2008-2009 PMC Funded Research
ABSTRACTS - FUNDED GRANTS 2008-2009
Henry Chow
Canadian Citizenship, Immigration, and Multiculturalism: A Survey of Post-Secondary Students in Saskatchewan
A nation based on immigration, Canada has a long history of being culturally diverse. To understand the extent to which the Canadian immigration program and multicultural policies are successful, it is vital to explore the attitudes and behavior of both immigrants and members of the mainstream society. Previous studies undertaken in the U.S. reveals that attitudes toward immigrants and immigration are not always positive. The negative attitudes and behavior of the dominant group members could have devastating effects on minority and immigrant communities. In contemporary Canadian research on immigration limited attention has been given to Canadians’ attitudes toward immigrants and perceptions of multiculturalism. Drawing on the integrated threat theory and the self-categorization theory, this proposed study will examine (1) attitudes toward immigrants and immigration; (2) perceptions of multiculturalism and multicultural policies; (3) investigate perceptions of national identity and citizenship; and (4) disentangle the socio-demographic, background, and psycho-social (e.g., national identity, sense of belonging, personal values) variables that may influence attitudes and perceptions. The study will be conducted using a sample of 1,000-1,500 students enrolled in post-secondary educational institutions in Saskatchewan. The findings from this study will shed light on the challenges to race and ethnic relations in this multicultural country. The results will also have significant policy implications for immigrant workers and policy-makers who are responsible for recruiting, welcoming, and integrating immigrants. In particular, the findings will be useful for those at the local, provincial, and national levels who design and implement policies and practices related to multiculturalism.
Gina Higginbottom
The Experience and Transitioning of Internationally Educated Nurses (IRN’s) Into the Canadian Health Care System in Alberta
Australia, Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom have sought to redress deficits in the nursing workforce via the recruitment of internationally trained nurses (IEN). The ethics of such strategies are complex. Capital Health in Alberta has recently undertaken recruitment drives in Australia, India, UK and the Philippines to address nursing workforce deficits regionally, resulting in 800 contingent job offers. Scant research to date has been conducted on the transition of IENs into the Canadian healthcare context; existing research largely focuses on credentialing issues, however a smooth transition ultimately impacts not only on IEN’s but the health care provision in general.
A qualitative study located within the interpretive paradigm is appropriate for an exploratory descriptive study of this nature. The study is a focused ethnography in 4 phases.
- A systematic review of the literature
- Documentary analysis
- Semi-structured interviews with 30 IEN’s at 3/6 and 9/12 months post-relocation
- Focus group Interviews x 2
Data will be analyzed using Roper and Shapira’s framework with the aid of NVIVO7. Approvals will be sought. Findings will be valuable for Immigration Canada – skilled worker program, Health Care, Employers, Credentialing Body Implications and IEN’s including the production of a DVD resource. A multi-level dissemination plan aimed at policy level, service providers and other key stakeholders such as Internationally Educated Nurses and credentialing bodies.
Abdie Kazemipur
Immigration and the Diversity Dilemma: The Case of Muslims in Canada
The rapid increase in the ethnic/cultural diversity of immigrant-receiving countries such as Canada has generated a new challenge, referred to as the ‘challenge of diversity’. The fast rise of ethnic diversity in such countries is viewed to be resulting in the loss of a common national identity, the loss of support for the welfare state, and an elevated sense of insecurity among citizens. Such a view was further reinforced with the heavy involvement of some 1st and even 2nd generation immigrants from ethnic/cultural minority backgrounds in a series of terrorist and/or violent events that have occurred in immigrant-receiving countries since early this decade. One consequence of this rising perception has been a growing tendency to abandon Multiculturalism in Europe, North America, and Australia. In most cases, the perceived threat of diversity is directly linked to the presence of Muslim immigrants, to the extent that statements about accepting or rejecting Multiculturalism have become the politically-correct versions of views about Muslim immigrants. The purpose of the current proposal is to study this issue in the Canadian context. The guiding hypotheses of the study are twofold. First, the perceived association between diversity and the above-mentioned social ills does not seem to be present in Canada; rather, there are some signs of the presence of a ‘Canadian exceptionalism’. Second, even if such an association is found to be present in Canada, there exist certain circumstances in which the social ills associated with the rising ethnic/cultural diversity can be avoided. These hypotheses will be examined with a special reference to Muslim immigrants in Canada, utilizing a wide variety of nationally representative survey data generated by Statistics Canada, and a series of in-depth interviews.
