Equality or Equity? Understanding Immigrant Student Needs in Canadian Higher Education

• In Event: Decolonization and Transformation of Higher Education

Proposal

Immigrants enrolled in Canadian higher education institutions (HEIs) fall under the domestic student category and thus have access to generalized supports provided by HEIs. While this approach by HEIs provides immigrant students with equal opportunities, it fails to consider their specific needs, which in turn can lead to greater challenges for immigrant students. Further, on account of not being recognized as immigrant students by HEIs, their needs remain largely unknown. Thus, the purpose of this study was to understand immigrant student needs, so that HEIs can design appropriate supports for them, which in turn can help make education more equitable for immigrant students.
To understand immigrant student needs, it is first important to comprehend the factors that influence immigrant student behavior and performance. Bandura, in his social cognitive theory (SCT), recognizes that human agency is instrumental to a person’s performance (Marks, 2002) and notes that self-efficacy is one of the most important forms of human agency (Bandura, 1986, 1997, 2002). Self-efficacy is the “core belief that one has the power to produce desired effects” (Bandura & Locke, 2003, p. 87). In self-efficacy, an individual’s perception of their ability is a precursor to the level of progress they achieve (Marks, 2002). Bandura (2002) asserts that an individual’s self-efficacy beliefs are responsible for controlling how they function by influencing their self-confidence or lack thereof, their level of motivation, their emotional wellness, and their decisions, which in turn shape their life. Thus, an immigrant student’s level of self-efficacy can often determine their needs, making this concept relevant for this study.
A qualitative research design was used for this study as it allows for an extensive exploration of participants’ needs and experiences (Creswell, 2011). This study focused on new (arrived in Canada one to five years prior to enrolling in higher education) and mature (24 years or older) immigrants who arrived in Canada under the economic class and thereafter, enrolled as graduate students. Study participants were recruited from HEIs in Ontario, Canada through a combination of advertisements in newsletters, and professional networks. Data was collected through participant interviews and each participant was interviewed twice resulting in eighteen interviews amongst nine participants. For this study, a combination of inductive and deductive thematic analysis was used to code data from the transcripts of participant interviews.
The findings of this study are categorized into three main themes, which reflect their needs from HEIs. In the need to enrol in higher education theme, participants revealed that their need to be successful in Canada often clashed with the realities prevalent in the Canadian labor market that tended to discount their international experience. Pursuing higher education was a way for them to overcome these systematic barriers as well as meet their own high self-expectations of thriving and not just surviving as immigrants. Under the needs while pursuing higher education theme, immigrant students reported having to deal with a range of structural issues from unfamiliarity with the new academic environment, academic language requirements, no social network, opportunity cost for pursuing education, and even discrimination. They experienced high stress at the beginning of their academic journeys and expressed needing guidance in the form of mentors or special orientations to navigate this new higher education system. The need for recognition in higher education theme reflects the implications for immigrant students on account of not being recognized by HEIs either formally or informally. Participants reflected that recognition could lead to more opportunities for them such as greater access to international student services and staff trained to expect and deal with the needs of this unique student group. Non-recognition saw them on an ‘equal footing’ with those who spent their entire life in Canada resulting in an inequitable situation.
This study revealed that while the general needs of immigrant students, such as administrative and career support were met through generic services offered by HEIs to all students, there was little support available when it came to dealing with systemic and structural issues. Thus, creating a situation where there was equality but not equity in HEIs approach to supporting immigrant students. The lack of such support stemmed primarily from the nonrecognition of the immigrant student group by HEIs, thereby inadvertently contributing to the underutilization of immigrants both in academia and outside. Study findings also revealed that the needs of immigrants were often determined by how they perceived themselves. Their personal agency in the form of self-efficacy, often based on their expectations of self and prior experience, determined the activities they participated in as students. For instance, students with high self-efficacy participated in prestigious activities, whereas those with lower self-efficacy often focused on meeting the basic academic requirements. Self-efficacy, thus, is an important factor guiding student behavior and action; however, it is important to note that it is also a dynamic concept that changes in response to context (Sharf, 2013). Therefore, by making equitable efforts or catering to the needs of immigrant students, HEIs can play a role in increasing an immigrant’s self-efficacy.
The findings of this study demonstrate that there is a need for greater discussion about how HEIs can move from an equality to equity approach when it comes to supporting immigrant students. Findings indicate the need for HEIs to create more equitable practices that cater to the needs of this particular group, such as advocating for these students at the labor market and governmental levels, establishing an immigrant student community, and encouraging faculty/staff to critically examine any deficit perceptions they may have about the immigrant student group. Such efforts by HEIs can help create a more inclusive environment for this unrecognized student group, which in turn can help immigrants overcome their settlement barriers and successfully transition into both academia and Canada.

Author

• Alison DCruz