Exploring How Ontario School Administrators’ FSL Background Knowledge and Experience Influence Their Support of FSL Teachers

Abstract

This study adopted the theoretical lens of instructional leadership to investigate how Ontario school administrators support their FSL teachers, as well as the impact that school administrators’ FSL background knowledge and experience have on the support they provide. It also served as a platform for recommendations for school administrator training programs in Ontario. Participants from across Ontario completed an online questionnaire (N = 58), with a subsample (n = 12) completing a follow-up interview. Closed-ended questionnaire data were analyzed for frequency and convergence/divergence between FSL teaching background and French language levels; open-ended questionnaire and interview data were analyzed for emergent themes. Findings showed that participants reported being highly supportive of their FSL teachers, offering different types of both emotional and physical supports. These supports diverged slightly from what is recommended in the instructional leadership literature, suggesting that support may look different in the FSL context. As a result, an Instructional Leadership Taxonomy was developed with the FSL teacher in mind. Findings also revealed that support for FSL teachers varied according to whether participants had French language skills or experience teaching FSL. Finally, participants offered a variety of recommendations for school administrator training programs, with the majority seeking concrete examples of successful FSL practices to be used when providing feedback and guidance for their FSL teachers.