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PAINTING A PICTURE: WHY DIVERSE PARENTS CHOOSE CATHOLIC FRENCH IMMERSION FOR THEIR SCHOOL AGED CHILD A Thesis Proposal Submitted to the College of Graduate Studies and Research In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements For the Degree of Master of Education In the Department of Curriculum Studies University of Saskatchewan Saskatoon By Suzanne Bronkhorst © Copyright Suzanne Bronkhorst, July 2015. All rights reserved PERMISSION TO USE In presenting this thesis in partial fulfillment of the requirements for a Postgraduate degree from the University of Saskatchewan, I agree that the Libraries of this University may make it freely available for inspection. I further agree that permission for copying of this thesis in any manner, in whole or in part, for scholarly purposes may be granted by the professors who supervised my thesis work, or, in their absence, by the Head of the Department of the Dean of the College in which my this work was done. It is understood that any copying or publication or use of this thesis or parts thereof for financial gain shall not be allowed without my written permission. It is also understood that due recognition shall be given to me and to the University of Saskatchewan in any scholarly use which may be made of any material in my thesis. Requests for permission to copy or make other use of material in this thesis in whole or in part should be addressed to: Head of the Department of Curriculum Studies University of Saskatchewan 28 Campus Drive Saskatoon, Saskatchewan S7N 0X1 i DEDICATION For Bill Halkett. Thank you for being my dad and our children’s grandfather. You are proof that family begins, foremost, in our hearts. ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Dr. Debbie Pushor – for your guidance, patience, and wisdom. Your confidence in my abilities shaped me tremendously as a teacher, mother, and individual. It has been a blessing to be under your wing. Dr. Brenda Kalyn – for being on my committee and for your guidance in the completion of this thesis. I am truly thankful for the time and effort you put into helping me accomplish this goal. Dr. Monica Miller Marsh – for being my external examination. You have broadened my perspective on family and the funds of knowledge they can bring to our school landscape. Your work has had a significant impact on me. The Nelson, Padrique and Larocque families – for your support and for welcoming me into your lives. I sincerely thank you for sharing your stories. Greater Saskatoon Catholic Schools – for granting me the gift of time to devote to this work. Mom – for loving me, and thinking I am the best. I wish every child could feel the way you made me feel as a little girl and how I feel now as an adult. My daughters Ashley, Erica and Sierra – who, in each of your own ways, taught me so many valuable life lessons. It is a privilege to be your mom. David – for being my best friend and husband. Your support, patience and unconditional love were truly appreciated. You are my rock. iii ABSTRACT In this narrative inquiry, I examined parents’ stories to gain insight into their journey toward selecting a French Immersion Catholic stream of education for their Kindergarten-aged children. As a teacher, I first noticed a pronounced shift in the parents who were choosing Catholic French Immersion for their school-aged children and, then, as I formed close relationships with a diverse range of parents, I became cognizant that many families were deeply rooted in a faith other than that of Catholicism. With my curiosity piqued, I engaged in research to explore what these diverse parents believe Catholic French Immersion schools have to offer them. Utilizing both Joseph Schwab’s (1973) notion of curricular commonplaces and Allen’s (2007) web of caring as a framework for my research, I demonstrated how important it is that educators invite parent knowledge (Pushor, 2011, 2013) onto the school landscape as they attend to parents’ intentions in making particular school choices for their children. Using a metaphor of painting, and to paint both individual stories and a triptych of stories to capture parents’ influences, thoughts, hopes and dreams for their children that led them to Catholic French Immersion, I chose narrative inquiry methodology. I utilized field texts gathered from three sets of parents, including stories, journals, field notes, letters, conversations, and family stories, to paint an intimate understanding of the research puzzle. iv In terms of Catholic education, these families value a faith-based school environment but for different reasons. The Nelson family, rooted in Baptist faith, felt it was important that their child be schooled alongside other faithful children and also believed that Catholic schools inherently value the sanctity of each child. The Padrique family, newcomers to Canada, assumed that Catholic education would teach their child important values and that parents in the Catholic system would share parenting philosophies similar to their own. The Larocque family saw that through learning Catholic doctrine in school their children would be provided an opportunity to be exposed to, and to accept or reject, a system of beliefs not taught to their children at home. In terms of French Immersion, the families understood that their children’s ability to speak French would enhance their employment opportunities in the future. Both the Nelsons and the Padriques further viewed French Immersion as a program choice for the more academically inclined. Similarly, the Larocques, whose children have Treaty Status, understood French Immersion as a more challenging program where children become accustomed to working hard. This research will help deepen educators’ understanding of parent motivations for choosing this stream of education and more fully attend in their practice to parent intentions and parent knowledge. v TABLE OF CONTENTS PERMISSION TO USE ............................................................................................................................................. I DEDICATION ......................................................................................................................................................... II ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .................................................................................................................................... III ABSTRACT ............................................................................................................................................................. IV CHAPTER ONE ....................................................................................................................................................... 1 PAINTING A PICTURE USING A DIFFERENT MEDIUM: THE STORY OF PARENT DECISIONS ........................................ 1 Choosing a Subject Matter ................................................................................................................................................ 1 A Monochromatic Palette: My Lack of Experience with Diversity ................................................................... 2 A Polychromatic Palette: Experiencing Diversity .................................................................................................... 4 Why Paint this Particular Picture? Research Justification ................................................................................ 5 Exploring My Parent Knowledge: If Only You Knew Erica the Way I Do ...................................................... 6 Underneath the Paint: My History .............................................................................................................................. 12 The Institution of School: A Protectorate Model ................................................................................................. 15 Parent Knowledge: A Primary Color .......................................................................................................................... 16 PARENT STORIES: THE CHOSEN MEDIUM ......................................................................................................................... 28 vi The Principles of Design .................................................................................................................................................. 29 Dimensions of Narrative Inquiry ................................................................................................................................. 32 The Narrative Inquiry Phenomenon .......................................................................................................................... 34 Analysis and Interpretation ........................................................................................................................................... 34 Research Design: Participants and the Selection Process ................................................................................ 35 Field Notes: Learning About the Subject Matter .................................................................................................. 37 Research Text ....................................................................................................................................................................... 38 A PICTURE YET TO BE PAINTED .......................................................................................................................................... 38 CHAPTER TWO ..................................................................................................................................................

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