{"id":6642,"date":"2023-11-29T02:15:41","date_gmt":"2023-11-29T02:15:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/learningcommons.twu.ca\/?p=6642"},"modified":"2024-01-15T22:16:04","modified_gmt":"2024-01-15T22:16:04","slug":"principal-support-of-fsl-instruction-in-ontario-schools-a-literature-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/create.twu.ca\/learningcommons\/2023\/11\/29\/principal-support-of-fsl-instruction-in-ontario-schools-a-literature-review\/","title":{"rendered":"Principal Support of FSL Instruction in Ontario Schools: A Literature Review"},"content":{"rendered":"

Graduate Entry<\/em><\/p>\n

Principal Support of FSL Instruction in Ontario Schools: A Literature Review<\/b><\/p>\n

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French as a second language (FSL) instruction is obligatory in Ontario English-language school boards and is offered in three streams: Core French (CF), Extended French, and French Immersion (Ontario Ministry of Education, 2020). However, this mandate is not always supported or prioritized by school leadership; therefore, FSL programs are often marginalized (Cloutier, 2018; Lapkin et al., 2009; Milley & Arnott, 2016). A lack of principal support reduces FSL teachers\u2019 desire to remain in the profession and limits students\u2019 learning and academic success in this subject area (Lapkin et al., 2009; Lin, 2012; Padron & Waxman, 2016). When FSL programs are marginalized, those teachers experience lower levels of self-efficacy, the personal beliefs about one\u2019s ability \u201cto organize and execute courses of action required to successfully accomplish a specific teaching task\u201d (Ma & Marion, 2019, p. 189). This negatively impacts their instructional practice choices directly affecting student learning (Viswanathan, 2019).  To improve student learning in FSL classrooms, school administrators must understand how to apply instructional leadership practices to advocate for and promote FSL programs within their school and community. <\/span><\/p>\n

Instructional leadership focuses on improving \u201cthe quality of teaching and learning, curriculum, [and] staff motivation and capacity development\u201d (Ma & Marion, 2019, p. 188). Limited research exists on the influence of this leadership approach on FSL instruction. However, inferences can be made from studies researching the impact of instructional leadership on general second language (L2) and English as a second language (ESL) programs, as well as studies examining the correlation between instructional leadership, teacher efficacy, and positive learning environments. This paper synthesizes research to answer the following question: How do educational leaders use instructional leadership to support FSL instruction in Ontario schools?<\/span><\/p>\n

Methods<\/b><\/p>\n

Procedure<\/b><\/p>\n

This literature review first identified scholarly research focused on instructional leadership for FSL programs through electronic databases available at the Trinity Western University (TWU) library. Databases included in this review were: Google Scholar, ERIC, Academic Search Ultimate, Education Full Text (H.W. Wilson), Teacher Reference Center, JSTOR, SAGE Journals, and TWU Library One Search. The following key subject words were used to search the databases with Boolean \u201cAND\u201d to combine the search terms: administration OR principal OR leader, FSL OR “French education” OR “second language” OR L2 OR \u201ccore French\u201d CF OR \u201cFrench immersion\u201d FI OR “French as a second language”, “Instructional Leadership” OR “academic support”. The search results ranged from 21 to 645 articles. While most articles were irrelevant, 23 articles were identified as relevant to this review.<\/span><\/p>\n

Inclusion and Exclusion Criteria<\/b><\/p>\n

        <\/b> The 23 articles identified were manually screened for relevance and attainability and were either kept or eliminated based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria. The reviewed articles were required to meet the following criteria: 1) be published between 2009 \u2013 2021 2) be peer-reviewed or a thesis, 3) be written in the English language, 4) focus on FSL or second language learning and the impact of instructional leadership on those teachers. Conversely, articles were eliminated based on the following exclusion criteria: 1) published earlier than 2009, 2) written in a non-English language, and 3) discussing bilingual or dual language education. Of the 23 articles identified, 10 articles met the inclusion criteria and were used in the review. <\/span><\/p>\n

Critical Analysis <\/b>        <\/span><\/p>\n

Each of the 10 articles were then critically appraised using one of Plano-Clark and Creswell\u2019s (2015) 21-point rating scales for different research methods. A rating of 0-10 indicated low quality, 11-16 indicated adequate quality, and 17-21 indicated high quality. Only articles of high or adequate quality were included in this review. <\/span><\/p>\n

Results<\/b><\/p>\n

To understand the instructional leadership practices of principals in Ontario schools, it is important to note the obstacles preventing school leaders from acting out those practices. As a result, the major themes found in the articles for this review were divided into two categories:<\/span><\/p>\n