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Official Languages Research and Dissemination Program
A Strategic Joint Initiative of SSHRC and the Department
of Canadian Heritage
Research, Workshop, Conference and Virtual Scholar in Residence Grants
Context
Objectives
Description
Value and Duration
Eligibility
Evaluation and Adjudication
Administrative Regulations
More Information
The present program, and its suite of research support mechanisms, seeks
to contribute to a better understanding of issues related to the implementation
of the 1988 Official Languages Act and, in particular, to help
achieve the goals of Canadian Heritage’s Official Languages Support
Programs (OLSP).
The two main objectives of the Act are to:
- ensure respect for English and French as Canada’s official languages,
including equal status, rights and privileges for these languages in
federal institutions; and
- encourage the recognition and use of both English and French in Canadian
society, including support for the development of anglophone and francophone
minority communities.
To promote and further the aims of the Official Languages Act,
Canadian Heritage has implemented the Official Languages Support Programs
(OLSP), the broad objectives of which are to:
- enhance the vitality, and support and assist the development of anglophone
and francophone minority communities in Canada; and
- foster the full recognition and use of English and French in Canadian
society.
By supporting English and French linguistic minority communities, the
OLSP seeks to help:
- members of those communities gain better access to quality education,
and to programs and services from all levels of government, in their
own language and in their own community, as well as to live more fully
in their own language, to participate more readily in Canadian society
and to achieve long-term development;
- the various partners working to foster the growth and vitality of
these communities to work together to better coordinate and target their
efforts;
- these communities to achieve long-term sustainability; and
- Canada as a whole to achieve greater social cohesion.
By promoting the full recognition and use of English and French in Canadian
society, the OLSP seeks to ensure that:
- a greater proportion of Canadians achieve a working knowledge of
both official languages and a better appreciation of the benefits of
linguistic duality, and demonstrate greater acceptance and encouragement
of the rights of linguistic minorities;
- federal departments and agencies carry out their mandates with greater
awareness of their responsibilities with respect to linguistic duality
and the French language;
- the various partners working to foster linguistic duality and the
French language more effectively coordinate and target their efforts;
- Canada is recognized at home and abroad as an officially bilingual
country; and
- all Canadians recognize and support linguistic duality.
The overall objectives of the Official Languages Research and Dissemination
program are to:
- promote research in areas of critical importance to official language
policy and practice; and
- provide support to ensure that relevant research results are effectively
communicated and appropriately applied.
Areas and Topics for Official Languages Research
The program supports research and knowledge mobilization activities that
address the following four areas of research:
- minority-language education;
- second-language learning;
- governance and community development; and
- linguistic duality.
The following are examples of research questions in each area of research.
1. Minority-Language Education
- What, if any, role do minority-language schools play as socio-cultural
catalysts, within the community, for speakers of that language?
- What is the current state of research on minority-language education,
both in English-speaking communities in Québec and in French-speaking
communities in other parts of Canada? What research gaps need to be
addressed?
- What is the potential of, and what are some models for, distance
education in a minority-language context?
2. Second-Language Learning
- What measures are required to accelerate and improve students’
attainment of bilingualism?
- What measures are required to improve the training of second-language
teachers so that the effectiveness of second-language training will
also improve?
- What is the current state of research in second-language education,
both in English-speaking communities in Québec and in French-speaking
communities in other parts of Canada?
- What is the potential of, and what are some models for, distance
education in an English as a Second Language or French as a Second Language
context?
3. Governance and Community Development
- What are the issues surrounding ethnic and cultural diversity as they
relate to official-language minority communities? What approaches can
effectively address these issues?
- What are the key features of dynamic official-language minority communities?
What strategies and programs are most likely to effectively support
the development of such communities?
- What is the current state of research on English-speaking communities
in Québec and French-speaking communities in other parts of Canada?
- Can the Internet play a role in the development of official-language
minority communities? If so, how?
- What role do institutions, non-governmental and community-based organizations,
and networks of or collaborations among such institutions and organizations
play in maintaining or developing the vitality of official language
minority communities?
4. Linguistic Duality
- In what ways does Canadian society presently support the principles
enshrined in the Official Languages Act and the policies, programs and
practices derived from or inspired by it? In what ways does it not?
- What policies and tools must be developed in order to increase Canadians’
awareness and appreciation of the benefits of linguistic duality?
