The purpose of this study was to explore the experiences and life-stories of recent Canadian immigrant women and their resilience in every day life. A qualitative methodology involving repeated in-depth person-centered interviewing (two to three interviews for each participant) focused on a holistic and in-depth understanding of resilience. Five immigrant women volunteered to participate in the study. Snowball sampling and ‘word of mouth’ were used to recruit participants. Narrative analysis (first level) and thematic analysis (second level) were used to explore. In addition to the life stories, three major themes emerged from the data: Life before Canada; A Journey of Compound Stressors; and Resilience in Everyday Life. Loneliness surfaced as a dominant stressor among the participants as a consequence of immigration. The absence of friendships within the context of immigration was a new finding emerging from this study. Findings further our understanding of recent Canadian immigrant women’s life experiences and concomitantly their resilience. Suggestions for future research are addressed in this study. / xiii, 262 leaves ; 29 cm

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In training programs designed to help immigrant women adapt to Canada, drop-out rates are frequently high and attendance is often low. Investigating some reasons behind this observation was the motivation for this thesis. A literature review revealed that curricula used in existing programs are often developed from experts' understanding of immigrants' needs; research on immigrant women's curricular needs as perceived by themselves is virtually nonexistent. An objective of this thesis was to address this knowledge gap. This study inquired into what curricular needs immigrant women have, how these needs differ, and what relationship exists between the women's backgrounds and their curricular needs. A questionnaire was developed and validated by an expert panel, and then administered to graduates from an orientational training program. Post-survey interviews were conducted. Data were analyzed using frequency distribution, cluster analysis, multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA), factor analysis, and linear discriminant analysis. It was found that the program, although well received, did not reflect the curricular needs perceived by the immigrant women themselves. Life skills instruction was unwanted by many students while English and computer lessons were in demand. A desire to regain higherquality jobs partially explained the women's curricular needs.

Most recent Canadian studies on the mental health and behavioural problems of Canadian immigrant children have focused on the impact of various socioeconomic and demographic factors. To better understand the emotional and behavioural problems of immigrant children, it is important to look beyond the children's family demographics and to assess the broader social context. The current study explored the effects of immigrant children's social relationships within families and peer groups, as well as the effects of their demographic backgrounds, on the children's behavioural problems. This paper is based on the data for 182 Chinese immigrant children aged 11 to 13 years old collected from the New Canadian Children and Youth Study (NCCYS) 1st Wave in Montreal. Measures of the social relationships and behavioural problems include the following three tools: children's perceptions of their emotional and behavioural problems scales (five subscales); children's perception of parental relationships (parental nurturance, parental rejection, and relationships with parents); peer relationships (social competence, involvement with peers in trouble, and participating in bullying). The regression results indicated that immigrant children's relationships with both parents and peers were the most significant predictor of specific behaviour problems. Demographic factors, especially family structure, gender, and ethnicity, were also found to influence behavioural problems of Chinese immigrant children. In order to improve the integration and adaptation process for immigrant children and their families with adjustment difficulties in their social relationships and behavioural problems, relevant intervention and prevention programs (including early identification of children at risk, developing pro-social skills, improving parent-child interaction skills) need to be developed in school settings in collaboration with the community, by government, and by ethno-specific community groups.

Understanding the lives of Italian women who migrated to Canada and Australia in the post-war period is the goal of this thesis. Although governments assigned women secondary roles as dependants and 'followers' in the migration process, I argue that Italian women were central, not marginal, to the migration and settlement experiences of Italian immigrants. By placing Italian women front and centre of this study, I contribute to a small but growing body of work that challenges the male-centred perspective of most literature on Italian-Canadian and Italian-Australian migration and ethnicity. / This thesis is structured within a feminist framework and uses interdisciplinary methods to gather and interpret quantitative and qualitative information about the lives of Italian immigrant women in post-war Canada and Australia. Using government and church archives, personal interviews, ethnic newspapers, legal documents, marriage registers and participant observer fieldwork, I explore three major themes. / Firstly, I examine Italian immigrant women's understanding of power relations within their homes and workplaces. Rather than cast women as either passive victims or all-conquering heroines, I present the complexity of the sources of power and weakness in immigrant women's lives. I argue that Italian immigrant women had to cope with exploitation and disadvantage because of their class, gender and ethnic status. However, they responded to these challenges with resistance and resilience, and were able to affect change and wield power within certain constraints. / Secondly, I compare the experiences of migration and settlement for Italian immigrant women in Canada and Australia and show how women's experiences were united by common gender concerns. I found overwhelming similarities between the family lives and work experiences of Italian-Canadian and Italian-Australian immigrant women, and in the government policies and programs that attempted to direct their migration and settlement in the post-war period. / Finally, I examine how Italian immigrant women helped to construct what it means to be 'Italian' in post-war Canada and Australia. I show how gender roles assigned to, and chosen by, Italian-Canadian and Italian-Australian women, served as boundary markers for ethnic difference. Perceived differences in attitudes towards waged work, mothering, family responsibilities and sexuality were used by Italian immigrant women to distinguish themselves as members of an ethnic collective.

The purpose of this qualitative study is to understand how children within a Canadian Czech diasporic context, create and discover their Czech heritage language and culture through meaningful active participation in areas provided within the constructs of a non traditional setting such as a summer camp. Five contextual areas of the camp were identified and studied. The areas are: activities, food, camp counselors, staff dynamics and location. Braziel and Mannur (2003) and Rampton's (1990) aspects of "language inheritance" and "language affiliation" inform the analysis.

This thesis compares multiculturalism policies in Canada and Sweden, emphasising immigrant and ethnic minority political participation and representation. The analysis follows a structural approach, looking at, in each country, the level of "institutional inclusiveness" or the degree of openness to cultural diversity. Though Sweden offers better formal conditions for integration, Canada fares much better in incorporating immigrants and ethnic minorities in its citizenry. This suggests that Canadian institutions are more reflective of the principles of multiculturalism. Still, in both countries, visible minorities face more obstacles than other groups in the process of integration.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Toronto, 2006. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 67-07, Section: A, page: 2764. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 247-260).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Carleton University, 2004. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 375-399). Also available in electronic format on the Internet.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Toronto, 2006. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 67-07, Section: A, page: 2764. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 247-260).