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A ‘sense of belonging’ has been found to have positive effects for all children in school. However, it may be difficult to promote with INA pupils who face cultural, language and systemic barriers. To date, there has been little attempt at investigating the factors in school that can promote a sense of belonging for these pupils. This research attempts to fill some of the gaps in the research that have been identified. Unlike the other research that does exist in this field, the current study focuses on the experience of secondary school aged pupils specifically in UK schools.Two secondary schools were identified to take part in the research through purposive sampling. One a mixed school and the other an all-boys school, both schools have experience of supporting INA pupils. Young people in Year 8-10 were selected as the focus of this research to avoid exam and transition periods. In total 5 INA pupils, 11 peers and 13 staff members contributed to the research. A case study design was used that involved 5 semi-structured interviews, 2 peer focus groups and 2 staff focus groups. The data were partially transcribed and thematic analysis was used to highlight key themes.The findings revealed that ‘belonging’ is a complex, dynamic construct which may also have different cultural connotations. There are many shared themes in relation to conceptualizing belonging and the strategies that are used by the two schools. These findings have wide implications for schools’ practice in relation to supporting INA pupils to foster a sense of belonging and acculturate to their new home.

It has been observed that Italian immigrants in Vancouver do not make use of community resources such as the community centres, library, and the Young Women's Christian Association. This thesis investigates the reasons for this phenomenon by studying the acculturation of Italian immigrant families, with special reference to the use of leisure time. Twenty-two immigrant families were interviewed, and responses were recorded on a questionnaire by the interviewer. It was not possible to obtain a random sample, consequently the respondents tend to represent the economically more successful or those more active in church affairs. The results of the study tend to confirm the initial assumption that the Italian immigrant perpetuates an old world pattern familiar to him by confining his social, cultural and recreational activities to his family, kinship group, his church, and his ethnic organizations. However, the study also shows that these patterns are undergoing a gradual change. Mothers are participating in such strictly New World activities, as the Parent-Teacher Association. Some children take part in community centre activities. These initial steps towards using community resources are particularly noticeable in those first generation Italian immigrants who have been settled in their present neighbourhood for ten years or more, and in the second generation. The study will, it is hoped, be of interest to community planners. The use of typical North American resources is part of a cultural pattern to which some immigrant groups, at least, are not accustomed, and which they adopt only gradually. The speed of acculturation probably varies with the ethnic and cultural background of the groups. / Arts, Faculty of / Social Work, School of / [other author Rosenbluth, Annemarie] / Graduate

An increasing number of graduate students are choosing to pursue their studies internationally and Canada is one of the principal host countries for these students, particularly students from China. The push by many Canadian universities to increase their foreign enrollment has led to new classroom dynamics. Chinese international students (CIS) are at the centre of this change. However, getting accepted into a Canadian graduate program does not necessarily mean that the challenges facing these students are over. Often, they encounter social, cultural, linguistic, and academic challenges that as they navigate the unfamiliar environments they find themselves in. The purpose of this study is to use a conceptual framework based on the notion of acculturation to explore these challenges faced by four Chinese international students who have completed their Master’s of Education degrees in Second Language Education. My goal is not only to provide a platform to highlight the voices of these students, but also to create a greater understanding of the challenges they face for the edification of their classmates, professors and university administrators. The findings of this study demonstrate that my respondents encountered a variety of challenges during their graduate studies in Canada, both inside and outside of the classroom. Although numerous studies have been conducted that examine various aspects of the experiences of international students, none have used the Seidman (2013) three-interview qualitative method. This method provides opportunities for prolonged lengths of time to be spent with each participant, which therefore allows for greater depth of investigation to be reached with each. This study demonstrates how a sample of Chinese international students met and dealt with the socio-cultural, linguistic, and more particularly academic challenges they encountered in Canadian graduate-level courses.

Le jeu vidéo, de par sa popularité impressionnante et relativement récente, nécessite que l’on s’attarde à une analyse de ses impacts potentiels sur ses adeptes. Média largement prédominé par l’anglais, son impact sur l’identité de Franco-ontariens se révèle particulièrement pertinent étant donné la situation linguistique minoritaire de ces joueurs. Cette identité, bien qu’en harmonie avec les jeux vidéo, pourrait-elle entrer en conflit avec la langue de ces mêmes jeux? Dans cette étude, on cherche à étudier l’impact des jeux vidéo (considérés ici comme supports d’apprentissage à l’anglais) sous la forme d’apprentissage de la langue et d’acculturation (c.-à-d. l’ouverture d’esprit face à une autre culture et le délaissement de l’identité francophone). S’inscrivant dans un cadre théorique de sociologie des usages, cette étude s’attarde aux pratiques actuelles de 33 joueurs franco-ontariens, soit les activités et comportements des joueurs, par l’entremise d’un sondage (méthode quantitative) et d’entrevues semi-dirigées (méthode qualitative). Les résultats de la présente thèse suggèrent un impact des jeux vidéo, tant sur l’apprentissage de l’anglais des joueurs franco-ontariens, que sur leur identité. La maîtrise de vocabulaire, termes et expressions, etc. de la langue anglaise et la création d’une identité bilingue chez ces joueurs, résultants d’habitudes de consommation et de communication majoritairement anglophones, soulèvent un questionnement quant à l’avenir de l’identité francophone de ces joueurs.

