Academic experiences of war-zone students in Canada

Abstract

This research examined educational outcomes and experiences of late adolescent immigrant students who entered the Canadian educational system following residence in global war-zone regions or areas of extreme civil unrest. Data from a Statistics Canada data-set of 18- to 20-year-old respondents (N = 658) were used to compare the academic achievements, school experiences and self perceptions of war-zone immigrant high school and post-secondary students with those of non-war-zone immigrant youth and Canadian-born youth. The results revealed that war-zone immigrant students performed well in high school and at generally comparable levels to Canadian-born students, however, had longer times to high school completion. High levels of academic engagement, motivation and expectations were seen among war-zone students. Social engagement was found to be lower for both groups of immigrant students. The results are discussed in terms of the positive academic achievements of war-zone immigrant students in Canada and the potential impact of pre-migration traumatic events.