Research Library

Colombians who acquire a university degree in Colombia may still face challenges finding employment. They may choose to immigrate to Canada because the opportunities that this country offers. However, these immigrants may have to apply various strategies to overcome obstacles in their path to success. So, when they immigrate permanently to their host country (Canada as their country of settlement), they may have to overcome barriers, such as discrimination (Quillian et al., 2019) while finding a place in their professional field and integrating into their host communities (community of settlement). As a result, immigrants may find that having a career and speaking the target language is not enough to communicate effectively and build meaningful connections in their host communities. Thus, the purpose of this qualitative study with narrative inquiry methodology was to explore the journeys of eight professional Colombian immigrants who felt successful in Calgary, AB, Canada and had two or more years of adaptation and integration to answer the following question: To what extent did professional Colombian immigrants experience holistic Transformative Learning (TL) and enhance Intercultural Communicative Competence (ICC) after living in Canada for two or more years, in their path to professional success? The study findings have the potential to inform the professional field of adult learning. Colombians who acquire a university degree in Colombia may still face challenges finding employment. They may choose to immigrate to Canada because the opportunities that this country offers. However, these immigrants may have to apply various strategies to overcome obstacles in their path to success. So, when they immigrate permanently to their host country (Canada as their country of settlement), they may have to overcome barriers, such as discrimination (Quillian et al., 2019) while finding a place in their professional field and integrating into their host communities (community of settlement). As a result, immigrants may find that having a career and speaking the target language is not enough to communicate effectively and build meaningful connections in their host communities. Thus, the purpose of this qualitative study with narrative inquiry methodology was to explore the journeys of eight professional Colombian immigrants who felt successful in Calgary, AB, Canada and had two or more years of adaptation and integration to answer the following question: To what extent did professional Colombian immigrants experience holistic Transformative Learning (TL) and enhance Intercultural Communicative Competence (ICC) after living in Canada for two or more years, in their path to professional success? The study findings have the potential to inform the professional field of adult learning.
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Two studies were completed as a part of this Master’s thesis. Study 1: Human papillomavirus vaccine coverage among immigrant children in Alberta: a population-based cohort study concluded that overall, immigrant children in Alberta had higher HPV vaccination coverage in comparison to non-immigrants, which is encouraging given some previous literature has suggested the opposite. This implies that efforts to increase vaccination rates among immigrant children may be having a positive impact. Among immigrants, routine immunization promotion strategies should be targeted to those living in rural residences and from North America, Oceania, and South America, in order to improve HPV vaccination coverage in this group even further. Study 2: Study 2: COVID-19 vaccine coverage among immigrants and refugees in Alberta: A population-based cross-sectional study concluded that high COVID-19 vaccination coverage among immigrant populations in Alberta is an encouraging outcome. However, continued efforts are needed to target public health interventions towards older immigrants, immigrants living in rural areas, and immigrants from specific continental backgrounds in order to improve COVID-19 vaccination coverage. Two studies were completed as a part of this Master’s thesis. Study 1: Human papillomavirus vaccine coverage among immigrant children in Alberta: a population-based cohort study concluded that overall, immigrant children in Alberta had higher HPV vaccination coverage in comparison to non-immigrants, which is encouraging given some previous literature has suggested the opposite. This implies that efforts to increase vaccination rates among immigrant children may be having a positive impact. Among immigrants, routine immunization promotion strategies should be targeted to those living in rural residences and from North America, Oceania, and South America, in order to improve HPV vaccination coverage in this group even further. Study 2: Study 2: COVID-19 vaccine coverage among immigrants and refugees in Alberta: A population-based cross-sectional study concluded that high COVID-19 vaccination coverage among immigrant populations in Alberta is an encouraging outcome. However, continued efforts are needed to target public health interventions towards older immigrants, immigrants living in rural areas, and immigrants from specific continental backgrounds in order to improve COVID-19 vaccination coverage.
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The purpose of this study was to explore the experiences of depression among African immigrant men in Southern Alberta. The study adopted an exploratory descriptive qualitative research design using focused semi-structured interviews with ten African immigrant men. Thematic analysis showed that African men went through episodes of sadness and frustrations due to intersection of challenges post-migration, which negatively impacted both their physical and mental health. However, instead of seeking professional help, they employed a series of coping mechanisms to mitigate, tolerate, or overcome the mental distress. It was evident that African men’s cultural constructions around masculinity influenced how they perceived, interpreted, and expressed their mental distress. Culture and masculinity also shaped their strategies for coping with the mental distress and behaviour towards help-seeking. It is recommended that stakeholders and policy makers apply cultural safety approaches to support African immigrant men to enhance their mental well-being. The purpose of this study was to explore the experiences of depression among African immigrant men in Southern Alberta. The study adopted an exploratory descriptive qualitative research design using focused semi-structured interviews with ten African immigrant men. Thematic analysis showed that African men went through episodes of sadness and frustrations due to intersection of challenges post-migration, which negatively impacted both their physical and mental health. However, instead of seeking professional help, they employed a series of coping mechanisms to mitigate, tolerate, or overcome the mental distress. It was evident that African men’s cultural constructions around masculinity influenced how they perceived, interpreted, and expressed their mental distress. Culture and masculinity also shaped their strategies for coping with the mental distress and behaviour towards help-seeking. It is recommended that stakeholders and policy makers apply cultural safety approaches to support African immigrant men to enhance their mental well-being.
