During the past four decades researchers note that educational institutions fail to “connect” with minority students (e.g. Clark, 1983; Coelho, 1998; Dei, 1994; Duffy, 2003; Ogbu, 1978, 1991). Carr and Klassen (1996) define this lack of “connection” primarily as teachers’ disregard for each student’s culture as it relates to race, and thus, his or her achievement potential. Hence, this disregard encourages minority students to question their ability to be successful. Dei (1994), furthermore, shows a tremendous disconnectedness from schools and education systems being felt by Black students. Few studies give voice to specific groups of Black female high school graduates who opt out of pursuing higher education. I interviewed four Black Guyanese immigrant women to: (a) investigate their reasons and expectations when immigrating to Canada, (b) identify what influenced their decision not to pursue postsecondary education, (c) explore their definitions of success, and (d) investigate how/if their notions of success relate to obtaining postsecondary education in Canada. Critical Race Theory (CRT) was employed in this study to: (a) provide a better understanding of the participants’ classroom dynamics governed by relationships with their teachers, guidance counsellors and school administrators, (b) examine educational outcomes governed by personal and educational relationships and experiences, and (c) provide conceptual tools in the investigation of colour-blindness (Parker & Roberts, 2005) that is disguised in Canadian education, immigration, and other government policies. To support my investigation, I used CRT to guide the research design, modes of documentation, and the process of analysis. It is hoped that my findings and analysis enriches the academy and society by communicating why there is a scarcity of Black Guyanese immigrant women in Canadian postsecondary institutions, making recommendations, to increase their participation in higher education. This study communicates the experiences of four Black Guyanese immigrant women in Canada. It does not intend to make generalizations about the experiences of all Black Guyanese immigrant women in Canada. / Thesis (Master, Education) -- Queen's University, 2009-04-27 11:29:04.43

Alors que de plus en plus d’immigrants intègrent le marché de travail au Québec, il y a un intérêt grandissant pour comprendre les facteurs qui influent leur succès de carrière. Des études actuelles qui focalisent sur les antécedents de succès de carrière montrent que les organisations sont au cœur de ce processus non seulement parce qu’elles forment le contexte dans lequel évoluent les carrières mais surtout parce qu’elles ont la capacité de mettre en place des pratiques et des politiques organisationnelles qui peuvent promouvoir de façon active le succès de carrière chez les employé(e)s (Bagdadli and Gianecchini, 2019). Outre ces pratiques et politiques organisationnelles, des recherches ont montré que des facteurs sociodémographiques, tels la race, le genre et le statut d’immigrant des individus peuvent aussi avoir un impact sur le succès de carrière des individus. Dans le cadre de cette étude exploratoire, nous nous sommes penchés sur le sentiment de réussite de carrière des femmes noires d’origine immigrante au Québec. Nous nous sommes intéressés tout particulièrement à leurs perceptions de leur succès de carrière ainsi qu’à ses déterminants. Nous avons examiné à la fois l’influence des facteurs organisationnels et celle de leur identité de femme noire immigrante sur leur succès de carrière. Bien que nos résultats montrent que certaines femmes ont pu bénéficier des pratiques organisationnelles qui visent à promouvoir le développement de leurs carrières, la plupart ont indiqué qu’elles ont dû faire face à d’importantes barrières en lien avec leur identité sociale. Ces barrières ont eu une influence négative sur leurs perceptions de leur succès de carrière. Les résultats de notre recherche sont importants du point de vue organisationnel et institutionnel car ils jettent un regard critique sur l’impact des pratiques et politiques qui sont en place dans les organisations au Québec et pointent dans la direction des solutions afin de réduire ou d'enrayer les barrières existantes et leurs effets auprès des femmes noires immigrantes. / As increasing numbers of immigrants integrate the labour market in Quebec, there is growing interest in understanding the factors that influence their career success. Existing research examining the antecedents of career success shows that organizations play a key role in the process not only because they provide the context in which careers unfold but especially because they can, though various organizational career management (OCM) practices and policies, actively promote the career development of their employees (Bagdadli and Gianecchini, 2019). In addition to OCM practices, which may take various forms, research has also shown that factors related to an individuals’ social identity can influence their career outcomes as well. Among the different facets of an individual’s social identity researchers have identified race, gender, and immigration status as some of the factors that are most likely to influence individuals’ career outcomes. In this exploratory research, which focused on Black immigrant women in Quebec, we examined their perceptions of career success as well as investigated the perceived role of OCM practices and social identity factors in their career outcomes. While our study found that some women benefitted from OCM practices that contributed to their career success, for the most part, the women faced important barriers to their career success, which can linked to the different facets of their social identity. These findings are important from both an organizational and institutional standpoint as they provide useful information regarding the impact of existing practices on this category of employees as well point towards possible solutions that are geared towards minimizing or removing existing barriers and their effects.