A trajectory full of obstacles for francophone researchers working in the minority context in Canada
MONTREAL, June 7, 2021 /CNW Telbec/ - Lack of support and recognition, administrative and teaching tasks a greater burden, difficulty organizing academic events in French. Conducting research in French in Canada in minority communities is a real obstacle course according to the results of the study Portrait and challenges of research in French in the minority context in Canada published today by Acfas.
In addition to obstacles specific to francophone researchers working in minority communities, the study sheds light on problems common to all Canadian French-speaking researchers: the pressure to publish in English, the more and more frequent use of English for funding applications and a disadvantage, in certain cases, when these applications are presented in French. The study is accompanied by 9 recommendations that aim to ensure the vitality of research in French in Canada.
Realized jointly with the Canadian Institute for Research on Linguistic Minorities (CIRLM) of the Université de Moncton and the Canada Research Chair on the Transformations of Scholarly Communication (CRCTSC) at the Université de Montréal, in collaboration with Acfas, the study represents the culmination of two years of work.
"We now have new data on this little known reality. The actors in the research community now have a clear road map for better supporting these researchers," notes Éric Forgues, researcher in charge of the study and Director of the CIRLM.
"Our results show that the state of research in French is more fragile in francophone minority communities than in majority communities, but some of our findings affect both communities. In this context, putting in place national incentives is of fundamental importance for ensuring the accessibility of knowledge in French for the citizens of Canada," observed Vincent Larivière, co-author of the study, holder of the CRCTSC and professor at the Université de Montréal.
"Researchers from francophone minority communities face major obstacles," Jean-Pierre Perreault, president of Acfas, points out. "These challenges are even greater at the moment, as universities and campuses of the Canadian francophonie are fighting for their survival. It is urgent that our governments and our universities act so that researchers can do their work in the official language of their choice. Acfas plans to make this matter a high priority over the next year."
"In financing this study, our government enabled the collection of precise and rigorous data on the research done in French in Canada and on the reality of French-speaking researchers who work in official language minority communities. We now have a clear overview that allows us to closely follow the situation and to guide our actions to better support the people that work in this environment," declared Mélanie Joly, Minister of Economic Development and Official Languages of Canada.
What researchers say
A survey was conducted from May to October 2020 of 515 French-speaking researchers working in minority communities in Canada. The questions were about their research and teaching practices before the pandemic. From this consultation, the following findings have emerged:
- An important proportion of researchers from francophone minority communities evolve in small universities or campuses of modest size. The teaching load is often heavier, and access to teaching assistants and to services for preparing funding applications is more difficult, which reduces the time available for carrying out research.
- There are few graduate programs in French in the minority context, which limits access to research assistants who are proficient in French. More than half of respondents (55%) say that it is very or rather difficult to have access to a research assistant at the graduate level who masters French. This percentage stands at 72% in the West, 55% in the Atlantic and 44% in Ontario.
- Conducting research in French proves to be a real challenge in the francophone minority context, despite the significant contribution of this research to the understanding and vitality of this community. All the more because the researchers working in this context indicate that publications in French are less valued and have less of an impact on the advancement of their career.
Publish in English or perish
With the help of different tools, the authors of the study also looked into the language of dissemination of scientific articles as well as the language used for funding applications throughout Canada. In this area, francophone researchers in the majority context are affected just as much as those in the minority context.
Not surprisingly, publications in the natural and health sciences are almost exclusively in English. As for the social sciences and humanities, English is gaining more and more terrain. For example, the percentage of articles in French has halved between the 1980s and 2010s at the University of Ottawa.
English's force of attraction is also seen in academic journals. Around 90% of new journals that have seen the day in Canada since 2005 are English-language, which leaves very little space for bilingual journals and even less for French-language journals.
Applications for funding: French is tumbling here as well
Applications for funding follow the same trend, and this situation also affects francophone researchers in the majority context just as much as in the minority context. Only 5% to 10% of applications to the funding organizations in the natural sciences and the health sciences are written in French. In the social sciences, arts and humanities, the percentage of applications in French has gone from 25% in 1990 to less than 15 % today.
In addition, French-speaking researchers who present applications in French to the Canadian Institutes of Health Research are disadvantaged. These applications have a 30% success rate compared to 37% for those that are submitted in English.
Recommendations
As a result of the analyses performed, 9 recommendations are put forward to better respond to the needs of and the challenges faced by French-speaking researchers working in minority communities and to further valorize the francophone scientific production in the country. In an environment where English widely dominates, the implementation of these recommendations and of the measures proposed is essential for maintaining scientific production in French and to make it accessible to the French-speaking population in the country. Certain measures aim to help researchers while others aim to support the universities and the systems for academic publishing.
The main recommendation calls for the creation of a service to assist research in French (SARF), that would notably have the role of offering services to support and to valorize scientific and academic production in French.
Financial Partners
Acfas is pleased to have launched and believed in this study, made possible thanks to the financial support of Canadian Heritage, the Secrétariat du Québec aux relations canadiennes, Universities Canada, the Agence universitaire de la francophonie (AUF), the Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences, the Canadian Commission for UNESCO and the Association des collèges et universités de la francophonie canadienne (ACUFC).
About Acfas
Acfas, which celebrates its 100th anniversary from May 2022 to June 2023, promotes knowledge as a catalyst for the development of our societies by bringing together the actors of the francophone research community. Resolutely turned toward the future, Acfas serves as a powerful vector of scientific democratization and communication. Acfas promotes researchers of all disciplines, as well as excellence in research.
About the Canadian Institute for Research on Linguistic Minorities
The mission of the Canadian Institute for Research on Linguistic Minorities (CIRLM) is to promote a greater knowledge of the status of Canada's official language minorities and a better understanding of the priority issues that concern them. To this end, it is committed to carrying out, in cooperation with its partners, relevant research work that can support the various stakeholders of official language minorities and the public policy makers in language matters.
About the Canada Research Chair on the Transformations of Scholarly Communication
The objective of the Canada Research Chair on the Transformations of Scholarly Communication (CRCTSC) is to improve understanding of how knowledge is currently distributed by analyzing the characteristics of papers written by academic researchers. More specifically, the Chair is investigating how new types of knowledge production are being used, how new sources of data are shared and changes in academics' working practices.
Note : Journalists can ask the researchers questions during the panel unveiling the results of the study, that will take place Monday, June 7 at 11 a.m as part of Acfas' Vitrine des savoirs. To register, please contact Marie-Josée Gauvin at [email protected] or at 514 247-0088.
SOURCE Acfas
Marie-Josée Gauvin, MJG Relations Publiques, [email protected], 514 247-0088
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