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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. 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.
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The purpose of this qualitative arts-informed and play-based case study was to explore and better understand how young newcomer children use common childhood activities of play and personal art-making as tools or vehicles of communication, for exploration of their ideas and sharing perspectives, and to demonstrate what they considered personally significant about their everyday lives and experiences. The research study was guided by the following questions: 1) What are the personally significant experiences and influences in young newcomer children’s daily lives?; 2) How do young newcomer children use play and personal art-making to understand, negotiate, and make sense of experiences, and communicate the personally significant? and; 3) How do adults support young newcomer children’s play and personal art-making and their communication of the personally significant? The purpose of this qualitative arts-informed and play-based case study was to explore and better understand how young newcomer children use common childhood activities of play and personal art-making as tools or vehicles of communication, for exploration of their ideas and sharing perspectives, and to demonstrate what they considered personally significant about their everyday lives and experiences. The research study was guided by the following questions: 1) What are the personally significant experiences and influences in young newcomer children’s daily lives?; 2) How do young newcomer children use play and personal art-making to understand, negotiate, and make sense of experiences, and communicate the personally significant? and; 3) How do adults support young newcomer children’s play and personal art-making and their communication of the personally significant?
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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.
This publication has no Abstract to dispaly

This qualitative study aimed to explore the perception of skilled Black immigrants’ workplace experiences and diversity strategies to mitigate discriminatory practices. Thematic analysis indicated that increased diversity was perceived as a solution to inequality. The findings identified a perceived need for a paradigm shift from understanding diversity as a standalone concept to seeing these workplace issues as a polarity dilemma—to better balance the diversity/equality polarity. The shift in thinking could address the ubiquitous challenge of paradoxes in diversity outcomes, which may have a positive social change implication for increased diversity in policy formulation and implementation. This qualitative study aimed to explore the perception of skilled Black immigrants’ workplace experiences and diversity strategies to mitigate discriminatory practices. Thematic analysis indicated that increased diversity was perceived as a solution to inequality. The findings identified a perceived need for a paradigm shift from understanding diversity as a standalone concept to seeing these workplace issues as a polarity dilemma—to better balance the diversity/equality polarity. The shift in thinking could address the ubiquitous challenge of paradoxes in diversity outcomes, which may have a positive social change implication for increased diversity in policy formulation and implementation.
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This study explored the support and service experiences of resettled Syrian refugee parents of autistic children in terms of their pre- and post-migration. These lived experiences were investigated with participants (n = 3) through semi-structured interviews using interpretive phenomenological analysis. This study identified the supports and services parents received, their experiences with those services, their overall experiences with resettlement having an autistic child(ren), the implications of culture in support/service provision, and their perceived areas of service need during and after their resettlement in Alberta, Canada. Parents all had unique experiences that were delineated through clustered emergent themes and subsequently organized into a superordinate conceptual structure. The results of the study are discussed in the context of theory and relevant literature to elucidate and make findings applicable. Practical implications and future directions are discussed. This study explored the support and service experiences of resettled Syrian refugee parents of autistic children in terms of their pre- and post-migration. These lived experiences were investigated with participants (n = 3) through semi-structured interviews using interpretive phenomenological analysis. This study identified the supports and services parents received, their experiences with those services, their overall experiences with resettlement having an autistic child(ren), the implications of culture in support/service provision, and their perceived areas of service need during and after their resettlement in Alberta, Canada. Parents all had unique experiences that were delineated through clustered emergent themes and subsequently organized into a superordinate conceptual structure. The results of the study are discussed in the context of theory and relevant literature to elucidate and make findings applicable. Practical implications and future directions are discussed.
