Research Library

Forced migration is one of the most pressing crises of our lifetime. Of the millions forced to migrate, many come to know the brutality of state-managed migration that habitually denies asylum seekers and places substantive restrictions on refugees who have been resettled. Sociologists of sport and leisure have examined the sporting experiences of refugees through an intersectional lens, foregrounding how displacement and resettlement are differently lived and negotiated across overlapping power structures and markers of gender, sexuality, ethnicity, religion, and legal status. Through a participatory and collective photovoice project, this article explores the experiences of an all-Afghan soccer team that played in a social, co-ed soccer league in the spring of 2022, just after they arrived in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. In photovoice narratives and subsequent interviews, team members underlined many of the barriers they faced as they navigated the formal and informal rules and dominant norms of this seemingly inclusive sports landscape. In doing so, they revealed some of the limits of official discourses of Canadian multiculturism, which rarely accommodate more significant forms of difference, and which reproduce racial and ethnic hierarchies that powerfully discipline newcomers who are encouraged to embrace their precarious status as model minorities. Forced migration is one of the most pressing crises of our lifetime. Of the millions forced to migrate, many come to know the brutality of state-managed migration that habitually denies asylum seekers and places substantive restrictions on refugees who have been resettled. Sociologists of sport and leisure have examined the sporting experiences of refugees through an intersectional lens, foregrounding how displacement and resettlement are differently lived and negotiated across overlapping power structures and markers of gender, sexuality, ethnicity, religion, and legal status. Through a participatory and collective photovoice project, this article explores the experiences of an all-Afghan soccer team that played in a social, co-ed soccer league in the spring of 2022, just after they arrived in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. In photovoice narratives and subsequent interviews, team members underlined many of the barriers they faced as they navigated the formal and informal rules and dominant norms of this seemingly inclusive sports landscape. In doing so, they revealed some of the limits of official discourses of Canadian multiculturism, which rarely accommodate more significant forms of difference, and which reproduce racial and ethnic hierarchies that powerfully discipline newcomers who are encouraged to embrace their precarious status as model minorities.
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This article explores the strategies used by government-sponsored institutions dedicated to addressing systemic barriers to employment for racialized immigrants in Edmonton. The research involved conducting in-depth semi-structured interviews with service providers, employment program coordinators from different settlement and employment agencies, and a research and training centre operating in Edmonton, Alberta. The first objective is to understand the barriers racialized immigrants face through the hiring and promotion process. The second objective is to understand the support provided by those institutions and the impact of their equity policies on how they assist racialized Canadians in finding gainful employment. Lastly, this study explores the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the Black Lives Matter movement on the employment of racialized immigrants in Edmonton. This article explores the strategies used by government-sponsored institutions dedicated to addressing systemic barriers to employment for racialized immigrants in Edmonton. The research involved conducting in-depth semi-structured interviews with service providers, employment program coordinators from different settlement and employment agencies, and a research and training centre operating in Edmonton, Alberta. The first objective is to understand the barriers racialized immigrants face through the hiring and promotion process. The second objective is to understand the support provided by those institutions and the impact of their equity policies on how they assist racialized Canadians in finding gainful employment. Lastly, this study explores the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the Black Lives Matter movement on the employment of racialized immigrants in Edmonton.
