This study introduces a different kind of collaborative research whereby two
researchers co-design and co-conduct the research and draw their own conclusions from
the shared data. The data, gathered using qualitative tools such as surveys,
questionnaires, and interviews, was further enriched as a result of having two individuals
from different backgrounds interpreting the data. The data collected from 14 university
students who were once identified as ESL students in British Columbia, Canada, were
transcribed then analyzed using NUD*IST qualitative computer software. The focus was
on their perceptions of ESL programs, immigration process, and socio-cultural factors
that contributed to their academic and social integration success.
Participants' own words centered mostly on their relationships with families,
friends, and ESL teachers as major factors contributing to their success. ESL programs
served as their safety nets as the majority suggested that their journey into social and
academic mainstreams had undesirable effects on their experiences. Three major factors
were identified as having both helped and hindered their adaptation and integration into
Canadian school and society: family influence, bicultural identities, and segregation.
Results from this study suggest a number of theoretical and practical implications.
First, this study need to be replicated in different contexts using a longitudinal approach
to document how immigrant ESL students construct their experiences within and outside
of school overtime. Secondly, research need to aim at understanding the tension between
students' home and school cultures and encourage involvement and collaboration
between ESL students, parents, and teachers. In addition, examining how ESL students interact with their mainstream counterparts may provide helpful guidelines for schools to
foster an environment whereby unity and support exist between the two groups.
This study concludes with both researchers' reflection on each other's thesis. This
step led to a critical reexamination of their interpretation. Differences and similarities
emerged from this process. The similarities both researchers shared provided a greater
degree of validity and reliability to this project. On the other hand, the differences that
emerged served to enrich the data by providing two perspectives to the same problem.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:LACETR/oai:collectionscanada.gc.ca:BVAU.2429/12069 |
| Date | 05 1900 |
| Creators | Chen, Louis S. C. |
| Source Sets | Library and Archives Canada ETDs Repository / Centre d'archives des thèses électroniques de Bibliothèque et Archives Canada |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Relation | UBC Retrospective Theses Digitization Project [http://www.library.ubc.ca/archives/retro_theses/] |
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