The program offers a variety of support mechanisms in order to enable
researchers to develop a program of research around one or more of the
issues listed above and to communicate their findings to the users of
research such as educators, government policy makers, community representatives
and fellow researchers.
The four funding mechanisms are as follows:
Research Grants tenable for two years, allow researchers
to undertake research on the issues listed above and, where feasible,
to include stakeholders within the parameters of that research.
Workshop Grants, for workshops of two to five days’
duration, help defray the cost of bringing together small groups of official
languages stakeholders to learn about, elaborate and discuss new research
knowledge, in particular:
- development and implementation of second language learning;
- scope and quality of minority-language education;
- sustainable development of official language minority communities;
and
- evaluation of the benefits of linguistic duality.
Conference Grants help fund meetings at which researchers
can present their findings to much larger groups of official languages
stakeholders.
Virtual Scholar in Residence Grants fund a maximum
of two researchers to work with the Official Languages Support Programs
Branch (OLSPB) of Canadian Heritage to advance research on minority community
issues, second-language learning and the promotion of linguistic duality
to all Canadians. Responsibilities may include:
- preparing one or more papers based on original research;
- drafting official languages discussion papers or reports;
- attending roundtables or study panels organized by the OLSPB;
- participating in OLSPB meetings;
- participating in and/or organizing conferences, seminars or workshops.
At the beginning of the period of research, each Virtual Scholar in Residence
will negotiate his or her specific tasks with the OLSPB. While the Scholars
will work mostly at their present locations, they will also have to travel
to Ottawa and other locations as required to meet with OLSPB staff and
to participate in OLSPB activities.
Research grants are worth up to $50,000 annually for up to two years.
Workshop and Conference grants are worth up to $50,000 for one year. Each
Virtual Scholar in Residence receives a stipend of up to $50,000 to cover
up to an eight-month period of intensive research with the OLSPB. The
research stipend is paid to the university to help fund a replacement
for the professor who is working with the OLSPB. In addition, subject
to negotiation, the OLSPB provides up to $10,000 for research expenses.
The Scholar works with the OLSPB on a full-time basis throughout the eight-month
period.
SSHRC and Canadian Heritage invite applications from researchers affiliated
with Canadian postsecondary institutions or organizations/institutions
affiliated with universities. Non-university-based researchers and practitioners
may only participate as research collaborators.
Research Grants
The adjudication committee will apply the following evaluation criteria:
- degree and quality of innovation of the proposed research;
- quality of the theoretical and methodological aspects of the project;
- applicant’s qualifications for carrying out the proposed research;
- feasibility of the proposed research activities to meet the program’s
objectives;
- appropriateness of the budget requested; and,
- demonstrated relevance of the applicant’s proposed research
to the research agenda or priorities of stakeholder organizations and
policy makers, or demonstrated partnership with a number of community
organizations or other stakeholders.
Workshop and Conference Grants
The adjudication committee will apply the following evaluation criteria:
- the extent to which the proposed workshop or conference will add to
what has already been done in the field;
- fit between the proposed workshop or conference and the program’s
objectives;
- competence and expertise, as applicable, of proposed resource personnel
such as speakers and discussion leaders;
- quality of the program proposed for the workshop or conference;
- extent of participation of researchers and stakeholders;
- appropriateness of the budget requested;
- demonstrated partnership with a number of community organizations
or other stakeholders;
- potential of the workshop or conference to achieve wide and effective
transfer of knowledge.
Virtual Scholar in Residence Grants
The adjudication committee will apply the following evaluation criteria:
- understanding of the Virtual Scholar in Residence program;
- overall qualifications and relevant official languages research experience;
- demonstrated analytical and writing skills;
- knowledge of the role of the Official Languages Support Programs
Branch, its research agenda and strategy.
All applicants and grant holders must comply with the Regulations
Governing Grant Applications and with the regulations set out in the
Grant Holder's Guide.
For further information about the program, please contact:
Garry Pinard
Senior Program Officer
Strategic Programs and Joint Initiatives Division
SSHRC
350 Albert Street
P.O. Box 1610
Ottawa, ON K1P 6G4
Tel.: (613) 992-5129
Fax: (613) 947-0223
E-mail: garry.pinard@sshrc.ca
Updated:
12/3/2004 10:58:50 AM
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