Past Projects - EAL Literacy
New Canadians come from all over the world and from a wide variety of educational and linguistic backgrounds. In Ontario, almost 2.7 million people speak a first language other than English or French. In addition to the many difficulties they face in establishing themselves in a new country, a proportion of the new immigrants have literacy challenges in their first language, which can compound those difficulties. Barriers to accessing housing, employment, healthcare and adjusting to the new culture are further amplified by literacy issues and can continue even when the newcomers become settled.
The OLC’s First Language/ESL Literacy in Ontario Project explored the literacy issues faced by new and settled immigrants in Ontario, whose first language was not English or French and who had literacy challenges in their first language. The goal was to identify the literacy and language development needs of this group and to determine how to best meet those needs so that they can participate fully and confidently in the community.
The project involved practitioners from the ESL, settlement and literacy communities, in addition to first language/ESL literacy students. Through research, the project developed an overall picture of existing needs and existing services across the province. It identified gaps in services and put forward recommendations for an improved, sustainable program and policy framework for Ontario.
The findings of the research were made available in different formats. There were a number of reports including the main Research Report, a Best Practices Report and Practitioner Training Needs Report. There was also a set of fact sheets with summary information and a series of e-bulletins to keep members aware of the progress of the project over the two years. A special symposium and workshop presentation provided opportunities to promote and discuss the research, to help build relationships and to generate commitment to the issue of first language/EAL literacy.
