Brine, J. and Shapson, S. (1989). Case study of a teacher retraining program for French immersion. The Canadian Modern Language Review 45, 464-477.

The growth of French immersion in British Columbia necessitated the hiring of teachers from outside the district or the province in which they were to work. This practice was frequently perceived as threatening to teachers in the English program as taking resources from other areas and causing layoffs. A teacher retraining program was initiated by Simon Fraser University to prepare French immersion teachers to help ease political friction and provide more hiring options. This article describes a case study, formative evaluation of the first year of the retraining program based on 12 participants. The retraining program was designed to provide an immersion setting in which participants studied and used the language in practical, functional situations and to provide courses and practice for learning methods specific to French immersion teaching. The study found that confidence levels of the participants relating to linguistic skills, financial demands, family, employment, and completing the required practicum increased from beginning to end of the program. Participants attributed the change in confidence to opportunities to study and practice both communication and teaching skills. Participants rated the program as very successful and responsive to their needs. The fact that the program was designed according to research on effective in-service education combined with an understanding of French immersion was credited for the program's success.