Extract

Abstract One of the oldest and arguably most famous examples of content-based instruction, the Canadian French immersion programs have been the focus of extensive research and contributed significantly to the promotion of the benefits of bilingual education. Unlike the development of CLIL programs in European higher education however, only a handful of Canadian universities offer the option to study French with an immersion approach. The largest of these university immersion programs is located at the University of Ottawa and has been the object of a number of studies investigating its impact and challenges, especially in three dimensions: the development of advanced literacy in a second language, the positioning and role of institutional actors, and the socio-affective dimensions of students’ participation. This article provides insights into facets of University-level immersion in the Canadian context of the University of Ottawa, and shares valuable lessons learned from this experience.

Keywords: CBI; French immersion programs; university; Canada

1.  From ICL to CLIL to CBI to Immersion

Second language (L2) and foreign language (FL) researchers and educators have increasingly emphasized the value of a pedagogic approach that integrates both content and language learning objectives (Dalton-Puffer, 2011 Smit & Dafouz, 2012). This form of bilingual education stresses the benefits of recognizing that all knowledge is acquired through language and that as a result learning is enhanced by raising language learners’ awareness of the inseparable link between content matter and language form (Schleppegrell, Achugar, & Oteíza, 2004; Wesche...