1. Objectifs

Intentions :
«In this study, we aim to describe the meaning of the lived experiences of immigrant students in Quebec, Canada. […] Thus, we sought to explore both similarities and differences between how participants described their experiences when seeking out post-secondary or graduate education, allowing the nature of this phenomenon to be understood.» (p. 71)

2. Méthode

Échantillon/Matériau :
«Recruitment resulted in 17 participants, which is considered sufficient because this number ensures a quality and depth of data that allows for the provision of rich descriptions (Morrow, 2005). Participants were immigrants from 12 different countries: Romania (3), China (2), Columbia (2), Lebanon (2), Argentina (1), Bangladesh (1), Democratic Republic of the Congo (1), Ghana (1), Iran (1), Moldova (1), Pakistan (1), and Singapore (1).» (p. 71-72)

Instruments :
Guide d’entretien semi-directif

Type de traitement des données :
Analyse de contenu

3. Résumé

«The results of this study indicated that immigrant students faced a range of societal and psychosocial barriers that may hinder their academic success. The challenges of negotiating two official languages combined with adjusting to living, studying, and socializing in a new country were identified as societal barriers. These barriers resulted in immigrant undergraduate students feeling isolated and having difficulty finding a niche in the social milieu. In particular, immigrant students experienced the language barrier as a form of discrimination. […] A second barrier was a lack of social support. Participants reported that they were often eager to seek out peers of their similar background in order to reduce isolation.» (p. 80) «Few participants reported having family members who had knowledge of or firsthand experience with the Quebec educational system, and thus who could provide support with negotiating the university system. Those who did have familial support typically had older siblings or cousins who had spent more time in Quebec and had preceded them in school. As such, having older siblings or cousins for support seemed to ease the transition into university, with some participants referring to their siblings or cousins as mentors.» (p. 77-78)