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The purpose of this chapter is to discuss continuing professional development (CPD) for Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) instructors in the Language Instruction for Newcomers to Canada (LINC) programme in the province of Alberta, Canada. LINC is a federally funded, tuition-free, basic English language training programme for beginner to intermediate adult learners that is designed to facilitate immigrants’ integration into Canadian society. The Teachers of English as a Second Language (TESL) Canada Federation and provincial professional associations such as the Alberta Teachers of English as a Second Language (ATESL) also organize professional development (PD) activities (e.g., conferences, workshops, webinars). However, these PD activities are typically one-shot events where the learning facilitator determines the learning objectives, but these objectives may not necessarily align with individual instructors’ CPD needs. Over the past decade, groups of LINC instructors with diverse teaching experiences have been participating in researcher-supported professional reading groups as an additional form of informal, situated CPD in Alberta. The group members regularly select and read peer-reviewed articles and meet to discuss articles during unpaid time as a way to address their shared, current CPD needs and goals. They also complete researcher-designed questionnaires and participate in focus group interviews that ask them to reflect on and document the impact that the information in the articles and group discussions had on their professional practices. In these groups, the members reflect on their own practices, and combine one another’s knowledge and experience with the information in the articles to co-create innovative, research-informed solutions to their classroom issues. The purpose of this chapter is to discuss continuing professional development (CPD) for Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) instructors in the Language Instruction for Newcomers to Canada (LINC) programme in the province of Alberta, Canada. LINC is a federally funded, tuition-free, basic English language training programme for beginner to intermediate adult learners that is designed to facilitate immigrants’ integration into Canadian society. The Teachers of English as a Second Language (TESL) Canada Federation and provincial professional associations such as the Alberta Teachers of English as a Second Language (ATESL) also organize professional development (PD) activities (e.g., conferences, workshops, webinars). However, these PD activities are typically one-shot events where the learning facilitator determines the learning objectives, but these objectives may not necessarily align with individual instructors’ CPD needs. Over the past decade, groups of LINC instructors with diverse teaching experiences have been participating in researcher-supported professional reading groups as an additional form of informal, situated CPD in Alberta. The group members regularly select and read peer-reviewed articles and meet to discuss articles during unpaid time as a way to address their shared, current CPD needs and goals. They also complete researcher-designed questionnaires and participate in focus group interviews that ask them to reflect on and document the impact that the information in the articles and group discussions had on their professional practices. In these groups, the members reflect on their own practices, and combine one another’s knowledge and experience with the information in the articles to co-create innovative, research-informed solutions to their classroom issues.
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In this study, we applied an intersectional framework to explore service providers’ perspectives on the mental health needs of newcomer young men. We conducted focus groups and interviews with 26 service providers in Edmonton, Calgary, and Vancouver, Canada. Findings show that service providers made sense of young men’s mental health needs and service access in the context of systems. We identified three interconnected themes: newcomer young men’s senses of self in relation to macrosystems, including racism and economic marginalization; settling well as a determinant of mental health; and systems capacities and interdependent resilience. While service providers are engaged in cross-sectoral work in support of newcomer young men’s mental health, this work is not being sufficiently supported. Further work is needed around cross-sector capacity bridging and advocacy, as well as the tailoring of services to young men without the assumption and reinforcement of gender stereotypes. In this study, we applied an intersectional framework to explore service providers’ perspectives on the mental health needs of newcomer young men. We conducted focus groups and interviews with 26 service providers in Edmonton, Calgary, and Vancouver, Canada. Findings show that service providers made sense of young men’s mental health needs and service access in the context of systems. We identified three interconnected themes: newcomer young men’s senses of self in relation to macrosystems, including racism and economic marginalization; settling well as a determinant of mental health; and systems capacities and interdependent resilience. While service providers are engaged in cross-sectoral work in support of newcomer young men’s mental health, this work is not being sufficiently supported. Further work is needed around cross-sector capacity bridging and advocacy, as well as the tailoring of services to young men without the assumption and reinforcement of gender stereotypes.
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The City of Edmonton is a diverse and constantly evolving city. As more newcomers move to the city, the need for specific language resources changes and organizations must adapt to these changes. Edmonton has many organizations that specifically assist newcomers with integrating into society. These organizations include Edmonton Immigrant Services Association (EISA), Islamic Family and Social Services Association (IFSSA), Action for Healthy Communities, Catholic Social Services and the Edmonton Mennonite Centre for Newcomers (EMCN), among others. Other organizations provide services to specific cultural groups, such as language and culture schools, which also assist newcomers. This thesis will discuss the research project “Mapping Spaces of Translation and Interpretation in Edmonton,” which mapped and documented organizations that make use of translation and interpretation to provide services for newcomers, immigrants, and refugees, within Edmonton and surrounding areas. The project sought to research the following two questions: 1) How do organizations within the city of Edmonton that provide services to newcomers utilize translation (text-to-text) or interpretation (spoken/verbal) to facilitate their services? 2) What challenges do these organizations face in using translation and interpretation while providing their services? The City of Edmonton is a diverse and constantly evolving city. As more newcomers move to the city, the need for specific language resources changes and organizations must adapt to these changes. Edmonton has many organizations that specifically assist newcomers with integrating into society. These organizations include Edmonton Immigrant Services Association (EISA), Islamic Family and Social Services Association (IFSSA), Action for Healthy Communities, Catholic Social Services and the Edmonton Mennonite Centre for Newcomers (EMCN), among others. Other organizations provide services to specific cultural groups, such as language and culture schools, which also assist newcomers. This thesis will discuss the research project “Mapping Spaces of Translation and Interpretation in Edmonton,” which mapped and documented organizations that make use of translation and interpretation to provide services for newcomers, immigrants, and refugees, within Edmonton and surrounding areas. The project sought to research the following two questions: 1) How do organizations within the city of Edmonton that provide services to newcomers utilize translation (text-to-text) or interpretation (spoken/verbal) to facilitate their services? 2) What challenges do these organizations face in using translation and interpretation while providing their services?
