BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES
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STUDY BACKGROUND
In 2004–2005, a number of Saskatchewan-based community groups formed the Comité de valorisation et de marketing with a mandate to develop a province-wide approach to educate their members about the value of French language and culture in the province. This initiative garnered the support of Anglophone organizations, such as the Saskatchewan chapter of Canadian Parents for French, and government partners, who recognized that this need goes beyond the Francophone community and represents an opportunity for the province as a whole. The coming together of these stakeholders resulted in the creation of a coalition to work on changing perceptions toward the Francophone community and its language in Saskatchewan. Together, they built a comprehensive communications strategy to address the issue.
As an Officer of Parliament, the Commissioner of Official Languages plays several roles in implementing the Official Languages Act, by protecting the language rights of Canadians, and promoting linguistic duality and bilingualism in Canada. Since its inception in 1970, the Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages (OCOL) is mandated to take all necessary measures to achieve the three main objectives of the Official Languages Act, namely:
- Ensure respect for English and French as the official languages of Canada and ensure equality of status and equal rights and privileges as to their use in all federal institutions;
- Set out the powers, duties and functions of federal institutions with respect to the official languages of Canada; and
- Support the development of English and French linguistic minority communities and generally advance the equality of status and use of the English and French languages within Canadian society.
In fulfilling its mission, OCOL conducts audits, studies, research and analyses to improve its understanding of the evolving status and use of English and French in Canada. This research project responds directly to these main objectives by assessing the state of French in Saskatchewan, identifying means of measuring progress and seeking innovative ways to promote the language in the province.
This project consists of three phases, as follows:
- Phase I: A review of prior research on the subject, followed by stakeholder interviews to gain a broad understanding of the research topic and uncover gaps in current information. The research review report was presented to stakeholders for discussion and feedback.
- Phase II: Qualitative research with Saskatchewan residents, including focus groups, to explore the gaps and further understanding of the factors affecting French language and culture in Saskatchewan.
- Phase III: Final report synthesizing the findings of previous phases and providing concrete benchmarks for monitoring and further research.
RESEARCH PROBLEM
The goal of this project is to provide a detailed snapshot of the perceptions Saskatchewan residents have of French language and culture. This portrait will serve as a benchmark to measure and track progress during the next five-year period. It will also be used to further understand the motives of Canadians in learning or embracing a second language.
The primary question that needs to be addressed is the following: What influences or drives public opinion of and interest in French culture and learning French in Saskatchewan?
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
Phase I – Research Review Methodology
Phase I of the development of a Situational Analysis and Benchmark Study includes
- stakeholder interviews
- a research review
Stakeholder Interview Methodology
Working closely with representatives of the Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages, NRG Research Group designed a questionnaire to interview the stakeholders listed below. Interviews were then conducted in both English and French between November 21 and 30, 2005.
| Rose-Marie Bouvier President Canadian Parents for French Saskatchewan | Mary Reeves Vice-President Canadian Parents for French – National |
| Florent Bilodeau Director Office of French Language Coordination Saskatchewan | René Archambault Director General French Education and Language Branch Department of Learning Saskatchewan |
| Joanne Perreault Directrice du renforcement communautaire Assemblée communautaire fransaskoise | Daniel Fletcher President Canadian Association of Immersion Teachers |
| Denis Ferré Directeur de l’éducation Division scolaire francophone Saskatchewan | Michael O'Keefe Analyst Privy Council Office, Official Languages |
Research Review Methodology
NRG Research Group worked with the Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages, to draw up an exhaustive list of research on the issue. Over 40 research reports, books and journals were then reviewed. (Please refer to the bibliography for the full list.)
The research review challenge was to extract, analyze and organize the data to provide answers to the research problem and identify research gaps, where applicable, for further research. Ajit Batra, with NRG Research Group, conducted the research review and the stakeholder interviews.
Phase II – Qualitative Research Methodology
Participants for the focus groups were recruited by NRG Research Group at random from the Saskatchewan general population. A screening questionnaire was used to recruit of participants. The primary criteria for recruitment were:
- parents with school-age or pre-school-age children
- parents with children not attending French Immersion
- parents not fluent in French
In addition to the above criteria, the participants in each interview location were broadly divided, based on their attitudes toward learning or their children learning a second language. Their agreement or disagreement with the statements provided below determined whether they were generally “open” or “closed” to learning or their children learning a second language:
- Living in a country with two official languages is one of the things that really define us as Canadians.
- I wish I could speak French.
- In Canada, knowing a second language increases one’s chances of being successful.
Six focus groups were conducted at three locations across Saskatchewan: Regina, Saskatoon and Swift Current.
| Location | Open | Closed |
|---|---|---|
| Regina, February 7 | X | X |
| Saskatoon, February 8 | X | X |
| Swift Current, February 9 | X | X |
A total of 49 individuals participated in the study. Overall, the sessions were attended by a demographically representative cross-section of Saskatchewan society. Andrew Enns, with NRG Research Group, moderated these focus group sessions.
Phase III – Synthesizing Findings and Benchmarking Methodology
Phase III consisted of assimilating the findings into a final report, synthesizing the findings of the research review and qualitative phases, in addition to providing a situational analysis addressing the research challenge. Phase III produced the following:
- A series of performance indicators, with emphasis on developing accessible means of measuring future change over a five-year period (i.e. readily available data sources);
- A detailed situational analysis of the attitudes of targeted audiences, with a special focus on that factors that influence public opinion and behaviour.
- A series of suggested courses of action with regard to proposed strategies to promote and market French language and culture in Saskatchewan.
