Near-Native Speakers in the Foreign-Language Classroom [electronic resource] : The Case of Haitian Immigrant Students / Stacey Katz.
This case study examined Haitian immigrant students' experiences in the French language classrooms. It is based on surveys conducted with students and their classmates and personal observations, discussing and explaining some of the misconceptions about Haitian immigrants and describing the Hai...
Saved in:
| Online Access: |
Full Text (via ERIC) |
|---|---|
| Main Author: | |
| Format: | Electronic eBook |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
[Place of publication not identified] :
Distributed by ERIC Clearinghouse,
2003.
|
| Subjects: |
| Summary: | This case study examined Haitian immigrant students' experiences in the French language classrooms. It is based on surveys conducted with students and their classmates and personal observations, discussing and explaining some of the misconceptions about Haitian immigrants and describing the Haitian students' experiences learning French in the United States. Participants were 22 Haitian, 16 non-francophone, and 7 Belgian and French students enrolled at a New Jersey university. All of the Haitian students spoke Creole, not French, at home, and their instruction in French in Haitian schools had ended prior to high school. Results indicated that many of the Haitian students (and most of the native French speaking students) did not understand Creole's relationship to French. Non-Haitian students assumed that Haitians were native speakers of French and shared the common misperception that Haiti was a French-speaking country. Several francophone students cited cultural differences as a reason that they might not be friendly with their Haitian classmates, and they noted difficulty understanding the Haitians when they spoke. However, the non-francophone students had a positive reaction when required to do group work with the Haitians and appreciated their superior French skills. The survey is appended. (Contains 28 references.) (SM) |
|---|---|
| Item Description: | ERIC Document Number: ED481793. ERIC Note: In: The Sociolinguistics of Foreign-Language Classrooms: Contributions of the Native, the Near-Native, and the Non-Native Speaker. Issues in Language Program Direction, A Series of Annual Volumes; see FL 027 869. |
| Physical Description: | 31 pages. |