Research Library

Key recommendations

Counsellors need to be aware of the challenges faced by immigrant children in their new life in Canada, both inside as well as outside the school system. They need to learn about the cultural background of such children to understand the differences and potential conflicts and issues that these children may face in the process of adjustment.

Suggestions for how a counsellor might become involved include: (a) providing emotional support to the child by being there for the child to talk to; (b) acting as a liaison between the teacher and child to increase the teacher’s ability to understand and address the child’s struggles and needs in the school environment; (c) promoting activities, such as in-school culture days or activities, where children teach each other about their respective cultures to encourage acceptance; and (d) addressing the parents to inform them of the issues their child might be facing, how these issues differ from their own transition process due to the child’s stage of development, and what they might do to acknowledge their child’s situation and make it a more positive experience.

Key findings

How Chinese immigrants adapted to a new environment and factors that affected this process:

(a) Adjusting to A Different Culture – finding a balance between Chinese and Western cultural expectations

(b) Family – immigration has changed family relationships

(c) Language – learning a new language has the utmost importance to adjustment

(d) Environment – weather, buildings, space, the population, and the type of people living in Canada are some of the differences that stood out for participants

(e) Friendships – general feeling among participants is that it was easier for them to make friends with other Chinese children than with their Western peers

(f) Self and Identity – many participants said that, as a result of their efforts to try to fit in, sometimes they began to feel different, not only from Canadian culture, but from their own Chinese culture as well

Location

Calgary, Alberta

Key populations

Chinese immigrants

Integration timeline

At what point during the integration process the study was conducted?

NA

Gaps identified

Open-access – No

Community organizations