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Dealing with Diversi^: Multicultural Education in British Columbia, 1872-1981

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Dealing with Diversi^: Multicultural Education in British Columbia, 1872-1981. by Helen Raptis B.A., University of Victona, 1984 M.E(L, McGill University, 1991 A Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements for the Degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY in the Department o f Curriculum and Instruction We accept this thesis as con&rming m the required standard Dr. T. Fleming, Siq)ervisor (Department o f Curriculum and Instruction) Dr. Y. Martin-Newcombe (Department of Educational Psychology and Leadership) Dr. P. Roy (Department of History) Dr.yJnhh Walsh (Department of Educational Psychology and Leadership) Dr. J. Muss», Outside Member (B.C. Ministry of Education) ^^___________________________ Dr. B. Anderson, External Examiner (B.C. Ministry of Education) © Helen Raptis, 2001 University of Victoria All rights reserved. This thesis may not be reproduced in whole or in part, by photocopy or other means, without the permission of the author. Supervisor: Dr. Thomas Fleming ABSTRACT British Columbia (B.C.), like the rest o f Canada, has had a culturally diverse population since its earliest years. By the early 1970s, commonality of educational purpose had begun to 6ay in the province. Specialized programs 6>r specifc minorities became the norm as the province's educational TTwmdatm expanded rapidly. Social and political forces within and outside B.C. coalesced during the 1970s to create a '^multicultural crisis" in the province's K to 12 education system. Culmination o f A ese Arces in 1981 led Brian Smith, the provincial education minista, to declare the frst ministerial commitment to multicultural education. This dissertation illustrates how ofBcial policies and actions aSecting minority learners changed wiA difkring social, economic and political farces over time and how these Actors intersected wiA Ae efforts of individual players involved m policy development Examiners: Dr. T. Flemii%, Supervisor (Department o f Curriculum and Instruction) Dr. Y. Martin-Newcombe (Department of Educational Psychology and Leadership) Dr. P. Roy (Department of History) Dr/T.^alsh (Department of Educational Psychology and Leadership) Dr. J. Outside Member (B.C. Ministry of Education) __________________________________ Dr. B. Anderson, External Examiner (B.C. Ministry o f Educatiou) lîl Table of Contents Abstract ii Table of Contents iii Acknowledgements iv Chapter One: Introduction and Background Introduction 1 Definition of Terms 2 Background 4 The Study 7 Significance of the Study 9 Limitations to the Study 11 Chapter Two: Literature Review: Theoretical Conceptions of Multicultural Education and the History of Minority Education in B.C. Introduction 15 Divisions Within the Literature 18 Foundational Ideas in the Literature 21 Conclusion 29 Chapter Three: Literature Review: Minority Education in B.C., 1872-1945. Introduction 36 History as Background 37 History and Policy 38 History as Main Focus 39 The Chinese 42 The Doukhobors 51 The Japanese 56 Conclusion 60 Chapter Four: Native Education in B.C., 1950-1981. Introduction 72 Native Indian Students 74 Conclusion 89 IV Chapter Five: French as a Second Language, 1945-1981. Introduction 95 Effects of World War II on French Language Instruction 95 Official Languages Act 96 Changes to French Language Instruction 98 Conclusion 106 Chapter Six: English as a Second Language, 1948-1981. Introduction 111 Background 112 Immigration 113 Political Forces 118 Effects of Social Sciences 135 Conclusion 137 Chapter Seven: Multicultural Education Comes to British Columbia Introduction 145 Background 145 Political Pressures 147 Heritage Conservation 151 Human Rights 156 Conclusion 161 Chapter Eight: Conclusion 168 Appendix: 178 Cover Letter 179 Interview Protocol 181 Sources Cited 183 Acknowledgements Many thanks are due for the immeasurable direction, support and assistance provided by Dr. Thomas Fleming, my supervisor. I am also grateful for the invaluable corrections, advice and support of my committee members. Dr. Patricia Roy, Dr. Jerry Mussio, Dr. Yvonne Martin-Newcombe, and Dr. John Walsh, as well as the external examiner, Dr. Barry Anderson. Financial support for this research from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) is also gratefully acknowledged. Finally, words on a page can barely begin to express my enormous gratitude for the support of my loving family. CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND Introduction On October 8,1971, Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau announced a federal "policy of multiculturalism within a bilingual framework."