Professional Documents
Culture Documents
I. Introduction
reason is that parents think that Canada is the land of opportunity. They are motivated
to migrate because of their willingness to make a good future for their families (Holloway
et al., 2010). Their reason for coming to Canada has influenced their expectations of
their children (The Globe and Mail, 2012). Immigrants to Canada encounter numerous
(Brown, 1997). Children of different ethnicity have immigrated to Canada due to several
reasons like better educational and economic opportunities and safer and healthier
lives. (Anisef & Bunch, 1994). The youth, regardless of their families reasons for
immigrating, are facing high unemployment rates, peer pressure to fit in the society, and
significant pressure from their families to succeed academically and pursue professional
careers, as well as strict codes regarding the familys culture, and the language barrier
which affects the youths academic performance (Anisef & Bunch, 1994).
II. Education
success (Brown, 1997). Newcomer youth are dedicated to take advantage of the
Canada and any other parts of the world, education is the single most important thing
that would determine a persons success (The Globe and Mail, 2012). Immigrant youth
strongly believed that those who do not have an education are less likely to obtain a job
because employers look for employees with a good level of education (The Globe and
Mail, 2012).
education. Youth were dropping out of school due to a number of combined factors,
including socio-economic status, economic status and financial issues which play a big
opportunities (Anisef & Bunch, 1994). One solution than immigrant parents found is to
put up a lot of savings in the bank for their childrens future education (Globe and Mail,
2014). Study shows that immigrant parents are more likely to save more in advance
than those of Canadian parents. The immigrant parents dont have the resources to
challenges coping up with the school system. They have academic problems in
classroom, socializing with peers, joining the class discussion and they are more likely
to drop out from school (Globe and Mail, 2014). Some factors that may cause these
problems include policies in school, treatment of teachers towards the students, and
school programs that encourage newcomer youth to participate in school (The Globe
and Mail, 2012). Lam (1994) believes that immigrant parents may also contribute to
their childrens decision to leave school system because the youth feel like it would be
The age of immigrant youths when they came to Canada was considered one of
the most important factors in settlement and adaptation (Anisef & Bunch, 1994).
According to Statistics Canada (2003), youth who arrive in Canada when they are older
are more likely to drop out than those who arrive here at an earlier age. Corak (2011)
said that immigrant families should consider the time of immigration in order for their
children to obtain educational success in the future. When youth arrive in Canada at a
young age, they generally have more opportunities to learn about the Canadian system
because they go to school (Fellegi, 2006). They have a more time in the school system
to adjust to the new culture and are less established in their original culture (Holloway et
al., 2010). Based on research, older immigrant youth said that it was harder for them to
adapt to a new life because they had already started school in their home countries and
already had a strong friendships established there (Anisef & Bunch, 1994). They also
felt shy, isolated, uncertain and passive in the Canadian environment (Corak, 2011).
Because they enter the school system at an age when most of their peers are already in
tend to unwell (Fellegi, 2006). For these youth the experience of separation from
extended family members, friends and places they had to leave behind is still affecting
their current relationships and making it hard for them to adapt in the new society they
English mastery is the single most important prerequisite for academic success
and a great factor for adaptation to Canada (Tienda & Haskins, 2011). Hiebert (1998)
said that even though immigrant children and youth learn English language more easily
than their parents, they may still experience difficulties such as alienation and poor
academic performance (Tienda & Haskins, 2011). Learning English was found to be a
key of acceptance in their new world (Anisef & Kilbride, 2003). Without English
language skills, youth felt isolated in their schools because they cannot speak with other
children and sometimes cannot understand their teachers and their instructions (Corak,
2011). In order to solve these problems, youth are generally placed in ESL programs,
which help them learn the basics of English and provide them with ways to cope with
adaptation issues (Keung, 2008). While the intentions of these programs are admirable
and the results are generally positive, the fact remains that placement in ESL (English
V. Culture
Clash between old and new cultures greatly affects the relationship immigrant
youth and their families (Desai, 1998). Some parents responded to this struggle
between cultures by resisting adapting the new culture (Desai, 1998). Youth relates this
resistance to a lack of understanding their parents had of both Canadian culture and the
pressures that youth were facing to comply (Seat, 1997). Not all parents rejected their
childrens struggling between cultures. In some cases parents and youth worked
together toward compromise, combining old ways with new Canadian norms (Desai,
1998). As these youth go through settlement, adaptation and integration, they are
expected to shift in their cultural orientation (Desai, 1998). The majority of the parents
felt that their children should retain their cultural heritage (Holloway et al., 2010). While
accepting that the Canadian environment was a new reality, they believed that a strong
connection with their culture and values of origin would protect their children from many
uncertainties in Canada (Seat, 1997). Some parents said that they would allow their
children to decide what they want to learn about their original culture (Corak, 2011).
VI. Peers
Friends are extremely important for newcomer youth (Holloway et al., 2010).
Peers of the same country and culture tend to spend time together because of their
similarities (Desai, 1998). Friends therefore become the major source of information
regarding services, jobs and activities and they serve as role models (Holloway et al.,
2010). The newcomer youth also tend to rely on relatives and community members to
make themselves still feel at home (Fellegi, 2006). They are more likely to easily relate
to people who could understand their culture (Anisef & Kilbride, 2003). Socializing with
people on the same culture helps the youth to build trust and gain confidence towards
Immigrant parents have high expectations for the academic success of their
children (Seat, 1997). But sometimes they are unable to provide the support needed by
the youth in order for them to succeed academically or economically (Fellegi, 2006).
Parents are an essential source of support for their children (Fellegi, 2006). Youth are
more likely to complete their education and perform in school really well when they have
parents who push them and support them in their careers (Statistics Canada, 2003).