France

France is a sovereign nation located in Western Europe. Its capitol city, Paris, is one of the world's most popular tourist destinations. The offical language of France is French.

Learn more about France

Immigration to the United States

Academics are increasingly leaving France for the United States, according to a November 2010 report by the Institut Montaigne, an independent study group, as reported in the New York Times, November 21, 2010. Of the 2,745 French citizens who obtained a doctorate in the United States between 1985 to 2008, 70% remained in the US. Between 1971 and 1980 French academics represented 8% of emigrants to the US; between 1996 and 2006 French academics represented 27% of the emigrants to the US. While the number of French scientists who leave France for the US remains limited, the exodus of the most talented scientists is a concern to the country.

Due to the strong influence of French colonization from the 17th century to the late 1960s throughout Europe, the Americas, Africa, Asia, Middle East, and Oceania, it is possible that French culture affects greater than 3% of the student population within Portland School District 1J.

Languages represented in Portland Public Schools during school year 2010-2011, from countries with French cultural influence: Vietnamese 2.4%, Hmong 2%, Lao 1%, Cambodian 1%, French 1%, Thai 1%, and Creole, Mien, Khmer, Indian with less than 1% each.

Religion

There is no official religion in France. In fact, several laws have been passed that promote a principle called laïcité, which reflects the government’s focus on secularization. For example, religious symbols such as Muslim head scarves were banned in state schools in 2004 and face-concealing garments were banned in public places in 2010. Religious practice is uncommon is France, except with a small portion of the middle class.. Roughly 44% of the population reports no belief in God Although few people might be considered devout, roughly 85% of the population identifies as Roman Catholic, 2% as Protestant, and 1% as Jewish. In addition, 10% of the population identifies as Muslim, making it one of the highest Muslim populations in Europe.

Government

The government is a republic rooted in democracy, with a president serving as the head of state and a prime minister serving as head of government. Independent of race, gender, sexual orientation, wealth, or social status, suffrage occurs universally at age 18. For detailed information on the French governmental system, see the Encyclopedia Britannica website or for a summary see the U.S. Department of State website.

Culture

Traditionally, French culture has been inspired by a rich mixture of past historical civilizations, including Celtic, Greco-Roman, and Germanic influences. Modern French culture seems to embody a kind of “culture of enlightenment” that emphasizes the pursuit of education and leisure.

Customs

The French population devotes much of its leisure time toward cultural activities, including visits to the country’s numerous historic monuments, art galleries, and museums. France is known for its famous cuisine, devotion to creative fashion pursuits, dedication to the fine arts, and support of a national cultural identity through the celebration of Roman Catholic holy days and holidays commemorating French war victories, including World War II Victory Day and Bastille Day.

Perceptions of Healthcare

France utilizes a universal healthcare model that features a mix of public and private services. The entire working population of the country (excluding students up to age 21) pays compulsory health insurance, of which a portion, usually between 70- 80%, is reimbursed; people with serious and chronic illnesses are reimbursed 100% of their expenses. In 2000, the World Health Organization (WHO) dubbed the French healthcare system as the best performing system in the world in terms of availability and organization of providers. The French public reportedly supports this system; they do not agree with the label from other European nations that theirs is a model of “socialized” medicine, as there are both public and private services available. Patients have a right to choose their services and physicians, and there are no waiting lists for elective surgery or to see a specialist.

Family Dynamics

Since the end of World War II, the French family unit has undergone a transformation, evolving from traditional extended families to nuclear families. Since the middle of the 20th century, the marriage rate has decreased while the divorce rate has increased.43) The country has also seen a rise in the amount of single-parent families, unmarried couples, and childless couples. Same-sex marriage is not legally recognized in France, though civil unions between same-sex and opposite-sex couples are acknowledged.

Values & Beliefs

Individualism/Collectivism

Individualism/collectivism is the extent to which the members of a culture value personal or individual goals and rights versus the identification with or loyalty to a group affiliation. France has historically espoused the idea of a national unity; however, the present regime (the 5th Republic) has influenced the beginnings of a rise in individualism, representing a marked shift from traditional French culture. Evidence of this shift in perspective can be seen in the deliberate return to preserving regional dialects, which were repressed during the 3rd Republic in the interest of promoting a national unity. There is also evidence of growth in other private initiatives, such as the decentralization of certain government functions. Also, regional differences in ideas of culture have influenced individualism, as evidenced by the claim of many Parisians that France can be divided into two parts: “Paris et le desert” (Paris and the desert), a reference that Paris is superior to all other parts of France. In spite of these regional squabbles, overall, the French take great pride in their national identity.

Uncertainty Avoidance

Uncertainty avoidance refers to a culture’s tolerance of unstructured, unclear, or unpredictable situations. France demonstrates high uncertainty avoidance, evidenced by the government's resistance against the trend of greater individualism that is beginning to overtake traditional French culture. Also, though the country is becoming increasingly more multicultural, there is evidence of opposition to immigration and an increase in racial prejudice toward immigrants in France’s recent history, as traditional views of French culture have previously favored “Metropolitan France.” Low tolerance for ambiguity is also evident in French business practices, where strict laws and regulations are commonplace; risks and change from tradition are generally avoided.

Power Distance

Power distance refers to the acceptance of inequality in power by members of a culture. France is characterized as having a high power distance index, which is most evident in the perceived acceptance of wage differentials throughout the working population. In general, women earn less than men.58) The discrepancies between the earnings of manual workers and managers, though presently decreasing, remain large.

Masculinity/Femininity

Masculinity/femininity refers to how a culture emphasizes traits related to gender roles and how such aspects influence what is perceived as career success. France is characterized as embracing feminine values; distribution of roles between genders is fairly equitable in French society, with nearly half of all jobs held by women.