* Since then, Canadians have increasingly viewed Canada not only as bilingual but as a multicultural nation. In turn, conceptions of "multicultural education" have become firmly rooted in Canadian educational discourse through various teaching guides, provincial curricula, resources, policies and academic writings which pay homage to multicultural education. Despite the absence of an official multicultural education policy, since 1981—a decade after Trudeau's announcement—British Columbia's government has implemented various piecemeal reforms to address cultural diversity and schooling. What was the intent of these reforms? When, why, and how were such reforms initiated? This dissertation argues that the genesis of the B.C. government's multicultural education reforms did not result directly from Trudeau's multicultural policy, as some Canadian scholars have suggested.^ Nor did provincial reforms intend to address specific needs of teachers and learners in the education system. Rather, throughout the 1970s and early 1980s, government-funded lobby groups, school board trustees, school district officials, individual social activists, government paid consultants, and some politicians—many outside of education—were largely responsible for bringing multicultural education to the policy discourse^ of the provincial Ministry of Education. In addition to the activities of these key groups, social and political forces within and outside of the province itself coalesced to create a "multicultural crisis" in B.C.'s kindergarten to grade 12 (K to 12) system of common schooling. Culmination of these forces in 1981 led Brian Smith, the provincial Minister of Education, to declare the first ministerial commitment to multicultural education. The purpose of this dissertation is to explore the development of the provincial Ministry of Education's initiatives dealing with multicultural education in B.C.'s public school system. In order to understand fully the impact of the government's commitment, this study surveys the provincial government's approaches to dealing with cultural diversity beginning in 1872 until Smith's announcement in 1981. In particular, the questions it addresses are: 1) What initiatives regarding cultural diversity and schooling were expressed by B.C.'s provincial government from 1872 to 1981? 2) Why and how did the term "multicultural education" enter the B.C. Ministry of Education's discourse about public schooling? 3) What forces within the education system (e.g. educational factors) and outside of it (e.g. socio-political factors) were significant in bringing "multicultural education" into the public policy discourse regarding schooling in B.C.? Definition of Terms Several key terms are used throughout this dissertation: multiculturalism, multicultural education, education, schooling, ethnic diversity, cultural diversity, race, racism, and policy. There are many possible definitions for each of these terms and scholars in education and the social sciences continue to debate them. I have chosen to separate multiculturalism from multicultural education, despite the fact that the two concepts are used interchangeably in the educational literature. For the purposes of this dissertation, multiculturalism refers to a federally-designated socio-political policy which attempts to help all Canadian cultural groups "to grow and contribute to Canada... to overcome cultural barriers to full participation in Canadian society... to acquire at least one of Canada's official languages" and to experience "creative encounters and interchange...in the interest of national unity.'"* On the other hand, multicultural education refers to a course of action to address the educational needs of learners in an ethnically and culturally diverse school system. Although education and schooling generally have different meanings in the educational literature, they are used synonymously in this dissertation to refer to the academic and social experiences of children in the K to 12 public education system. The descriptors culturally diverse, ethnically diverse and minority group learners have also been used synonymously. These terms refer to B.C. school children who were not bom in English-speaking countries or—if bom in Canada—are either of First Nations descent or are not considered similar to middle-class and upper middle-class children due to their differing "values, beliefs, languages, habits and ways of life."^ Although religion could easily be added to this list of differences, there are several reasons why religious diversity is not discussed in this dissertation. When Brian Smith announced his ministry's commitment to multicultural education in 1981, it did not contain any references to religious minorities. Therefore, I decided that although religion is an important marker of diversity, it has been tangential to the province's core developments in multicultural education. This does not mean, however, that the concems of religious minority groups
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