Canadian Post-secondary Institutions Research Articles

"A shoulder to lean on during your first year"-An exploration into a Canadian post-secondary institution's peer mentor program for varsity student athletes.

The transition period from high school to post-secondary can be particularly challenging for many, including varsity student-athletes (SAs). To better support SAs through this transitional experience, some institutions have created peer mentor programs. What is unclear, however, is the perceived value of these mentorship programs from the perspectives of multiple stakeholder positions. This paper contributes to the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning by presenting findings of a program evaluation that investigated the perceived value of a peer mentor program to its stakeholders. To accomplish this, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 30 participants to discuss SA's experiences with being a first year student, making the transition from high school to post-secondary studies, and also, to discuss their lived experiences with the peer mentor program developed for SAs. Using the findings from the inductive thematic analyses, the peer mentor program's effectiveness, areas of strengths, and areas of improvement are discussed to better align with the stakeholders' needs and experiences. Findings offer insights into a) the trials and tribulations of the first year SA experience, b) how peer mentor programs can better support SA's transition to post-secondary education, c) the benefits of conducting a program evaluation, and d) strategies to enhance the peer mentor program to better support students' needs.

Classroom Experiences of International Students in Canadian Postsecondary Education

The aim of this paper is to examine the classroom experiences of 12 international students in a Canadian postsecondary institution. The literature related to this purpose shows that many international students are challenged by the English language proficiency needed for analytical classroom discussion, and they are often confused by Westernize student-centric learning tactics such as oral presentations and open-ended assignments. Grounded within qualitative phenomenological research, our study documents the lived classroom experiences of international students and how they interpret social learning exchanges. Based on semi-structured individual interviews, the findings reflected three main themes. First, international students faced challenges with deciphering the English language of local students and teachers. Also, they struggled with the quick response time needed for classroom discussions. Second, many international students were frustrated with mandated group work. Many students felt discriminated against by their group members; other students experienced unbalanced workloads when completing collaborative assignments. Finally, students experienced a steep learning curve regarding the Westernize student-centric approach to learning. For example, many students were intimidated by creative assignments and the associated lack of direction provided by the instructor. The findings of this research are analyzed via Bandura’s social cognitive theory, which dictates that effective learning is dependent upon personal agency (one’s actions), proxy agency (the environmental resources), and collective agency (group dynamics). Currently worldwide, burgeoning numbers of international students are streaming into Western postsecondary institutions accentuating the need for this research. These institutions have an ethical and financial obligation to supply high quality education to international students. However, to provide a supportive learning environment, instructors, administrators, and educational policymakers need to be knowledgeable of the learning experiences of international students and adjust their institutional culture and pedagogical tendencies to best suit the needs of these students.

Classroom Experiences of International Students in Canadian Postsecondary Education

The aim of this paper is to examine the classroom experiences of 12 international students in a Canadian postsecondary institution. The literature related to this purpose shows that many international students are challenged by the English language proficiency needed for analytical classroom discussion, and they are often confused by Westernize student-centric learning tactics such as oral presentations and open-ended assignments. Grounded within qualitative phenomenological research, our study documents the lived classroom experiences of international students and how they interpret social learning exchanges. Based on semi-structured individual interviews, the findings reflected three main themes. First, international students faced challenges with deciphering the English language of local students and teachers. Also, they struggled with the quick response time needed for classroom discussions. Second, many international students were frustrated with mandated group work. Many students felt discriminated against by their group members; other students experienced unbalanced workloads when completing collaborative assignments. Finally, students experienced a steep learning curve regarding the Westernize student-centric approach to learning. For example, many students were intimidated by creative assignments and the associated lack of direction provided by the instructor. The findings of this research are analyzed via Bandura’s social cognitive theory, which dictates that effective learning is dependent upon personal agency (one’s actions), proxy agency (the environmental resources), and collective agency (group dynamics). Currently worldwide, burgeoning numbers of international students are streaming into Western postsecondary institutions accentuating the need for this research. These institutions have an ethical and financial obligation to supply high quality education to international students. However, to provide a supportive learning environment, instructors, administrators, and educational policymakers need to be knowledgeable of the learning experiences of international students and adjust their institutional culture and pedagogical tendencies to best suit the needs of these students.

