WP03-05 - Citizenship Concepts in LINC Classrooms - Working Paper No. WP03-05

Sep 18, 2026

A study surveying teachers and program coordinators involved in Language Instruction for Newcomers to Canada (LINC) across Ontario, British Columbia, and Alberta examines the extent to which they believe citizenship concepts are introduced in ESL classrooms. Respondents describe program nature, the role of LINC, instructional materials, course content, challenges, and perceived effectiveness in relation to a mandate for social integration. Findings suggest LINC is not a substitute for dedicated citizenship preparation, and recommend optional citizenship courses after LINC.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages28

Reading Time1 h 11 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Study purpose and survey focus

Findings and recommendations

How teachers view citizenship instruction

LINC role vs citizenship preparation courses

Background and literature

Historical citizenship concepts in adult language education

Acknowledgements and funding

Contributors and funders

PCERII Working Paper Series CITIZENSHIP CONCEPTS IN LINC CLASSROOMS Tracey Derwing University ofAlberta Ron I. Thomson University ofAlberta Working Paper No. WP03-05 2005 The PCERII Working Paper Series is published by the Prairie Centre of Excellence for Research on Immigration and Integration. The views expressed in this paper are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reﬂect the views of the publisher or funders. Copyright of this paper is retained by the author(s) . For additional information contact: PCERII Working Paper Series Attention: Ms. Lenise Levesque, Editorial Assistant 1-17 Humanities Centre, University of Alberta Edmonton, AB T6G 2E5 Canada Tel: (780) 492-0635 Fax: (780) 492-259 Email: [lenise@ualberta.ca](lenise@ualberta.ca)[ ](lenise@ualberta.ca)Web Site: [http://pcerii.metropolis.net](http://pcerii.metropolis.net) Funders We are pleased to acknowledge the following organizations that provide funding in support of the Prairie Centre: the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada; Citizenship and Immigration Canada; Canadian Heritage; Statistics Canada; Human Resources Development Canada; Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation; Public Works and Government Services Canada; Status of Women Canada; the Royal Canadian Mounted Police; Public Service Commission; and the Solicitor General of Canada. The University of Alberta provides PCERII with a generous grant and the other participating universities offer supplementary support. CITIZENSHIP CONCEPTS IN LINC CLASSROOMS Tracey Derwing University of Alberta Ron I. Thompson University of Alberta In this study we surveyed teachers and program coordinators of Language Instruction for Newcomers to Canada (LINC) from Ontario, British Columbia, and Alberta to determine to what degree they believe they are introducing citizenship concepts into the ESL classroom. Respondents provided us with information on the nature of their programs, the role of LINC, the types of materials they used, general course content, challenges faced, and their evaluation of the success of LINC in view of the government mandate to provide instruction that will lead to social integration. Most LINC providers felt that their programs were well-tailored to the needs of their students, but in general, they did not see LINC as a substitute for citizenship preparation courses. We recommend that optional citizenship courses be made widely available to immigrants after LINC, where the focus is on complex issues facing Canadians, rather than a superﬁcial coverage offacts for the citizenship test. The authors would like to thank Marie McAndrew for generously providing us with the survey used in a study of citizenship concepts in French language programs for adult immigrants in Québec. Thanks also to Kama Jamieson and Marilyn Abbott, who assisted with the project. Ron Smyth, Reva Joshee, Georgia Ramos, and Marian Rossiter also offered help for which we are very grateful. Finally, we thank the Prairie Centre of Excellence for Research on Immigration and Integration, the Metropolis Project and SSHRC for funding the project. Keywords: Citizenship Education; Adult ESL; LINC. 2005 PCERII Working Paper Series 2005 WORKING PAPER SERIES ~~ ~~ Since 1992, with the inception of LINC, it has been the policy of the federal government that introductory ESL classes focus on language for integration. Prior to that time, there was an emphasis on employment issues and very little in terms of general Canadian social content. The intent of the LINC policy was for language teachers to promote the development of citizenship values. In this study, we will investigate to what extent LINC teachers believe that they include citizenship values in their course content and to what extent they feel it is their responsibility to do so. The notion that citizenship concepts can be taught to adult immigrants in language classrooms has been around for a long time. The Ed

FAQs

What is the main objective of the study on LINC classrooms?

To determine to what degree LINC teachers believe they introduce citizenship concepts into ESL classroom content, and whether they view it as their responsibility to do so.

How do respondents generally view LINC in relation to citizenship preparation?

Most providers felt their programs fit students’ needs, but they generally did not see LINC as a substitute for citizenship preparation courses.

What recommendation does the study make after LINC?

Optional citizenship courses should be made widely available to immigrants after LINC, focusing on complex issues facing Canadians rather than superficial coverage of citizenship test facts.

Sep 18, 2026

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