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We investigate discrimination experiences of (1) immigrants and racialized individuals, (2) Indigenous peoples, and (3) comparison White non-immigrants in nine regions of Southwestern Ontario containing small- and mid-sized communities. For each region, representative samples of the three groups were recruited to complete online surveys. In most regions, over 80 percent of Indigenous peoples reported experiencing discrimination in the past 3 years, and in more than half of the regions, over 60 percent of immigrants and racialized individuals did so. Indigenous peoples, immigrants and racialized individuals were most likely to experience discrimination in employment settings and in a variety of public settings, and were most likely to attribute this discrimination to racial and ethnocultural factors, and for Indigenous peoples also their Indigenous identity. Immigrants and racialized individuals who had experienced discrimination generally reported a lower sense of belonging and welcome in their communities. This association was weaker for Indigenous peoples. The findings provide new insight into discrimination experienced by Indigenous peoples, immigrants and racialized individuals in small and mid-sized Canadian communities, and are critical to creating and implementing effective anti-racism and anti-discrimination strategies. We investigate discrimination experiences of (1) immigrants and racialized individuals, (2) Indigenous peoples, and (3) comparison White non-immigrants in nine regions of Southwestern Ontario containing small- and mid-sized communities. For each region, representative samples of the three groups were recruited to complete online surveys. In most regions, over 80 percent of Indigenous peoples reported experiencing discrimination in the past 3 years, and in more than half of the regions, over 60 percent of immigrants and racialized individuals did so. Indigenous peoples, immigrants and racialized individuals were most likely to experience discrimination in employment settings and in a variety of public settings, and were most likely to attribute this discrimination to racial and ethnocultural factors, and for Indigenous peoples also their Indigenous identity. Immigrants and racialized individuals who had experienced discrimination generally reported a lower sense of belonging and welcome in their communities. This association was weaker for Indigenous peoples. The findings provide new insight into discrimination experienced by Indigenous peoples, immigrants and racialized individuals in small and mid-sized Canadian communities, and are critical to creating and implementing effective anti-racism and anti-discrimination strategies.
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In this qualitative study, researchers conducted interviews with 11 participants who had entered Canada through the Temporary Foreign Worker Program and who had since loss status. Findings show policy changes, abuse and exploitation by employers, language barriers, and misinformation and language gaps drive workers out of status. Once without status, people often remain in Canada because they are motivated by issues related to family. These can include the continued desire to bring family members to Canada, financial responsibilities for family members in countries of origin, the desire to stay with Canadian partners or children, or the breakdown of family ties which dissuades the desire to return. Challenges of living without status include mental health struggles, financial strain, and barriers to service access. Interplays between factors driving status loss and experiences of those who live without status in Canada show that the state plays an important role in creating precarity through restrictive immigration and residency policies. Understandings the state’s role in the production of precarity may inform effective policy changes moving forward. In this qualitative study, researchers conducted interviews with 11 participants who had entered Canada through the Temporary Foreign Worker Program and who had since loss status. Findings show policy changes, abuse and exploitation by employers, language barriers, and misinformation and language gaps drive workers out of status. Once without status, people often remain in Canada because they are motivated by issues related to family. These can include the continued desire to bring family members to Canada, financial responsibilities for family members in countries of origin, the desire to stay with Canadian partners or children, or the breakdown of family ties which dissuades the desire to return. Challenges of living without status include mental health struggles, financial strain, and barriers to service access. Interplays between factors driving status loss and experiences of those who live without status in Canada show that the state plays an important role in creating precarity through restrictive immigration and residency policies. Understandings the state’s role in the production of precarity may inform effective policy changes moving forward.
