Congratulations, Dr. Tamara Sorenson Duncan for receiving the Early Career Research Award. This award is designed to support the development of research programs by newer faculty members in FASS.
“The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and related school closures is only beginning to be understood, with concerns especially pertinent for students who are considered at-risk for academic difficulty. Those deemed ‘at-risk’ include: (a) students who have language or learning based disabilities, such as autism, developmental language disorder, or dyslexia; (b) those who speak a minority language at home and are learning English as a second or additional language; and (c) those who live in disadvantaged socio-economic situations. There is emerging evidence that, at least within English language of instruction programs, students’ language and literacy development declined compared to pre-pandemic and that achievement gaps may have increased for students who are considered at-risk. Although there are many important questions about how best to support students in “catching up”, of particular concern, for the current project, is the intersection between, on one hand, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and related school closures and, on the other hand, equitable access to and inclusion within French immersion programs. Accordingly, the main objective of the proposed research is to generate a detailed description of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and related school closures on students who are considered at-risk for academic difficulty, giving particular attention to the language and literacy development of students who are registered in FI programs. This information is necessary to inform teaching practice moving forward. It is also essential for contextualizing current and future research findings in relation to existing (pre-pandemic) literature.”