International Students’ Intercultural Interaction with Canadian Domestic Students: Observations from Literature Review

The main purpose of this review was to intensively review literature about to international students’ intercultural interaction with Canadian domestic students. More specifically, the review intends to (1) examine the status of international students’ intercultural interaction with domestic students at Canadian post-secondary schools. (2) identify the major challenges that limit the intercultural interaction between international and Canadian domestic students. To this end, various research documents, such as published and unpublished government documents, peer- reviewed articles, PhD dissertations, and empirical studies were consulted. In this review, studies conducted in other most popular study destinations for international students were also thoroughly reviewed to provide additional insight. The findings of this review indicate that at Canadian post-secondary institutions, the intercultural interactions between international and domestic students are few. The review findings further uncovered that English language proficiency and culture qualify as the main challenges for international students to make intercultural interactions with their domestic counterparts. Based on these findings, conclusions and implications were forwarded to hosting countries and institutions.

New Perspectives of Reciprocity in Community-Engaged Learning: A Case Study of a First-Year Post-Secondary Knowledge Exchange Project in an Over-researched Urban Community

This paper describes key discoveries and lessons learned about the practice of reciprocity in community-engaged learning (CEL). We draw from an example of a multi-partner, multi-year, CEL project that addresses a community-identified priority to access jargon-free research findings about their community. Our project benefits community members in an over-researched, equity-deserving, inner-city neighborhood without requiring the direct presence of large numbers of university students in the community. In this collaboration, first-year undergraduate students in introductory academic writing courses at the [Canadian post-secondary institution] create publicly accessible infographic summaries of research articles arising from studies that have taken place in [an over-researched inner-city] neighborhood. First-year students, in their position as novice scholars, bring helpful perspectives to the task of knowledge translation. As apprentice researchers not yet immersed in disciplinary languages, they are cognizant that the specialized types of discourse used in research writing are often not accessible to readers outside the academy. Pairing students with community-engaged researchers leads to multi-directional benefits: students develop their knowledge translation skills in an authentic research writing situation; researchers benefit from publication of supervised, student-authored infographics of their scholarship; and over-researched communities gain access to relevant research findings. A community-embedded institutional unit is crucial to the project’s success, providing the resources, relationships, and boundary-spanning expertise required to ensure this project is successful from the perspective of the community and the university.

Impact of Recovery Colleges in Postsecondary Institutions in Canada – Preliminary Findings

This paper describes the preliminary findings of the implementation of recovery colleges - a strengths-based, peer-driven, mental health learning model in five postsecondary institutions in Canada. Using exploratory methods and a sample of 124 participants completing a pre-participation and 72 completing a post-participation survey we aimed to answer two research questions; (1) Who is accessing the postsecondary recovery college? and (2) How is recovery college participation impacting students individually and interpersonally? Addressing the first research question, 80% were female students, between the ages of 18–25 years (73%), and 73% were in their second year of study. With regards to the second research question, recovery college participation improved students’ knowledge of coping and life skills and supported their mental health and wellbeing. Results provide evidence of impact of recovery college in postsecondary settings and may contribute to mental health system transformation to explore novel ways to support emerging adults’ mental health.

Retirees Paying it Forward: a retiree/faculty mentorship program

Retirees often have a desire to offer meaningful contributions to their academic community after retiring from their academic roles. This article presents findings from a pilot study of a multi-component career development mentorship program conducted in a Canadian post-secondary institution. In the study, retiree faculty served as mentors to faculty members from across the academic career continuum. A Merriam-informed case study approach was used to delineate the study of the multi-component mentorship program, and analysis of the data was informed by established processes for reflexive thematic analysis (TA), a method for systematic analytic engagement with qualitative data to produce themes. 

