Postsecondary Education In Canada

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Postsecondary education provides unique opportunities for student development, and universities need to provide an inclusive space for student learning. With an increasingly diverse student population, Canada has seen an increase in the number of immigrants, reaching 21.9% of Canadians in 2016 (Statistics Canada, 2017). Although there is a higher participation rate of postsecondary education institutions among first and second generation immigrants than non-immigrants (Finnie & Muller, 2008), not all immigrant students achieve “above-average educational outcomes” (Berger, 2009, p. 61). However, there are very few studies concerning the challenges and learning needs of immigrant students during their postsecondary education in Canada. Quinn …show more content…

Moreover, this assignment will be utilized as a preliminary research for my thesis. This paper will consider a close connection between language and culture, as presented by Hayhoe (1998), in conjunction with Vygotsky's Sociocultural Theory as the main theoretical framework. As it considers unique sociocultural contexts to influence student development, each culture mediates distinctive capacity building, in addition to adjustment with social environments that students encounter (Lantolf, 2000). Thus, the paper will explore the sociocultural influences of different institutions on immigrant students’ development of language proficiency and cultural identities, contributing to the development of diversity on …show more content…

Conversely, the authors discovered that many immigrant students do not commit to one or both cultures with a lack of resources to engage in both cultures. Therefore, institutions need to create inclusive environments that consider Canadian culture as a valuable addition to, rather than a replacement of their old identity (Gibson, 1998). Reason (2009) attributed interactions with faculty and peers and the organizational contexts of the institution to be important factors in affecting student persistence in postsecondary education. Although students’ identity development may not be directly influenced, it is crucial for immigrant students to feel a sense of belonging at their institutions to develop their both cultural values. Therefore, institutions need to be responsible in providing equitable opportunities for immigrant students, accordingly to their needs in developing their bicultural identities, along with their academic success. However, previous studies reported a lack of proper accommodations for the learning needs of immigrant students (Sinacore, 2013; Quinn,

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