Darren Lund
Engaging Young People in Social Justice Activism: Insights from Former Student Leaders
This research will extend the findings from my past two Metropolis-funded research projects on school activism, and draw on the wisdom of former student leaders in successful school-based social justice initiatives. The impact of school-based initiatives in creating welcoming learning environments for immigrant and refugee students is well documented. The insights of student leaders into a range of issues surrounding this work have long been overlooked by practitioners, theorists and researchers alike, and will be instrumental in formulating effective approaches to welcome and honour immigrant, refugee and other marginalized students into the educational system, and into communities. Topics under investigation will include the recruiting and retaining student activists, effective planning and implementation of projects, mediating school and district administrative issues, collaborating with community and government agencies, engaging positively with the media, using technology, and other salient topics that emerge through the study. From the outset, the research will be innovative, utilizing a newly established duo-ethnographic methodology, and current technology including web-based social networking sites.
Paulin Mulatris
The Role of African Christian Churches in the Social and Civic Integration of Newcomers and Refugees
In the last five years, the number of African Christian churches in Edmonton, which constitute the main gathering places for African immigrants, has risen considerably. In spite of the numerous studies that highlight the importance of religion and religious communities in the adaptation process of new immigrants, research on religious groups has not focused on the precise role and impact of these churches (Bramadat et al. 2008). This pilot research aims to answer the three questions arising out of the need to know these churches: 1) What type of churches are these and who are their members? 2) How do the members of these churches perceive their host society and how do they see their relationship with it? 3) Does affiliation with these churches truly have an impact on the community involvement, the educational or professional aspirations of their youth or adult members?
To answer these research questions, the author will rely on qualitative data collection methods (individual, semi-structured interviews, focus groups) and interview members and leaders of two francophone African Christian churches in Edmonton. Data analysis will yield recommendations that will help: a) political decision makers (community organizations) to better know their target clientele and develop their integration strategies in accordance with this knowledge; b) immigrants integrate essential civic values into their cultural development. The articles that this research project will generate will be the first scholarly publications on this subject.
Delphine Nakache
The Legal Status of Temporary Migrants Admitted for Employment in Canada: A Comparative Study of Law and Practice for Low-Skilled and Highly-Skilled Migrant Workers in the Alberta Labour Market
Although Canada has traditionally been a country of permanent immigration, levels of temporary migration have risen steadily in recent years. In response to labour market shortages caused by aging populations and Western Canada’s booming economy, the federal government has been involved in initiatives to further facilitate the entry of temporary foreign workers under the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP). It is not easy, however, to determine how the program works and is shared between the two levels of government. The changes in policy have not been accompanied by legislative changes, which makes it increasingly difficult to assess the level of rights and protections offered to the different categories of migrant workers, especially the less-skilled ones whose working opportunities have been recently expanded under this program. The latest concern is the avenue to permanent immigration for temporary migrant workers introduced by Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) in 2008; only highly-skilled workers qualify under this class, which raises questions of discrimination between the two groups.
This four-year project involves documentary research and interviews with migrant workers and persons working in the field. Its main objectives are to analyze the Canadian rules relating to the legal status of both the highly-skilled and low-skilled temporary migrant workers, and to examine their integration in the Alberta labour market. Questions addressed include: 1) How should the TFWP be modified to better protect the migrant worker? 2) Do the rules under this program assist or discourage eventual integration in the country of employment?
