Abstract
In France, over 89,500 newly arrived allophone students were enrolled in schools in 2022-2023, with 60% placed in specialised language support units (UPE2A*). Despite near-immediate school enrolment, language barriers often represent a significant obstacle to the integration of allophone children. They can prevent their socialisation with peers, lead to learning difficulties at school, and reduce parental involvement in children’s education. Additionally, only 8% of teachers feel prepared to teach in multicultural settings. To address these challenges, we conducted a pilot study to assess the feasibility of using digital tools to support allophone students' learning. Although no application specifically designed for allophone students currently exists, we leveraged LearnEnjoy's "School" application due to its personalised learning features and ability to adapt content to students' levels.
This pilot thus evaluated the feasibility of an RCT that aims at studying the impact of a technological intervention on (i) first-generation immigrant children’s development, learning, and integration; (ii) parental involvement in education and social inclusion; and (iii) teaching practices in a multicultural context. This pilot study also aimed at getting precise feedback on the application from teachers and parents so that we could adapt its contents and design, and develop a specific application for allophone pupils that could be deployed as part of a large-scale evaluation.
The pilot study was conducted between April 2023 and July 2024 across four French académies (Strasbourg, Lille, Créteil, Paris). It involved 19 UPE2A teachers (for 400 students) who were randomly assigned to three groups: a control group, a group receiving 5 digital tablets and teacher training, and a group receiving 5 digital tablets along with training for both teachers and parents. The digital applications used were existing LearnEnjoy apps designed for personalised learning, though they were not specifically tailored for allophone students. Data collection included classroom observations, teacher interviews, and surveys with teachers and parents in 11 schools.
The pilot confirmed the need for specialised digital tools that emphasise oral language development and school vocabulary. Teachers strongly valued the personalisation features, reinforced by significant classroom heterogeneity, but highlighted the importance of adapting contents specifically for allophone students. The study also revealed the need for teachers to be trained to use digital tools before being trained in using the app, particularly in a setting where they can work across multiple schools with limited internet connectivity. Finally, qualitative fieldwork showed that the provision of tablets, despite their limited number in the context of the pilot, appeared to foster communication between first-generation immigrant parents and schools, as the valuable nature of the tablet and the need to establish usage guidelines naturally created opportunities for interaction. This suggests that formal parent training on the application may be less crucial than simply ensuring the logistics of tablet distribution to create these touch points between parents and teachers. However, the pilot's limited number of tablets per teacher prevented us from fully delving into this mechanism.
Based on these findings, the research team is now working with LearnEnjoy to develop an application specifically designed for allophone students, incorporating feedback from teachers and parents gathered during the pilot. Once developed, we will conduct a large-scale randomised evaluation to assess its impacts on student learning, parental involvement, and teaching practices.
*UPE2A units are designed to support students who are non-native French speakers and have recently arrived in the country, helping them integrate into the school system by focusing on language acquisition and cultural adaptation.