Social integration experiences of young newcomers in Canadian high schools and the importance of friendship
Abstract
As the population of young newcomers (immigrants, refugees and international students) increases in Canada, there is a growing need to understand the social integration process of these students into Canadian schools. This thesis reports a qualitative analysis of how newcomer students in three Albertan schools perceived their experiences interacting with local students.
Notes
Key populations: newcomer students in Albertan high schools
Community organizations: Calgary Board of Education’s Global Learning Services
Future research / gaps identified:
Develop, implement and evaluate interventions to help newcomer high school students make friends with local students.
Integration timeline: not defined
Key findings:
- Students reported that their English language insufficiency was a barrier to making friends, as they believed local students would get bored/inpatient. Students were more likely to make friends in ESL classes.
- Students noted personality shifts before and after immigration that impacted their social capital and relationships.
- Having a supportive, welcoming host family helped students who came to Canada alone develop friendships.
- Students experienced bullying, discrimination and/or Islamophobia from both other students and teachers.
- Navigating high school cliques was unfamiliar for many newcomer students.
- Differences in cultural beliefs and social norms also posed a barrier to making friends.
Key recommendations:
- Integrate newcomer students into typical classrooms to encourage friendships with other students, rather than just restricting them to ESL classes.
- Provide cultural awareness education to all students, teachers, and other school staff.
- Facilitate introductions and social gatherings as a required part of class, as well as having optional social gathering opportunities school-wide.
Location: Calgary, AB
Open access: No
