Drama, and Senior Social Studies. I am a second generation Canadian Black woman. My first language is English and my second language is French. I became bilingual through the Core French program and through university studies. I have always loved French and just language learning in general.
​
I am interested in how race and other identities intersect with French programs. After completing my thesis project, I was left wondering most about race and French immersion since it was barely discussed within the documents of my study.
​
My PhD research is funded by the SSHRC Canada Graduate Scholarship for Doctoral Students.
Current and Future Research
In my PhD, I am continuing to investigate French immersion programming in Ontario. I am now focusing more explicitly on race in French immersion and working with French immersion students instead of policies and documents.
​
​My research question is: what are the experiences of racially minoritized French immersion students?
​
I use the dramatic arts with secondary school French immersion students. This study uses Playbuilding and autoethnographic monologue creation to represent students' experiences related to race and racism in French immersion programs across the province. I hope to discover more about how race intersects with and manifests itself in French immersion programs. This study also aims to discover programmatic needs for racially minoritized students in immersion.