Differences in Language Proficiency and Learning Strategies Among Immigrant Women to Canada

ABSTRACT

Immigrant women to Canada face unique challenges in gaining mastery of English or French, the country’s two official languages. The study focuses on differences among women with respect to pre-migration and post-migration characteristics that position them differently with respect to language learning in the social contexts where they assert their immigrant identity. This study examines issues in language acquisition among adult immigrant women and their strategies to improve language skills within four years of arrival, using nationally representative data from the Longitudinal Survey of Immigrants to Canada (LSIC). The study shows that older women, less educated women, and some immigration class groups (i.e., spouse/dependents, family class, refugees) have lower language proficiency at arrival and less chances to improve. Since immigrant women represent a heterogeneous group in terms of pre-migration language skills and access to language learning, adequate language learning support is required to facilitate their effective integration in the Canadian society.

KEYWORDS:

• Immigrant women
• language skills
• learning strategies

Notes

^1. Since the advent of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA) in 2002, the proportion of women admitted as Federal Skilled Workers has increased. Also, Federal Skilled Workers selected are more highly educated and have a better knowledge of official languages than prior to IRPA (Citizenship and Immigration Canada, 2011).

^2. Longitudinal survey weights are adjusted at each wave to account for non-response attrition; missing data were imputed longitudinally using nearest-neighbour donor techniques that do not affect the distribution of the data (Statistics Canada, 2007a).

^3. We eliminate immigrants who lived in Canada prior to immigration (e.g., work visa, student visa, visiting) who may have familiarity with Canada’s official languages and culture.

^4. Counts are rounded to the nearest tens. Means are rounded to the nearest tenth. When unweighted counts were less than ten, results are not reported and are masked (Msk) in the tables. Rescaled weights were computed from the longitudinal survey weights and were used in estimating correct population proportions while reporting sample counts.

^1. The self-reported scale is affected by a ceiling effect because those of whom English (or French) was their first language or the language they spoke most often at home were assigned the maximum value “4” and did not answer the question on self-assessed skills. Less than 10% of the sample stated in Wave 1 that English (or French) was their mother tongue. Answers varied over time regarding the language most spoken at home.