Speaking an Aboriginal language and school outcomes for Canadian First Nations children living off reserve

ABSTRACT

The importance of learning an Aboriginal language has been documented, yet associations with positive educational outcomes are inconclusive. Previous research in the area has been limited by small sample studies, lack of comparison groups, and the omission of the consideration of socio-demographic factors and cultural activity participation. This study uses the Canadian population-based Aboriginal Peoples Survey 2006 to examine the relationship between speaking an Aboriginal language, learning it in school, and educational outcomes for First Nations children living off reserve. Compared to children who did not speak an Aboriginal language, children who spoke an Aboriginal language and had school teachers help them learn the language at school were more likely to be rated as doing very well at school and had higher parent ratings of the importance of a post-secondary education, with no difference in the likelihood of being the appropriate age for grade, even after controlling for socio-demographic factors and participation in other cultural activities. These results suggest that learning an Aboriginal language in school is associated with positive outcomes for children who speak an Aboriginal language. Future research on this topic is needed including longitudinal studies and inclusion of direct measures of educational outcomes.

KEYWORDS:

• Population study
• Aboriginal Peoples Survey
• education
• culture

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes on contributors

Anne Guèvremont, MEd is a Senior Research Analyst with the Health Analysis Division at Statistics Canada. She has expertise in educational policy, statistics, and working with large survey and administrative data.

Dafna Kohen, PhD is a Principal Analyst in the Health Analysis Division at Statistics Canada and adjunct professor at the Department of Epidemiology and Community Medicine at the University of Ottawa. Trained as a developmental psychologist she has degrees from McGill University, McMaster University, and Columbia University. Areas of research expertise include the use of secondary data to examine policy relevant research in the area of healthy child development and examinations of social determinants of health for vulnerable populations.

Additional information

Funding

This paper was funded by the Strategic Research Directorate at Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada (INAC).