At-risk readers in French immersion - Early identification and early intervention

Oct 15, 2026

Study investigates how phonological awareness instruction affects reading achievement for at-risk Grade 1 learners in an early French immersion program. Twenty-nine multilingual children were identified using text reading performance and phonological awareness test results, then received 20 weeks of small-group training. Instruction began in English and switched to French after students developed a language foundation. Treatment participants showed significant phonological gains and higher end-of-year French reading levels than the comparison group.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages22

Reading Time55 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Purpose and study design

Early identification and intervention approach

Findings and implications

CJAL * RCLA Wise & Chen 128 At-risk readers in French immersion: Early identification and early intervention Nancy Wise University of Toronto Xi Chen University of Toronto Authors’Note We wish to thank Dr. Sharon Lapkin, who generously offered to read earlier versions of this paper. Her insightful comments, helpful suggestions, and positive feedback were much appreciated. We also gratefully acknowledge the efforts of the teachers and the support of the school administration. Finally, we thank the children for their participation in the study. Abstract This study analyses the impact of phonological awareness instruction on the reading achievement of at-risk Grade 1 readers enrolled in an early French immersion program. Twenty-nine children from diverse linguistic backgrounds participated in the study. Atrisk readers were identified on the basis of text reading performance and phonological awareness test scores, and received 20 weeks of phonological awareness training in small groups. The intervention was initially given in English, and switched to French once students had acquired a foundation in the language. Significant gains were found in the phonological awareness skills of the treatment group. Results also indicated that the endof-year French reading levels of the treatment group were superior to the comparison group. These findings suggest that a phonologically based intervention can effectively address phonological awareness deficits and facilitate French reading acquisition for early immersion students who are considered to be at risk for later reading difficulties. Résumé Cette étude analyse l'impact de l'enseignement par l’éveil de la conscience phonologique sur le rendement en lecture des lecteurs à risque en 1re année du programme d’immersion précoce en français. Vingt-neuf enfants issus de milieux linguistiques variés ont participéà l'étude. Les lecteurs à risque ont été identifiés sur la base des résultats de leur rendementen lecture et des résultats des tests de conscience phonologique, et ont reçu 20 semaines de formation à la conscience phonologique en petits groupes. L'intervention a été initialement donnée en anglais et par la suite en français après que les élèves aient acquis une base dans la langue. Des gains importants ont été trouvés dans les compétences en conscience phonologique du groupe expérimental. Les résultats ont également indiqué qu’à la fin de l’année, les niveaux de lecture en français du groupe expérimental étaientsupérieurs à ceux du groupe témoin. Ces résultats suggèrent qu'une intervention au niveau phonologique peut résoudre de façon efficace les déficits en conscience phonologique et faciliter l'acquisition de la lecture en français par les élèves en immersion précoce qui sont considérés comme risquant plus tard d’éprouver des difficultés en lecture. CJAL * RCLA Wise & Chen 129 At-risk readers in French immersion: Early identification and early intervention Children who enroll in French immersion programs present with varying reading abilities. Immersion educators continually strive to improve instruction in order to accommodate as many children as possible, so that they will be afforded the advantages of bilingualism. Nevertheless, the system often fails to meet the needs of a small percentage of students who have difficulty learning to read (MacCoubrey, 2003) . Children who struggle to acquire reading skills almost invariably remain poor readers in later years (Stanovich, 1986; Juel, 1988). A recurring cycle ensues: the more frustration these lowachieving readers experience, the more disinterested they become in the reading process. Research suggests that if French immersion teachers identify students who may be at-risk for later reading difficulties early on and intervene while the achievement gap between strong and weak readers is still relatively small, fewer students will experience reading failure (MacCoubrey, Wade-Woolley, Klinger, & Kirby, 2004; Ge

FAQs

How were at-risk Grade 1 readers identified in the study?

They were identified through text reading performance and phonological awareness test scores.

How was the intervention delivered during the 20-week training period?

Training occurred in small groups for 20 weeks, starting in English and switching to French after students had acquired a foundation in the language.

What outcomes did the study report for the treatment group?

The treatment group showed significant gains in phonological awareness skills and higher end-of-year French reading levels compared with the comparison group.

Oct 15, 2026

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