Counter-Stories of Immigrant Students after a Stay in the Welcoming Class in Montreal

In Montreal, a city located in the francophone province of Canada, students in primary and secondary school who are considered as not being able to speak French well enough to be sent directly to the mainstream class, must spend a stay in the welcoming class. School actors decide in placement meetings if and for how long each student needs to be in the welcoming class. This qualitative study included semi-structured interviews with secondary school immigrant students after a stay in the welcoming class in Montreal to collect their counter-stories, as minorities, since they tend to be ignored, contrary to the dominant narratives of majority groups. The official discourse from the government and school actors informs that the program of linguistic, school, and social integration exists to meet the “need” of students with regard to their integration (to learn the host language, the school system, and the society values). In addition, the stay in the welcoming class is described as a transition to the mainstream class. However, according to the study, neither the students nor their parents are well informed about the functioning of the host school system and, consequently, they tend not to question placement decisions (before and after the stay in the welcoming class). The students also mentioned the existence of a system of rewards and punishments in class. In addition, the students’ stories highlight the impact of “prerequisites for success” (e.g., autonomy, learning strategies, etc.) on their placements before and after the stay in the welcoming class, since some are sent to adult education or special education instead of mainstream class. The analysis indicates that the welcoming class is a space for “disciplinarization” and students need to answer the school’s requirements to succeed.