This publication has no Abstract to dispaly

Children with disabilities are among the most at-risk groups for marginalization due to compounded disadvantages from the intersection of risk factors such as refugee status and disability status. Despite this high risk, there is no systematic data collected on this group and scant literature on the topic contributing to a feeling of invisibility. We conducted a narrative inquiry on the experiences of two Syrian refugee families with children living with disabilities. Narrative inquiry is a way to understand experience as a storied phenomenon. In order to understand the complexities of the experience as a refugee with a child living with disabilities, attending to the lived and told stories is essential. In hearing the narration of these experiences across time, place, and social contexts various narrative threads emerged. The narrative threads that resonated across the experiences of two families included waiting and a struggle for agency, as well as disruption and continuity. Children with disabilities are among the most at-risk groups for marginalization due to compounded disadvantages from the intersection of risk factors such as refugee status and disability status. Despite this high risk, there is no systematic data collected on this group and scant literature on the topic contributing to a feeling of invisibility. We conducted a narrative inquiry on the experiences of two Syrian refugee families with children living with disabilities. Narrative inquiry is a way to understand experience as a storied phenomenon. In order to understand the complexities of the experience as a refugee with a child living with disabilities, attending to the lived and told stories is essential. In hearing the narration of these experiences across time, place, and social contexts various narrative threads emerged. The narrative threads that resonated across the experiences of two families included waiting and a struggle for agency, as well as disruption and continuity.
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There remains an ongoing need to address not only the post-migration experiences of newcomers settling in Calgary but also to understand how systems that serve them perceive, make sense of, and contribute to these experiences. By hearing from those who work with newcomers within the institutional settings that support newcomers, we can begin to understand some complexities of newcomer integration. The purpose of this qualitative pilot study was to explore the perceptions that front-line workers hold regarding needs and experiences of newcomers. This study involved a series of eleven semi-structured interviews with workers at an immigrant-serving language-learning agency which were analyzed using thematic coding. The findings highlighted: front-line workers perception of their newcomer cli-ents’ identity in connection to language; the clients’ emotional burden and sense of belonging; and the challenges clients faced balancing everyday commitments. Moreover, this study explored the front-line worker’s role in cultural brokerage and promoting wellness. This study provided reason to value the practices and interpretations that front-line workers have of the newcomer experience due to the role they play in creating a sense of integration for newcom-ers. The interpretations that surfaced in this study sheds light on the complexity that both front-line workers and newcomers face and implies that further research and interventions are needed to ensure successful integration There remains an ongoing need to address not only the post-migration experiences of newcomers settling in Calgary but also to understand how systems that serve them perceive, make sense of, and contribute to these experiences. By hearing from those who work with newcomers within the institutional settings that support newcomers, we can begin to understand some complexities of newcomer integration. The purpose of this qualitative pilot study was to explore the perceptions that front-line workers hold regarding needs and experiences of newcomers. This study involved a series of eleven semi-structured interviews with workers at an immigrant-serving language-learning agency which were analyzed using thematic coding. The findings highlighted: front-line workers perception of their newcomer cli-ents’ identity in connection to language; the clients’ emotional burden and sense of belonging; and the challenges clients faced balancing everyday commitments. Moreover, this study explored the front-line worker’s role in cultural brokerage and promoting wellness. This study provided reason to value the practices and interpretations that front-line workers have of the newcomer experience due to the role they play in creating a sense of integration for newcom-ers. The interpretations that surfaced in this study sheds light on the complexity that both front-line workers and newcomers face and implies that further research and interventions are needed to ensure successful integration
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This thesis examined the narrative abilities of bilingual, English L2 newcomer and immigrant children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Developmental Language Disorder (DLD) and Typical Development (TD). Compared to the monolingual research, there have been fewer studies examining narratives in clinical bilingual groups, especially bilinguals with ASD, and no study so far has compared bilinguals with ASD to bilinguals with DLD. This thesis asked: (1) Is macrostructure an area of weakness in DLD? (2) Do children with ASD experience difficulties with structural language, i.e., morphology and syntax? (3) Are narrative skills requiring perspective-taking abilities equally vulnerable in ASD and DLD? (4) Do bilinguals with ASD and DLD use the second language input they receive to the same as bilinguals with TD? Identified differences between newcomer children with ASD, DLD or TD can be utilized to create tailored interventions. This thesis examined the narrative abilities of bilingual, English L2 newcomer and immigrant children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Developmental Language Disorder (DLD) and Typical Development (TD). Compared to the monolingual research, there have been fewer studies examining narratives in clinical bilingual groups, especially bilinguals with ASD, and no study so far has compared bilinguals with ASD to bilinguals with DLD. This thesis asked: (1) Is macrostructure an area of weakness in DLD? (2) Do children with ASD experience difficulties with structural language, i.e., morphology and syntax? (3) Are narrative skills requiring perspective-taking abilities equally vulnerable in ASD and DLD? (4) Do bilinguals with ASD and DLD use the second language input they receive to the same as bilinguals with TD? Identified differences between newcomer children with ASD, DLD or TD can be utilized to create tailored interventions.
This publication has no Abstract to dispaly