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Risk and Resilience in Narratives of Newcomer Youth Affected by Forced Migration and Interrupted Education: a Canadian Educational Setting

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Risk and Resilience in Narratives of Newcomer Youth Affected by Forced Migration and Interrupted Education: a Canadian Educational Setting Risk and Resilience in Narratives of Newcomer Youth Affected by Forced Migration and Interrupted Education: A Canadian Educational Setting A Thesis Submitted to The College of Graduate Studies and Research In partial Fulfillment of the Requirements For the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy In the Department of Interdisciplinary Studies University of Saskatchewan Saskatoon, Saskatchewan by Koreen A. Geres © Copyright Koreen Geres, September, 2013. All rights reserved. Permission to Use In presenting this dissertation titled Risk and Resilience in Narratives of Newcomer Youth Affected by Forced Migration and Interrupted Education: A Canadian Educational Setting, in partial fulfillment of the requirements for a Postgraduate degree from the University of Saskatchewan, I agree that the Libraries of this University may make it freely available for inspection. I further agree that permission for copying of this dissertation in any manner, in whole or in part, for scholarly purposes may be granted by the professors who supervised my dissertation work or, in their absence, by the Head of the Department of Interdisciplinary Studies or the Dean of the College in which my dissertation work was done. It is understood that any copying or publication or use of this dissertation or parts thereof for financial gain shall not be allowed without my written permission. It is also understood that due recognition shall be given to me and to the University of Saskatchewan in any scholarly use which may be made of any material in my dissertation. Requests for permission to copy or to make other uses of materials in this dissertation in whole or part should be addressed to: Head of the Department of Interdisciplinary Studies University of Saskatchewan 9 Campus Drive S7N 5A5 Canada i Abstract This interdisciplinary dissertation is the result of action research to better understand the academic, social, and emotional needs of youth who arrive in Canada with experiences of interrupted education and forced migration. In the province of Saskatchewan, where there has been a dramatic rise in immigration since 2009, the infrastructure to meet the needs of newcomer youth with high emotional and academic needs remains undeveloped. By taking a youth perspective and employing anti-oppressive methodologies, this study serves to address the gap in research regarding the challenges that create barriers to successful integration into Canadian society as well as the factors that assist youth in living well despite tremendous obstacles. In an effort to employ a methodology that was compatible with an English as an additional language (EAL) classroom setting, narratives were collected in various ways. Eight students in a sheltered (EAL student only) Language Arts class wrote journal entries, reflective essays, illustrated children‟s books, and photo essays. Students also engaged in peer interviews, in-class storytelling as well as personal interviews with the researcher. Three additional EAL students from various classes in the same school submitted personal stories and journal entries. Three teachers were interviewed regarding their use of storytelling as part of the academic program and to build rapport with students. The findings of this study highlight the factors of risk and resilience identified by the student and teacher participants. Factors of risk include pre-migration poverty, experiences of trauma, persecution, large gaps in first language education, and forced migration. Post-migration factors such as the need for appropriate educational programs, loneliness and lack of friends, as well as economic struggles were identified as significant barriers to wellbeing and integration. The youth also showed great insight into the factors that increased their wellbeing and identified the people, places, activities, and values that comforted them in times of overwhelming despair. ii Through their stories, the youth demonstrated the personal qualities that enhanced their resilience and shared words of wisdom for Canadian-born teachers and youth new to Canada. A secondary role of this inquiry was to explore the use of narratives in a classroom setting as way of opening conversations between teachers and students. EAL teachers often take on the role of counsellor and advisor despite having little training for such emotionally demanding tasks. Therefore, there is a great need to introduce teachers to methods of healing in culturally sensitive and familiar spaces. Regular classroom teachers are often unaware of EAL students‟ challenging life stories, strength of character, and rich experiential learning. Narrative activities can work to mitigate cultural misunderstandings and build social capital. Storytelling is a viable strategy to encourage language learning, build community, and address emotionally difficult issues while serving as a research methodology to