Clea Schmidt
The Successes and Challenges of EAL Immigrant Youth in Rural Manitoba
Increasing numbers of EAL immigrant learners in K-12 classrooms present new challenges and opportunities for Canada’s Immigration and education systems to take stock of how EAL learners are faring in various regions of the country and to consider how the success of EAL and immigrant youth may be facilitated as they strive to meet their personal, academic, and career goals. This research project will document the graduation outcomes and goal attainment of English as an Additional Language (EAL) immigrant youth in a rural K-12 school division, Hanover School Division (HSD), located in Steinbach, Manitoba. A mixed methods research approach will be used to a) document and analyze statistics from EAL student records over the past ten years to determine academic background and graduation rates, and b) develop profiles of former students to analyze the extent to which they reached their post-secondary academic and/or career goals. The information will be used to inform EAL programming and policies in HSD, Manitoba, and other regions of Canada. Such a study is needed at a time when Hanover, like many other Manitoban and Canadian school divisions, is experiencing a rapid increase in numbers of EAL immigrant students (HSD went from having 23 funded EAL learners to over 1,200 within a ten-year period). This research constitutes the first study of its kind tracking the performance of EAL immigrant youth within one region of Manitoba; moreover, little is known about the performance of EAL immigrant learners outside major urban centers in Canada.
Regan Shercliffe
Validation of the Karen Depression Scale (KDS)
Migration may lead to depression through mediators such as stress, acculturation, loss of employment, and life events before, during, and after reception into the host country. Moreover, war, torture, bereavement, and forced separation from family make refugees even more vulnerable to depression (Turner et al., 2003). One of the growing ethnic groups in Canada is the Karennis, who have experienced years of persecution by the Burmese government and Karen refugees are exposed to risk factors that could lead to depressions. Depression has been studied substantially in Western cultures and the current definition of depression used by Canadian practitioners is linked to a Western understanding of depression. Using the current definition of depression to assess refugee populations such as the Karen, risks missing culturally relevant symptoms that can result in misdiagnosis or no diagnosis. Undiagnosed mood disorder can negatively impact health status and settlement.
James Townsend
Quantifying the Impact of the Manitoba Provincial Nominee Program
Provincial Nominee Programs (PNPs) allow provinces to sponsor potential immigrants on the basis of locally defined economic development goals and are viewed as a means of promoting immigration to regions with low immigrant inflows. Manitoba has the most established Provincial Nominee Program. As of 2003, the Manitoba program accounted for 75% of PNP landings and accounted for about 48% of the total immigration to the province.
The first objective of the proposed research is to examine the impact that the PNP has had on immigrant flows to Manitoba. We will use data from the Permanent Residents Data System (PRDS) on immigrant flows to the province before and after implementation of the PNP to determine whether the program has had a measurable effect in attracting immigrants to Manitoba. Second, using data from the Longitudinal Immigration Database (IMDB) and Canadian Censuses, we will evaluate whether the Manitoba PNP has had a discernable effect on 1) characteristics, in particular skill content, of recent immigrants to the province; 2) selecting immigrants that would stay in the province (increase retention rate); and 3) integration of immigrants into the Manitoban economy.
The proposed research would provide not only an assessment of the Manitoba PNP but also insights into identifying characteristics of immigrants that are most likely to stay and be successful in securing gainful employment in the province. The findings from the research would be useful for Citizenship and Immigration Canada and Manitoba Labour and Immigration in formulating and revising Provincial Nominee Programs.
Sophie Yohani
Educational Cultural Brokers and Refugee Children’s School Adaptation
This study examines the role of educational cultural brokers in the adaptation of refugee children and families. It aims at developing a brokering model for educational settings that support both the children and their families in the process of acculturation. With growing numbers of refugee and immigrant children from known areas of conflict and associated risks, resettlement countries such as Canada have begun to recognize the need for more services aimed at assisting families with children through the early years of resettlement. While parents of newcomer children have high expectations for their children’s school adaptation and academic achievement, both families and school staff are often unprepared when it comes to negotiating cultural differences that are in the best interest of children. Study questions include: What strategies do cultural brokers use to facilitate the adaptation of refugee children in school settings? What opportunities and barriers to cultural brokering exist in educational settings? What policies are in place that facilitate or hinder the role of cultural brokers in educational settings? A case study of seven educational cultural brokers will be used to address these questions using focus groups, critical incidents, semi-structured interviews and review of documents. This study has relevance both for practice and educational policy as it relates to service provision for refugee children and their families. Implications will include recommendations regarding (1) the relevance of educational brokers to school settings (2) ways to improve the role of educational cultural brokers and (3) policy recommendations for supporting educational cultural brokers.
~ 1 ~