Perspective Chapter: Behind the Exceptional Educational Pathways of Canadian Youth from Immigrant Background - Between Equality and Ethnic Hierarchy

Abstract

This chapter aims to show that, behind the general exceptional academic pathways of Canadian students from immigrant backgrounds, some of these young people, belonging to racialized ethnic minorities, are less likely to access and graduate from postsecondary education. Its specific objective is to describe the general portrait of their educational pathways. A synopsis of some recent studies shows that that these students often face structural barriers at the institutional level. Comparative analyses between young Canadians of immigrant origins and their peers who are not recognize the remarkable success of Canadian immigrants, a rather exceptional phenomenon compared to what is observed internationally. However, this chapter stresses that this portrait must be nuanced: a number of studies highlight significant disparities among young people from immigrant backgrounds according to the ethnocultural and geographic origin of their parents. The situation is less favorable or unfavorable, in the case of certain racialized groups. Therefore, following an overview of the contribution of studies inspired by a postpositivist approach, this chapter highlights some dimensions that have been traditionally obscured. This allows for a better understanding of the relationship between the effects of various factors (individual, institutional, systemic) that structure and perpetuate inequalities and ethnic hierarchy among students from immigrant backgrounds.

Instruction Increases Canadian Students’ Preference for and Use of Lateral Reading Strategies to Fact-Check Online Information

“…We speculate that this may be linked to students’ immigrant status, as prior research suggests that immigrant and nonimmigrant students in Canada have comparable levels of academic achievement (Cheng & Yan, 2018), and children of immigrants may even have higher educational attainment than their peers (Rothon et al, 2009). However, considering immigrant status alone does not take into account the heterogeneity of students’ achievements and experiences, including disparities between racial/ethnic groups (Kamanzi & Collins, 2021). Future studies should include additional demographic measures and measures of academic ability (e.g., reading skills) to better parse out associations with these different factors.…”

Ethnocultural Empathy Level: A Study Case in Counseling Students

“…This process can be particularly challenging for immigrant students who may need help to balance their heritage culture with the expectations of the host society. Additionally, the study by Canisius & Collins (2022) emphasizes how the educational pathways of Canadian youth from immigrant backgrounds are influenced by factors such as equality and ethnic hierarchy, shedding light on the complexities of navigating educational systems as individuals from diverse ethnocultural backgrounds.…”