The Inclusion of Children with Special Educational Needs in an Intensive French as a Second-Language Program - From Theory to Practice

Oct 15, 2026

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This paper portrays the activity system of eight Grade 6 classes of children with special educational needs within an intensive French as a second-language program. Classroom norms and tools reflect a social-interactionist and social-constructivist approach emphasizing scaffolding, social interaction, and multiple modes of representation. The study reports outcomes including basic French communication skills, positive behavior changes, higher self-esteem, increased motivation, participation, and engagement. Implications address feasibility, scalability, and sustainability for non-intensive French classrooms.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

FormatPDF

Pages18

Reading Time45 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Keywords

Inclusion: from theory to practice

Inclusive education goals and international context

Salamanca Statement and research gaps

Study context: Intensive French (IF) program

Activity system in Grade 6 Intensive French classes

The Inclusion of Children with Special Educational Needs in an Intensive French as a Second-Language Program: From Theory to Practice Rhonda Joy Memorial University Elizabeth Murphy Memorial University Acknowledgements The authors wish to thank Memorial University of Newfoundland (VP Research Grants) for providing the funding for the study. Special thanks to research assistant Ms. Linda Doody for data collection. Thank you as well to graduate assistants Mr. Cory Follett and Ms. Ying Zhang and to Carolyn Lono for formatting. This research would not have been possible without the permission and participation of the School District and the teachers, guidance counsellors and administrators who gave of their time. CANADIAN JOURNAL OF EDUCATION 35, 1 (2012): 102-119 ©2011 Canadian Society for the Study of Education/ Société canadienne pour l’étude de l’éducation Abstract This paper portrays the activity system of eight classes of Grade 6 children with special educational needs in an Intensive French as a second-language education program. Classroom norms and tools reflected a social-interactionist and social-constructivist approach with scaffolding, social interaction, multiple modes of representing, holistic, cross-curricular, childcentred, active, and meaningful learning. Outcomes of the activity system of the children included basic French communication ability, positive behaviour changes, heightened selfesteem, increased motivation, participation, and engagement. We conclude with implications related to the feasibility, scalability, and sustainability of practices for non-Intensive French classrooms. Keywords: Special educational, elementary school, Intensive French, inclusion, Activity theory, social-constructivism Résumé Cet article décrit le système d'activité de huit classes d'élèves de 6e année ayant des besoins éducatifs particuliers dans un programme intensif de français langue seconde. Les normes et lesoutils pédagogiques utilisés en classe ont reflété une approche socio-interactionniste et socioconstructiviste mêlée d'échafaudage, d'interactions sociales, de modes de représentation multiples, et d'un apprentissage actif, signicatif, holistique, interdisciplinaire et centré sur l'enfant. Les objectifs d'apprentissage du système d'activité des enfants incluent les capacités de communication de base en français, les changements positifs de comportement, le renforcement de l'estime de soi, l'accroissement de la motivation, de la participation et de l'engagement. Nous concluons avec les implications liées à la faisabilité, l'extensibilité et la pérennité des pratiques pour des classes de français non-intensif. Mots-clés: éducation spécialisée, école primaire, français intensif, inclusion, théorie de l'activité, socio-constructivisme The Inclusion of Children with Special Educational Needs in an Intensive SecondLanguage Program: From Theory to Practice The term inclusive education, although theoretically and pragmatically imprecise, represents a move to internationalize the language of special education (Slee, 2006) . It is an“elusive and much contested” term (Mowat, 2010, p.631) with little shared understanding of its meaning (Smith & Barr, 2008). There is, however, a shared understanding of the goal of inclusive education, that it is to be a means of improving educational participation and opportunities for all,“especially those at risk for marginalisation and social exclusion”(Reicher, 2010, p. 214). The inclusion philosophy is designed to better appreciate and accommodate the diversity in schools (Salend, 2001) and beyond the school to include students in society in general (Curcic, 2009) . Global interest in inclusive education by organizations such as the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO); the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD); and the World Bank is based on the premise that inclusion is a human right (Crawford, 2008),

FAQs

What does the paper study about inclusion in an Intensive French program?

It examines the activity system in eight Grade 6 classes of children with special educational needs within an intensive French as a second-language program.

Which teaching approaches and learning supports are highlighted in the classroom norms and tools?

The paper emphasizes scaffolding, social interaction, multiple modes of representation, and learning that is holistic, cross-curricular, child-centred, active, and meaningful.

What outcomes does the activity system lead to for the children?

Outcomes include basic French communication ability, positive behavior changes, heightened self-esteem, increased motivation, participation, and engagement.

Oct 15, 2026

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