Research Library

Since the beginning of conflict in Syria, 52, 720 Syrian refugees were admitted to Canada between November 2015 and March 2018. Schools are one of the first and most impactful systems that young refugees enter and the quality of early school experiences significantly influences how successfully and quickly they settle. Yet, there is limited research examining the school experiences of refugee children. Thus, the purpose of this study was to explore the social, emotional, and academic adjustment experiences of newcomer Syrian refugee children between the ages of five to eight years within Edmonton schools. Following themes emerged during this study: (1) Role of Language in Adjustment, (2) Attitudes and Perspectives Towards Education, (3) Bonds and Relationships, (4) Initial Frustrations, Anxieties, and Fears, (5) Children’s Unique Strategies for Adapting in School, (6) Parental Involvement in the Schooling Process, and (7) Role of Personal Qualities in Adjustment. Since the beginning of conflict in Syria, 52, 720 Syrian refugees were admitted to Canada between November 2015 and March 2018. Schools are one of the first and most impactful systems that young refugees enter and the quality of early school experiences significantly influences how successfully and quickly they settle. Yet, there is limited research examining the school experiences of refugee children. Thus, the purpose of this study was to explore the social, emotional, and academic adjustment experiences of newcomer Syrian refugee children between the ages of five to eight years within Edmonton schools. Following themes emerged during this study: (1) Role of Language in Adjustment, (2) Attitudes and Perspectives Towards Education, (3) Bonds and Relationships, (4) Initial Frustrations, Anxieties, and Fears, (5) Children’s Unique Strategies for Adapting in School, (6) Parental Involvement in the Schooling Process, and (7) Role of Personal Qualities in Adjustment.
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In this thesis, I consider ethnographic conversations I had during fieldwork in Fort McMurray and Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, in 2016 with two sets of workers: Albertan trades-workers employed in the oil sands (pipe-fitters, welders and boilermakers) and Filipino/a Temporary Foreign Workers (TFWs) employed in the local service sector (cooks, caregivers and kitchen helpers). I analyse these workers’ self-reflections on their own work routines as providing a sightline into the ways labour market processes and regulatory frameworks are manifest in and negotiated through their lives. I suggest this is of broader significance for our understanding of the ways state-regulated labour markets re-fashion, and are re-fashioned by, the cultural identities of workers. In this thesis, I consider ethnographic conversations I had during fieldwork in Fort McMurray and Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, in 2016 with two sets of workers: Albertan trades-workers employed in the oil sands (pipe-fitters, welders and boilermakers) and Filipino/a Temporary Foreign Workers (TFWs) employed in the local service sector (cooks, caregivers and kitchen helpers). I analyse these workers’ self-reflections on their own work routines as providing a sightline into the ways labour market processes and regulatory frameworks are manifest in and negotiated through their lives. I suggest this is of broader significance for our understanding of the ways state-regulated labour markets re-fashion, and are re-fashioned by, the cultural identities of workers.
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This dissertation challenges the narrative of Canada as a welcoming and inclusive nation. Critical race theory and intersectional feminism provide a framework that assesses newcomer labour market experiences from the perspectives of two different stakeholder groups, immigrant professionals and service providers within the immigration settlement sector. The experiences of immigrant professionals, particularly people of colour, demonstrate a disproportionate risk of labour market exclusion. Sixty semi-structured interviews held in two mid-sized Canadian cities (Winnipeg and Edmonton) with immigrant professionals and settlement workers provided two different positions for understanding the barriers, challenges, opportunities and advantages thatencompass the immigration journey. Upon settlement, while many immigrants do well and secure career-related employment, over half of immigrant participants in this study experienced significant labour market barriers, disappointed expectations and un- or under-employment. Additionally, settlement services provided valuable assistance, but not necessarily the type of anti-oppression advocacy or specialized supports that immigrant professionals required. This dissertation also acknowledges the inherent conflicts that result from colonial capitalism itself. I argue that while this colonial project must be disrupted, newcomers should be able to live fulfilling and socio-economically stable lives and enjoy meaningful career-related employment opportunities. This dissertation challenges the narrative of Canada as a welcoming and inclusive nation. Critical race theory and intersectional feminism provide a framework that assesses newcomer labour market experiences from the perspectives of two different stakeholder groups, immigrant professionals and service providers within the immigration settlement sector. The experiences of immigrant professionals, particularly people of colour, demonstrate a disproportionate risk of labour market exclusion. Sixty semi-structured interviews held in two mid-sized Canadian cities (Winnipeg and Edmonton) with immigrant professionals and settlement workers provided two different positions for understanding the barriers, challenges, opportunities and advantages thatencompass the immigration journey. Upon settlement, while many immigrants do well and secure career-related employment, over half of immigrant participants in this study experienced significant labour market barriers, disappointed expectations and un- or under-employment. Additionally, settlement services provided valuable assistance, but not necessarily the type of anti-oppression advocacy or specialized supports that immigrant professionals required. This dissertation also acknowledges the inherent conflicts that result from colonial capitalism itself. I argue that while this colonial project must be disrupted, newcomers should be able to live fulfilling and socio-economically stable lives and enjoy meaningful career-related employment opportunities.
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Educational success for many refugee learners in the Canadian education system has been a difficult if not challenging achievement. Educational institutions mirror the values and practices of the larger society. Similar to the values and practices nationally and internationally, in educational organizations refugees as a specific group of learners have been largely disregarded. The invisibility of refugee learners in educational institutions has resulted in limited academic success of these learners. Through multiple case study analysis, this research examines the underlying reasons for the low educational achievement of refugee learners in the provinces of Alberta and British Columbia. Analysis of data identifies the underlying causes for refugee youths’ failure to succeed as a lack of recognition and cognitive justice as pillars of policy design and enactment. This study concludes with recommendations to improve refugee youths’ educational opportunities by enhancing policy design and implementation based on the conscious recognition of all students’ histories and knowledge. As well as an awareness of epistemic understanding of self and recognition of power relations. Educational success for many refugee learners in the Canadian education system has been a difficult if not challenging achievement. Educational institutions mirror the values and practices of the larger society. Similar to the values and practices nationally and internationally, in educational organizations refugees as a specific group of learners have been largely disregarded. The invisibility of refugee learners in educational institutions has resulted in limited academic success of these learners. Through multiple case study analysis, this research examines the underlying reasons for the low educational achievement of refugee learners in the provinces of Alberta and British Columbia. Analysis of data identifies the underlying causes for refugee youths’ failure to succeed as a lack of recognition and cognitive justice as pillars of policy design and enactment. This study concludes with recommendations to improve refugee youths’ educational opportunities by enhancing policy design and implementation based on the conscious recognition of all students’ histories and knowledge. As well as an awareness of epistemic understanding of self and recognition of power relations.
This publication has no Abstract to dispaly

