Acquis et défis de la mesure statistique des niveaux de littératie des immigrants de tierce langue maternelle

Authors

  • Jean-Pierre Corbeil Statistics Canada

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18192/olbiwp.v3i0.1092

Abstract

At a time when immigration has become the main source of growth of Canada’s labour force and when about 80% of recent immigrants have neither English nor French as mother tongue, one must take stock of the knowledge, risks, and challenges related to the measurement of the language competencies of these immigrants in large-scale adult literacy surveys conducted in Canada. In addition, immigrants view learning either official language of the country to be one of the main obstacles to their social and economic integration. The present article addresses the major elements which justify our need to integrate automated objective language tests into large-scale national surveys. One such approach aims at understanding the role played by the level of language competencies 
as a determinant factor in the performances of immigrants whose mother tongue is neither English nor French in major adult literacy surveys, and consequently, on their successful integration into the workforce.

Key words: statistical surveys, Statistics Canada, adult literacy, immigration, second language

ERRATUM
Please note that there was an error in Table 1, page 35, in the article by Jean-Pierre Corbeil, which appears after this erratum sheet. The correct table should be :


TAB. 1
Pourcentage des adultes détenant un diplôme ou grade universitaire selon qu’ils se situent au niveau 1 ou au niveau 4/5 sur l’échelle des textes suivis et selon leur statut d’immigrant, personnes de 16 ans ou plus

Niveau 1 Niveau 4/5
Immigrants établis (plus de 10 ans au pays) 14 - 21
Immigrants récents (10 ans ou moins au pays) 18 - 11
Personnes nées au pays 2 - 37

Published

2011-08-05