During 2015 – 2016, thousands of Syrian refugees arrived in Canadian cities, many of them hoping to find permanent settlement and new life opportunities. In the coming years, these refugees will form communities as they settle in Canada, and develop their own understandings of citizenship and belonging. Using an acculturation framework that views schooling as a primary shaper of resettlement experiences, this qualitative study draws on narrative methodology to explore the overarching question: What are the schooling experiences of recently arrived Syrian refugee within the Ottawa public school system? Refugee narratives describe hopes and concerns for the future, and provide insights for school administrators, educators, and policy makers into the previous experiences of refugees, and current challenges. Findings suggest Syrians arrive to Canada with a determination to succeed, and have positive initial schooling experiences, but often face challenges such as: lack of information, change in family roles, and language barriers.

The purpose of the study was to investigate the reasons underlying the lack of facility in spoken English which occurs in a large proportion of the native Indian population. This lack of facility is considered to be an important factor in preventing them from functioning effectively in the larger society of which they are a part. More specifically, the study is concerned with difficulties in oral communication of Indian adolescents and youth. Opinions of authorities in the field of oral communication were investigated and the findings of educationists who have conducted studies among Indian students were reviewed. Personal interviews were conducted with Indian students and with adult authorities involved with Indian education. The study concluded that personal and cultural factors, in addition to language problems, play an important part in reducing the effectiveness in spoken English of Indian people. It is recommended that a program designed to give training and experience in interactive communication and the fundamental speech skills be made available to Indian high school students in order to reduce those factors which inhibit ease of performance in speech. The rationale for this is developed and an outline of the program is presented. Recommendations for further study are discussed and a questionnaire to assess attitudes toward oral communication is presented. / Education, Faculty of / Graduate

Dans le cadre de ce projet de recherche, le processus d’acculturation a été étudié en l’occurrence du phénomène global du flux de migration des Congolais catholiques dans la region d’Ottawa- Gatineau. Nous avons cherché à comprendre la signification que peuvent donner les participants à la rencontre interculturelle lorsque la chorale congolaise catholique anime en rite zaïrois une messe hebdomadaire dans deux paroisses franco- canadiennes. Dans ce contexte d’interculturalité et d’intégration de nouveaux arrivants au Canada, nous nous sommes intéressés au phénomène culturel de l’animation de la chorale Lisanga de la communauté Congolaise-catholique Bondeko d’Ottawa-Gatineau. C’est ainsi que nous avons examiné cette expérience comme une rencontre dans un contexte d’acculturation et d’un espace de convivialité interculturelle. Pour aborder ce sujet, nous avons recueilli des données quantitatives, des données qualitatives et nous nous sommes attachés à l’analyse des données récoltées à partir de notre observation afin de faire ressortir les points d’influence interrelationnels. Nous nous sommes inspirées du modèle d’acculturation interactif (MAI) de Bourhis et coll. (1997) pour recueillir nos données quantitatives puisque ce modèle « tient compte de la réciprocité dynamique qui se crée lors d’une interaction entre deux cultures » (p. 370). De plus, nous avons présenté la notion de cosmopolitisme d’Appiah (2006) et la perspective culturelle sur la mondialisation d’Appadurai (2005) au modèle non seulement pour le bonifier, mais encore pour tenir compte de la réciprocité des énigmes face à une interaction interculturelle. Par le biais de notre étude, nous avons pu constater que cette rencontre interculturelle déclenche un processus d’acculturation interrelationnel de la chorale vers les communautés paroissiales et des communautés paroissiales vers la chorale. Même si certains maintiennent une certaine distance, et qu’il puisse y avoir des bris dans la communication interculturelle, l’événement a suscité la reconnaissance mutuelle chez plusieurs participants dans le cadre d’une activité de détente au sein de l’Église catholique. Ceci veut dire que notre recherche a pu faire avancer les connaissances dans le processus d’acculturation cosmopolite où chacun peut oser sortir de sa zone de confort et reconnaître la richesse de l’autre.

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This study takes an integrative approach to intercultural adaptation by looking at the role of values (i.e. social norms) in the acculturation of Canadian expatriates living in Vietnam. By viewing intercultural adaptation as a process by which expats and host-members “establish (or re-establish) and maintain relatively stable, reciprocal, and functional relationships” (Kim, 2001, p. 3) with their environment, this study focuses on moments of apparent ambiguity, misunderstanding or malaise experienced by expats in their host-community. This emphasis will enable us to better understand how expatriates make sense of their values and social norms during these instances. This research not only sheds light on the ways in which expats make sense of their values, but also how their narratives and stories participate in creating, constituting, and cultivating certain figures during their intercultural adaptation process. The data gathered reveals that the ways in which expats make sense of their values during moments of malaise with their host-community varies quite meaningfully depending on various situational, institutional and personal factors at play during each interaction, as well as what matters most to expats during those moments. Thus, these findings assist in showcasing that misunderstandings experienced in the host-community are complex, as expats consider many factors in order to make sense of, respond to, and adapt to each individual situation.