Long-Term vs. Short-Term Orientation

Long- vs. short-term orientation refers to how cultures favor time orientation. Cultures that favor a long-term orientation promote actions and beliefs that favor the future, emphasizing long-range goals, loyalty, and persistence; short-term orientation cultures favor the past and present, opting for immediate stability and short-term goals. France observes a short-term orientation, in that it is considered very important to maintain personal stability and individual happiness.

Education

France's education system is ranked 25th best in the world. There is a long history of public, mandatory, free, secular education in France. While private schools exist, public schools are the norm. Schooling is mandatory between the ages of 6 and 16.75)For primary and secondary school, there is a mandatory curriculum set at the national level.

Structure of Education System

The French education system is divided into three sections: primary education, secondary education, and higher education.

Primary Education

Primary education includes kindergarten (maternelle) and 5 grades of elementary school (école élémentaire). Subject matter in the primary years is very similar to that of the U.S., including: language, history, geography, social studies, math, science, art or music and physical education.

Secondary Education

Secondary Education includes 4 years of middle school (Collège) and 3 years of high school (Lycée). Notice that the name for middle school in France is “college.” At the end of high school, students take a rigorous comprehensive examination (Le Bac), similar to the U.S. AP exam, which serves as the equivalent of a high school diploma and allows for entrance into institutions of higher education. Unlike the U.S., in France the grades count down to graduation from high school instead of up. For example, students enter middle school in 6th grade, then move on to 5th grade, and so on until they reach 1st grade the year before they complete high school.

Higher Education

The higher education system in France is a unique dual system, including both public universities and what are called grandes écoles. French higher education institutions are much smaller, and often more specialized than those in the U.S. Unlike higher education institutions in the U.S., research is seldom done by university faculty. There is no selection process to get into public universities in France; anyone who has passed the Bac exam is admitted. Grandes écoles are very competitive and prestigious, and are often focused on only one specific subject area, more like a technical school. Currently, there are 91 public universities and 175 professional schools in France.

Cost

Primary education (beginning at age 2) and secondary education are completely free in France.The state also funds higher education, making costs negligible for students.

Literacy

Literacy rates are very high in France. Currently, 99% of individuals age 15 and up in France can read and write. Reading instruction begins at age 5, in kindergarten (maternelle). Writing instruction begins at age 6, in the first year of primary school (école élémentaire).

Graduation Rates

Roughly 80% of students complete secondary school in France.

French View of Education

Value of Education

• Education is of great importance in France.

  • Although it is not mandatory, almost all children begin schooling at the age of 2-3 years old.

  • Children in France spend more hours a day and more days of the year in school than do children in other European countries.

• The largest employer in all of France is the Ministry of Education.

• It has been suggested “The French don't regard childhood as an age of innocence but see it as an age of ignorance. Children must be set straight and corrected.” - Nadeau, 2003

• The grading system is challenging and may be used as punishment, rather than as just being a component of the learning process.

• Math is viewed as the most important subject.

• The Bac examination is considered an important right of passage, including both oral and written sections which altogether can last up to 6 days.

• It is not uncommon to have to repeat a grade due to subpar performance.

Special Needs in Schools

In France, there is an emphasis on equality. For this reason, you may not separate students with different needs (e.g., learning disabilities, language learners, exceptionally smart students) into separate, self-contained classes. In fact, there is not even a French term for “children with special needs.”

Parent-Teacher Relationship

In general, Parents are not encouraged to collaborate with teachers in the French school system and are not welcome in schools.

Implications for the SLP

Important to Portland Public School educators is the possibility of an influx of families (e.g. from Tunisia, Lybia, Egypt, etc.) from areas experiencing civil unrest around the globe. While these individuals might not use French as a language in their home, these families may have French culture embedded in their values and mores.

When working with French-speaking students, it is also important to consider the similarities and differences between French and English. The following information is pulled directly from Language Differences - French vs. English, a resource for educators when working with English language learners.

Both English and French have a similar linguistic typology, but different foundations - French is derived from Latin, while English is derived from the Germanic languages, though many words carry a heavy Latin influence. For a French student learning English, differences in word roots may lead to challenges distinguishing between false friends, which are words that look or sound similar but differ in meaning (e.g. sensible/sensitive, isolation/insulation).

Differences in the French and English sound systems may lead to problems with correspondence between the pronunciation of English words and their spelling; for example, a French student learning English may have trouble articulating vowel sounds in minimal pairs (e.g. ship/sheep). French and English also utilize different stress patterns, which may interfere with speech naturalness.

Although the verb conjugations in French and English have external similarities, special cases can occur when French uses a different tense to express a meaning in English, leading to verb tensing errors – some common examples include:

• I have played football yesterday.

• I live in Portland since last year.

Also, French does not use the auxiliary verb do, which may lead to inversion of subject and verb when asking questions:

• She is sick?

• How often see you her?

French use of articles, pronouns, and adjectives may interfere with English productions as usage is based on gender and noun agreement, and English does not use gender as a means of inflection. Some examples include:

• He is doctor.

• I met John and her wife for dinner.

• The French is easier than the English.

Such differences need to be carefully considered in assessment and treatment of French-speaking children.

It is also important to note cultural differences that may be encountered when working with families from France. For example, families might not be accustomed to being included in educational decision-making for their children. Also, they might not be familiar with the model of pulling children out of class to receive specialized services and may even view this as promoting inequality rather than as an opportunity to provide their child specialized supports to succeed. In fact, they may not be familiar with special education departments at all, let alone speech-language pathology services. Similar to the American system, families might be most interested in least-restrictive environment and inclusion placement for their children.

Original Contributors: A. Anderson, D. Grey, & L. Rytel, 2011