This publication has no Abstract to dispaly

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

About one in five Canadians is a former immigrant. In 2019, Canada welcomed over 340,000 permanent residents, 43,000 of whom came to Alberta.2 Starting in 2021, Canada proposes an ambitious plan to welcome even more permanent residents to Canada, increasing Canada’s population by more than 1 per cent every year for the next three years. Newcomers are an integral part of Canada; they support the local economy in towns and cities across the country by filling employment gaps and contributing their knowledge, skills and experiences to the community. Educated, skilled economic newcomers allow Canada to build its future economic capacity to address a shrinking labour force in the country. To help newcomers integrate in Canada, achieve their full potential and participate in the labour market and in society, the Government of Canada supports newcomers through settlement and integration services. The Settlement Program is characterized by a public-private partnership between the Department of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), provinces and territories, municipalities and many partner organizations. Settlement services are delivered by a network of local organizations and service providers to all newcomers arriving in Canada, removing barriers to their full participation in life and work in Canada and providing them with the tools needed for a smooth and fast integration into their new home – Canada. To evaluate the success of its Settlement Program, the IRCC developed a Performance Measurement Strategy. The Strategy outlines some immediate and intermediate desired outcomes of newcomer settlement and integration, including newcomers’ labour market participation and income, their ability to use the official languages, their uptake of services, participation in the community and the program’s ability to meet and adapt to their needs. To measure the level of integration by newcomers and estimate the direct and measurable outputs of program delivery, the government often uses proxy variables (such as service uptake, naturalization rate, labour market indicators and newcomers’ own sense of belonging). The introduction of Express Entry system in 2015 changed the way Canada selects immigrants. Canada now prioritizes younger, educated individuals with work experience, strong English or French language skills and the ability to integrate in Canada. These immigrants have high human capital (intangible personal attributes such as knowledge, skills, training and experience). These highly-educated skilled economic newcomers prioritize employment integration above all in the hopes of putting their knowledge, education and skills into use upon arrival in Canada. However, once in Canada, many skilled economic immigrants struggle to quickly and effectively integrate economically. This varied economic integration occurs in part because Canada’s Settlement Program is slow to respond to the needs of high skilled economic immigrants. Additional opportunities of on-the job training and improvements to the system of professional accreditation would allow newcomers to contribute their knowledge and skills to the Canadian society while enhancing their skills and easing their integration. To achieve this, settlement services must be made more accessible for all types of newcomers by offering services much sooner in the immigration process and expanding the eligibility criteria for services beyond permanent residents to include temporary residents and naturalized Canadians. To understand newcomer integration from a local perspective, I address settlement and integration services in Calgary, Alberta. As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and a cooling off of the natural resources market, the city is experiencing unemployment levels much higher than the national average. Newcomers in Calgary are especially impacted by the recession as they tend to experience higher rates of unemployment and underemployment. With the economy predicted to be sluggish for the next few years, settlement programs are more important than ever, especially as the Government of Canada prepares to welcome over 400,000 of newcomers annually until at least 2023, some of whom will arrive in Calgary. Afterwards, I also give a preliminary overview and evaluation of the Alberta Gateway Project. About one in five Canadians is a former immigrant. In 2019, Canada welcomed over 340,000 permanent residents, 43,000 of whom came to Alberta.2 Starting in 2021, Canada proposes an ambitious plan to welcome even more permanent residents to Canada, increasing Canada’s population by more than 1 per cent every year for the next three years. Newcomers are an integral part of Canada; they support the local economy in towns and cities across the country by filling employment gaps and contributing their knowledge, skills and experiences to the community. Educated, skilled economic newcomers allow Canada to build its future economic capacity to address a shrinking labour force in the country. To help newcomers integrate in Canada, achieve their full potential and participate in the labour market and in society, the Government of Canada supports newcomers through settlement and integration services. The Settlement Program is characterized by a public-private partnership between the Department of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), provinces and territories, municipalities and many partner organizations. Settlement services are delivered by a network of local organizations and service providers to all newcomers arriving in Canada, removing barriers to their full participation in life and work in Canada and providing them with the tools needed for a smooth and fast integration into their new home – Canada. To evaluate the success of its Settlement Program, the IRCC developed a Performance Measurement Strategy. The Strategy outlines some immediate and intermediate desired outcomes of newcomer settlement and integration, including newcomers’ labour market participation and income, their ability to use the official languages, their uptake of services, participation in the community and the program’s ability to meet and adapt to their needs. To measure the level of integration by newcomers and estimate the direct and measurable outputs of program delivery, the government often uses proxy variables (such as service uptake, naturalization rate, labour market indicators and newcomers’ own sense of belonging). The introduction of Express Entry system in 2015 changed the way Canada selects immigrants. Canada now prioritizes younger, educated individuals with work experience, strong English or French language skills and the ability to integrate in Canada. These immigrants have high human capital (intangible personal attributes such as knowledge, skills, training and experience). These highly-educated skilled economic newcomers prioritize employment integration above all in the hopes of putting their knowledge, education and skills into use upon arrival in Canada. However, once in Canada, many skilled economic immigrants struggle to quickly and effectively integrate economically. This varied economic integration occurs in part because Canada’s Settlement Program is slow to respond to the needs of high skilled economic immigrants. Additional opportunities of on-the job training and improvements to the system of professional accreditation would allow newcomers to contribute their knowledge and skills to the Canadian society while enhancing their skills and easing their integration. To achieve this, settlement services must be made more accessible for all types of newcomers by offering services much sooner in the immigration process and expanding the eligibility criteria for services beyond permanent residents to include temporary residents and naturalized Canadians. To understand newcomer integration from a local perspective, I address settlement and integration services in Calgary, Alberta. As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and a cooling off of the natural resources market, the city is experiencing unemployment levels much higher than the national average. Newcomers in Calgary are especially impacted by the recession as they tend to experience higher rates of unemployment and underemployment. With the economy predicted to be sluggish for the next few years, settlement programs are more important than ever, especially as the Government of Canada prepares to welcome over 400,000 of newcomers annually until at least 2023, some of whom will arrive in Calgary. Afterwards, I also give a preliminary overview and evaluation of the Alberta Gateway Project.
This publication has no Abstract to dispaly