The contribution of Ukrainian diaspora educators to the establishment of bilingual education in Canada

Abstract

This article presents a comprehensive analysis of the contribution of educators from the Ukrainian diaspora in Canada to the establishment and development of bilingual education, specifically Ukrainian-English educational programs. The historical preconditions for the emergence of bilingual programs are analyzed, including the introduction of multiculturalism policies in the 1970s. The article highlights the contribution of key figures from the Ukrainian diaspora (M. Kostiuk, M. Lupul, N. Prokopchuk, and others) to the institutionalization of bilingual education within the public school system of Alberta. The paper characterizes the specific activities of the first teachers of bilingual classes, who not only served as educators but also as developers of educational and methodological resources, leaders of public opinion, and facilitators of intercultural interaction. It is established that the activities of Ukrainian diaspora educators involved various levels of bilingual education organization: practical, institutional, and administrative-methodological. The study identifies the features of the Canadian model, which is based on the principles of additive bilingualism, partial language immersion, integration of language and cultural components, and active community participation. Special attention is paid to methodological approaches, including practice-oriented development of curricula, differentiated teaching, assessment specifics, and the application of European language education standards in teaching Ukrainian as a heritage language. The article demonstrates that the effectiveness of bilingual education is ensured through the interaction of pedagogical initiative, educational policy, and community support, as well as the ability of educators to act as agents of educational change. It is concluded that the work of N. Prokopchuk, M. Lupul, and M. Kostiuk in the field of bilingual education is one of the most successful examples of the institutionalization of language education within the Ukrainian diaspora. The experience of Canadian educator-organizers serves as a valuable source for improving bilingual education systems both in the diaspora and in Ukraine itself.