inform education theory and practice. iii Acknowledgments There are many people without whose support I could not have completed this six-year journey. Thank you to Saskatoon Public Schools for providing a one-year education leave and particularly Superintendent Bruce Bradshaw who offered a great deal of moral support. Because of the training and funding from the Dr. Stirling McDowell Foundation, I was able to learn about action research and explore digital storytelling with my students. This helped shape my multi- method approach for this dissertation. A huge thank you to Dr. Valery Chirkov who encouraged me to apply for Interdisciplinary Studies, guided me through the application process and comprehensive exam, and listened to my numerous stories of concern for students new to Canada. Dr. Fatima Pirbhai-Illich, who has made significant contributions to our provincial EAL teachers‟ association, also offered her support during my application for graduate studies and the completion of the comprehensive exam. I‟m particularly thankful for the encouragement of Dr. Bernard Schissel who took the time to listen to an unknown graduate student and whose comment, “You‟re doing important work” was as meaningful as any award. Dr. George Khachatourians, former Head of Interdisciplinary Studies, supported me through difficult times and gave me the courage to carry on. Dr. Angela Ward also offered a great deal of support and guidance with her rare ability to inspire students‟ minds while nurturing their souls. Dr. Amal Madibbo from the University of Calgary supported me in my search to understand how trauma negatively influences youths‟ capacity to trust. Dr. Jaswant Guzder from the University of McGill was a role model and mentor who introduced me to the world of transcultural psychiatry and encouraged me to pursue my goal of providing trauma support for newcomers to Saskatchewan. Dr. Binnie Kristal-Andersson opened her clinic and home in Stockholm, Sweden. She took the time from her busy schedule to help me understand how settlement issues iv and the consequences of trauma affect young migrants around the world. Both Dr. Guzder and Dr. Kristal-Andersson stressed the importance of teachers in the process of healing. Next, I want to recognize and thank my committee. Dr. Karla Jessen Williamson believed in my dream of conducting anti-oppressive research. She saw the value of doing action research and the importance of sharing my research with teachers and teacher candidates. Dr. Ulrich Teucher challenged me to think about culture in new ways, examine my social constructionist stance, and justify my educational philosophies. Besides being a personal support to me, Dr. Judy White helped me take off my middle-class, white blindfold that prevented me from recognizing how I perpetuate oppression through seemingly innocuous everyday language. Dr. Wilfrid Denis entered my classroom as a researcher and left as the chair of my committee. In addition to taking on the onerous task of organizing meetings and checking the paper work, he spent many hours providing feedback and editing my dissertation. Dr. Carolyn Brooks took on the duties of supervisor half-way through my program, but she made a very large impact. Without Carolyn‟s guidance, I would not have had the courage to delve into the resilience literature. She put a researcher‟s stamp of approval on my idea to use student-generated photos as part of my research. What I thought was my innovation, was actually Photovoice. The literature on Photovoice and resilience led me to the work of Dr. Ann Cameron who later became the external examiner at my defence. Dr. Cameron‟s devotion to the wellbeing of children and her encouragement for me to be strong in my work as an ally was a great gift. The graduate studies road can be a lonely one, but fortunately, I had the great support of those who had gone before me. Doctors Bonnie Skaalid, Bill Gulka, Bing (Helen) Cui, and Denise McConney were without a doubt, my surrogate department members. Their wisdom and advice was priceless. v There are many friends who helped me stay focused and determined. I wouldn‟t have made it without Terry Scott, Wilma Poole, Ursula Proctor, Carla Burke, and Michele Pokraka. They changed their plans to meet my needs and gave me the emotional support to stay attached to my computer. Paulette Lachambre‟s excellent editing skills and insightful comments got me through the final stages of revisions. My friend and co-worker, Anna-Marie Mackenzie spent many hours listening to my tales of woe and anecdotes of joy, acting as a sounding board for my developing theories and challenging me to justify my philosophical stance. My family members have played a significant role in helping me complete my academic goals. From my mother, Carla, I learned to have compassion for others and take pleasure in the beauty of music, nature, and children. Despite the ravages of dementia, she continues to remind me that there is healing power in a gentle touch and a loving smile. My father, Peter, has taught me many valuable lessons through my life: learn something every day; do kind deeds; and dance, dance, dance. For the last ten years, my dad has been my housemate, personal chef and gardener.
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