Principles of Bilingual Education in the 1920S: the Imperial Education Conferences and French-English Schooling in Alberta
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Principles of Bilingual Education in the 1920s: The Imperial Education Conferences and French-English Schooling in Alberta by Anne-Marie Lizaire-Szostak A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Educational Administration and Leadership Department of Educational Policy Studies University of Alberta © Anne-Marie Lizaire-Szostak, 2018 Abstract French Immersion and Francophone education in Alberta are both examples of publicly funded French-English bilingual education since the 1970s and 1980s. To better understand French Immersion in Alberta today, as well as the basis of calls to recognize it as rights-based education, it is important to understand how bilingual education evolved during the early years in this province. In this historical research dissertation, bilingual education and policy formation in Alberta are examined in the context of the burgeoning provincial society, within a British dominion, at a time when English liberalism was beginning to recognize national minorities and the Empire was transforming into the Commonwealth. This case study is based on document analysis of reports from the Imperial Education Conferences, especially that of 1923, which promoted bilingual education. The conceptual framework is informed by principles of interpretive historical sociology, drawing upon Kymlicka’s (1995/2000) liberal theoretical argument of national minority rights based on equality. Bilingual education was presented as a parental right at the Imperial Education Conferences in 1911, 1923, and 1927. Through these conferences, new perspectives concerning bilingualism were diffused throughout the Commonwealth and managed, with assistance, to take root in Alberta. Given the notable experience of Wales and South Africa with bilingual education, and the slow but steady reconstruction of bilingual education in Alberta, Kymlicka’s arguments for group differentiated rights within a liberal polity further clarifies the claim for French Immersion to be recognized as a type of rights-based education in Alberta. ii Table of Contents Abstract .............................................................................................................................. ii Chapter 1: The Research Problem .................................................................................. 1 Context ................................................................................................................................ 2 Research Purpose and Theoretical Underpinnings ............................................................. 4 Research Problem and Questions........................................................................................ 6 The Researcher.................................................................................................................... 9 Significance of the Research ............................................................................................. 10 Delimitations ..................................................................................................................... 11 Limitations ........................................................................................................................ 12 Definitions......................................................................................................................... 14 Organization of the Thesis ................................................................................................ 15 Chapter 2: The Literature Review ................................................................................ 16 Bilingualism and Intelligence ........................................................................................... 18 Before the 1920s ........................................................................................................... 19 The 1920s to 1950s, Including the Welsh Studies ........................................................ 21 New Findings Based on Student Contexts .................................................................... 24 Bilingualism Evaluated Without Psychometric Testing ............................................... 25 Summary of the First Section ....................................................................................... 26 Bilingualism and Pedagogy .............................................................................................. 26 Factors of Bilingualism ................................................................................................. 27 iii Research Trends in Bilingual Education/FI .................................................................. 30 Bilingual Education/FI, Home Language, and SES...................................................... 31 Summary of the Second Section ................................................................................... 33 Socio-political and Historical Research in Bilingual Education/FI .................................. 33 French-English Bilingual Education ............................................................................. 33 Summary of the Third Section ...................................................................................... 37 Theoretical Framework ..................................................................................................... 38 Liberalism and Language Use ...................................................................................... 38 Citizenship: Language, Education, and Rights ............................................................. 42 Summary of the Fourth Section .................................................................................... 48 Conclusion ........................................................................................................................ 48 Chapter 3: The Methodology ......................................................................................... 51 Qualitative Historical Sociological Case Study ................................................................ 51 Definition of a Case Study ................................................................................................ 51 Definition of Historical Sociology .................................................................................... 55 Definition of Interpretive Historical Sociology (IHS) .................................................. 57 The Critiques of an IHS Single Case Study .................................................................. 59 The Rationale for an Interpretive Historical Sociology Single Case Study .................. 60 Quality Criteria for my Research ...................................................................................... 61 Trustworthiness Criteria................................................................................................ 62 Authenticity Criteria ..................................................................................................... 63 Method .............................................................................................................................. 64 iv Document Analysis ....................................................................................................... 64 Primary and Secondary Sources ................................................................................... 65 Archives ........................................................................................................................ 67 Location of Source ........................................................................................................ 68 Identification of Material. ............................................................................................. 70 Document Appraisal and Analysis................................................................................ 75 The Rationale for Multicultural Citizenship as Theoretical Framework ...................... 78 Time Frame, Periods, and Contexts to be Studied ........................................................ 79 Purpose of Chosen Methodology, Method, and Theoretical Framework ..................... 80 Conclusion ........................................................................................................................ 81 Chapter 4: The Educational and Political Context in the Northwest Territories/Alberta at the Turn of the 20th Century .................................................... 82 Bilingualism in Government and Schools of the Northwest Territories, 1800s-1905 ...... 83 Freeman’s Nation-building Political Theory and its Popularity in Canada ...................... 92 Laurie’s Nation-building Pedagogy and its Influence in Alberta ..................................... 93 Assimilation Through Public Education in Alberta After 1905 ..................................... 100 Conclusion ...................................................................................................................... 103 Chapter 5: Little Known British Conferences of Great Importance ....................... 105 The Politics of the Imperial Conferences........................................................................ 106 The ICs, Imperialism, and the Commonwealth .......................................................... 106 The ICs, Autonomy, and the Commonwealth ............................................................ 107 The ICs, the Bond Among English-speaking Nations and the League of Nations ..... 111 v The Nature of the Imperial