Exclusion or Inclusion? Development of the Sense of Belonging Among Elementary School Muslim Students in Alberta

• In Event: Roundtable Session 5
  In Roundtable Session: Disabiling Concepts of Inclusion and Exclusion

Abstract

This paper presents preliminary results of a research which is still in progress. The study is investigating elementary school Muslim students’ classroom experiences in Alberta. The main question of the study is: How do elementary school Muslim children experience schooling in Canada and how have these experiences either supported or diminished these students’ sense of belonging? The study is using the interpretive inquiry approach. The participants of the study are Muslim immigrant children currently attending mainstream schools in Alberta. The analysis of narratives method is used for data analysis. The interpretation of the dialogues with children about their lived experiences of schooling serves as a foundation for critical analysis of school culture.

Key words: Belonging, Racism, Muslims, Interpretive Inquiry

Author

• Afshan Amjad, University of Alberta