This research explores the value of the federally funded Local Immigration Partnership (LIP) as it expands to Alberta and other provinces across Canada. While labour market demands make the recruitment and retention of immigrants a serious policy problem in smaller, more isolated centres, the existing academic literature has highlighted the importance of local settlement support services. In smaller centres, these services, if they are available, are delivered by a range of federal, provincial and municipal government agencies, acting in partnership with a range of Non-Governmental Organizations. There has been concern that there is a lack of cohesion in this policy network, which is particularly problematic given the network’s vital role in delivering services. Academic research indicates that relevant community actors are not sufficiently connected on immigration issues, and the LIP program has been designed as an information-based policy instrument, providing funding to help organize networked service delivery more effectively – this is seen as a low-cost strategy for improving immigration support in smaller cities. Regions of Canada vary in their strengths and in their challenges, and the LIP program’s focus on enhancing existing immigration-sector networks seeks to account for these differences. This project presents a case study of Lloydminster, Alberta to test the potential applicability and receptivity of the LIP program in a rurally located, economically booming, small Western Canadian city. Lloydminster’s immigration-sector network has improved on its own over time; but organizations on the periphery still feel disconnected, which is negatively impacting immigrant integration. From the data collected through this project, it is clear that a Local Immigration Partnership has the potential to improve the network in Lloydminster, and that the relevant community actors see real benefits in this approach to immigration policy. This research explores the value of the federally funded Local Immigration Partnership (LIP) as it expands to Alberta and other provinces across Canada. While labour market demands make the recruitment and retention of immigrants a serious policy problem in smaller, more isolated centres, the existing academic literature has highlighted the importance of local settlement support services. In smaller centres, these services, if they are available, are delivered by a range of federal, provincial and municipal government agencies, acting in partnership with a range of Non-Governmental Organizations. There has been concern that there is a lack of cohesion in this policy network, which is particularly problematic given the network’s vital role in delivering services. Academic research indicates that relevant community actors are not sufficiently connected on immigration issues, and the LIP program has been designed as an information-based policy instrument, providing funding to help organize networked service delivery more effectively – this is seen as a low-cost strategy for improving immigration support in smaller cities. Regions of Canada vary in their strengths and in their challenges, and the LIP program’s focus on enhancing existing immigration-sector networks seeks to account for these differences. This project presents a case study of Lloydminster, Alberta to test the potential applicability and receptivity of the LIP program in a rurally located, economically booming, small Western Canadian city. Lloydminster’s immigration-sector network has improved on its own over time; but organizations on the periphery still feel disconnected, which is negatively impacting immigrant integration. From the data collected through this project, it is clear that a Local Immigration Partnership has the potential to improve the network in Lloydminster, and that the relevant community actors see real benefits in this approach to immigration policy.
This publication has no Abstract to dispaly

Domestic violence is often framed solely as a cultural and marginal problem within our society, despite its far-reaching impact on women… Domestic violence is often framed solely as a cultural and marginal problem within our society, despite its far-reaching impact on women…
This publication has no Abstract to dispaly