A Study of the
Confucius Institute in Edmonton
In Partnership with
Edmonton Public Schools
June 2009

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Study Sponsored by
The Confucius Institute in Edmonton
Primary Researcher:

Dr. John Macnab:
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Research Support Services – Edmonton Public
Schools
Editor:

Stuart Wachowicz
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Chairman: Confucius Institute in Edmonton

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To examine the reciprocal effect of second language study from an early age on first language
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Hypothesis:
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That students participating in intensive second language training from an early age will have comparable or superior performance in formalized English language studies than students who are in unilingual programs.

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To grow demand for second language education in school systems (especially in North America), and in particular to grow enrollment in Chinese language, a number of sincerely held, but possibly erroneous beliefs need to be addressed:

L2 should wait until L1 is firmly established
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Early L2 can damage L1 acquisition
L2 students struggling in L1 should be withdrawn from L2
L2 learning is difficult, therefore limit to strong students

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Such beliefs contribute to an educational culture in which L2 is not valued as other core subjects.
Hence promotion of the idea that all students should gain a measurable proficiency in L2 is a challenge.
Subsequently promoting Chinese is even more difficult given the idea that Asian languages are harder to learn for western students

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Edmonton Public Schools (EPS) has a 30 year history of intensive L2 education, and is the Canadian pioneer in “Bilingual” education. (80 000 students)
EPS has carefully collected years of performance data of students on Alberta government exams at grades 3, 6, 9 and
12.
The data was segregated for students in
Immersion and Bilingual programs

Program Age and grade Time in L2
French Immersion
(age 5-17)
K-2
3-6
7-9
10-12
Bilingual (age 5-
17)
K-6
7-9
10-12
Second Language
Courses
4-9
10-12
100%
85%
70%
40%
50%
30-35%
15%
10%
12.5%

Immersion Bilingual
French (3400) Chinese (2000)
Arabic (1000)
German ( 800)
Spanish (300)
Ukrainian (300)
Hebrew (150)
ASL (100)
Second
Language
French (26 000)
Spanish (3 000)
Chinese (1 000)
German (1 000)
Japanese (800)
Punjabi (200)
ASL (150)
Ukrainian (150)
Cree (300)

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Local conditions and time issues ruled out a “controlled” experiment
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Open boundaries
Programs of Choice
Student mobility
Access was available to many years worth of data of student performance on provincially standardized tests in
English and core subjects. These test are written by all students in the province at grades 3, 6, 9 and 12
English tests are of high quality assessing all strands of
Language Arts
Given the purpose, the research design was limited to the
English results.

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Based on student performance on tests the provinces sets cut scores to determine students who achieve:
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Below Acceptable Standard
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Within Acceptable Standard
Above Acceptable Standard
Grade 3 English results were used as “pre-test”
Grade 6 and 9 results were used as “post-test” scores for analysis

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Provincial Achievement Tests represent the total population of Alberta students, therefore true population parameters are available (normal population) =Control
Only students remaining in the L2 program from k to 9 were included
Individual student results were converted into Z scores: Z=(X-μ)/σ This permits tracking of growth, based upon what would be expected progress for that student.

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Data analyzed in two ways:

Statistical tests analyzed in an R computing environment
(statistical computing and graphics language interface)
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Graphical representation
Results not broken down by specific language:
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Some language programs are too small
The study considered instruction in L2 in an English environment the common treatment
Programs varied slightly in content and approach in different schools, making the total cohort better approximate a random sample than if we focused on smaller groups, yielding greater generalization.

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Cohort 1:
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304 students who began their schooling in
September 1997
Cohort 2:
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286 students who began their schooling in
September 1998
Total sample size 590

Chinese
Bilingual
French
Immersion
German
Bilingual
Ukrainian
Bilingual
Arabic Bilingual
Hebrew
Bilingual
TOTAL
9
6
0
Cohort 1
126
128
35
10
9
3
Cohort 2
122
101
41
19
15
3
590
Total
248
229
76

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The study has raised interest across Canada in the media, and academic and education circles, and will play a key role in the language education debate in Canada
The largest population in the cohort are students learning Chinese
A study that could demonstrate a positive correlation between Chinese language learning and increased proficiency in L1 would be useful in promoting Chinese.
National coverage in the national media would profile the Confucius Institute as making a valuable contribution to language learning in
Canada and beyond

Course Standard Provincial
Results
%
Below ELA 3
ELA 3
ELA 3
ELA 6
ELA 6
ELA 6
ELA 9
ELA 9
ELA 9
Acceptable
Excellence
Acceptable
Below
Excellence
Below
Acceptable
Excellence
19
12
72
16
10
72
18
12
69
Results for
Bilingual or
Immersion students %
26
2
62
36
5
72
23
4
70
Difference from
Province
-5
0
+5
-8
+1
+7
-10
-10
+20

Language Arts Achievement Levels
Standard
Acceptable
Below
Excellence
LA3 LA6 LA9
Provincial Achievement Test

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Z > 0 Above Provincial Average
Z = 0 At Provincial Average
Z < 0 Below Provincial Average
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Result indicates that even with LESS instruction in English, Immersion and
Bilingual students increased in English proficiency relative to the total population.

-3 -2 -1 0 1
Grade 3 English Language Arts z-score
2 3 -3 -2 -1 0 1
Grade 9 English Language Arts z-score
2 3

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In grade 3 the student population is only slightly above the normal distribution for the province. (This after 3 years of being in the intense L2 environment);
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They still have a broad distribution of results indicating they are not an elite group.
Some students are clearly struggling in English at -2 and -3 Standard Deviations below the mean.

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By grade 9 this group has clearly advanced significantly beyond the mean.
The top end students in grade 3 have not necessarily advanced, yet they are still in the “excellence” category.
It is the low end student in grade 3, the ones who struggled in English, who have made the most gains

This effect size indicates that those students who remained in their bilingual or immersion programs show statistically significantly greater growth in English Language Arts than would have been expected if they had tracked the control (provincial census) group.
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In other words their English was better than if they had been in an English only program
Confucius Institute in Edmonton

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Although these students spend significantly less time in English instruction, their English results have improved at a rate that is statistically faster than English only program students.
Confucius Institute in Edmonton

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If we desire the strongest results in English for the individual student, provide, early and sustained, quality second language education.
The effect size indicates this has greater impact than any other researched intervention.
The result will be a student with strong English results, with bilingualism as a by product.
If you want strong English skills provide sustained second language instruction, in particular Mandarin.
Confucius Institute in Edmonton

The Confucius Institute in Edmonton
13750 Woodcroft Ave.
Edmonton, Alberta T5M 3M4
Website: www.confuciusedmonton.ca
Phone: (780) 970-5233

A Study of the
Confucius Institute in Edmonton
In Partnership with
Edmonton Public Schools