“I left home for better opportunities elsewhere”: An Autoethnographic Study of what it means to be an International Student

Canada is increasingly receiving international students despite the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Informed by the media, friends and family members, many international students are motivated by the prospects of studying in Canadian post-secondary institutions. This is due to factors such as the reputation of education in Canada, scholarship opportunities, and future employment opportunities. Upon arrival, international students become aware of the challenges associated with living in a new country. They become disappointed and stressed, especially during the initial stage of settlement due to various challenges such as financial difficulties, discrimination and racism, environment-related challenges, loneliness and other mental health issues. Their challenging experiences affect their overall satisfaction and success in their studies. Given the cultural, social and economic benefits international students bring to Canada, it is essential to understand their experiences and how to better support them. In this study, I contributed to the existing literature by focusing on my past experiences as an international student from Ghana using evocative ethnography. I shared the challenges, successes and supports that shaped my overall perspective and settlement in Canada. The major challenges were financial problems, environmental and cultural adjustment, discrimination and loneliness, and COVID-19 pandemic-related challenges. Support strategies involved my personal motivation to succeed, institutional supports (i.e., scholarships, food bank, English language centres, international student centre), my peers in Canada, and my family in my home country. I hope that international students who intend to migrate to Canada and those presently in Canada will learn from the experiences that I have had. This is a singular narrative, but has the potential to influence migration decisions and policies to foster quality international students’ experiences in Canada.

Academic Language Development and Linguistic Discrimination

Language use within Canadian postsecondary institutions reflects ongoing neocolonialism and the privileging of European and North American English varieties. This article shares student perspectives of interactions with faculty on themes of language development and linguistic discrimination, discovered in qualitative interviews using Appreciative Inquiry methodology. Participants’ stories reveal both appreciation for supportive practices that facilitate the development of academic language skills and frustration with linguistic discrimination. Practices valued by participants include using simple and clear language, creating a comfortable environment for non-native English speakers, honouring multilingualism, and providing supportive instruction in discipline-specific language. Students also identified experiences of linguistic discrimination that resulted in academic and personal harm. In students’ stories, a tension between encouraging academic language development while avoiding discriminatory practices emerges. Paths forward in navigating this tension while challenging colonial language hierarchies may include integrating pedagogies using an academic literacies framework while also creating space for translingual practices in classrooms and institutions.  

Considering an Ethic of Care Framework to Counter Colonial Violence in International Education

This collaborative, theoretical essay considers how an Embodied Ethic of Care Framework (Sodhi, 2022) could offer a different way of being in internationalized educational contexts in Canada. We begin by describing international education in the Canadian context. We explain how a federal international education strategy that is focused on boosting the economy rather than on education leads to “conditional hospitality” (Ahmed, 2012) and the commodification of international students (Guo & Guo, 2017). We then introduce the Embodied Ethic of Care Framework which is informed by Black feminist thought and Indigenous African thought (Sodhi, 2022). The framework recognizes the collective energy of community (Sodhi, 2022). We juxtapose the five elements of the framework to instances of international education in Canada. Because language-based discrimination is still a commonly accepted practice in Canadian post-secondary institutions (Martin, 2022), our descriptions of internationalized contexts in Canada attend to languaging and dialoguing. We demonstrate how current connections with international students are transactional – which replicates harmful historical relationships between people of colour, capitalism, and colonialism. The Embodied Ethic of Care Framework is an antidote for this form of colonial violence because it places relationship building at the center. Through echolocation (Gumbs, 2020), we invite readers to consider how an ethic of care framework might inspire a different way of being that could redress coloniality and systemic racism in internationalized contexts in Canada and/or in their own contexts.

Indigenous Health Research Mentorship within Post-Secondary Institutions in Canada, the United States, Australia, and New Zealand: A Scoping Review

Indigenous peoples have been engaged in research since time immemorial, and have always acknowledged the power of their own knowledge systems, ways of being, and approaches. However, Indigenous peoples continue to be underrepresented in health research within academic institutions. There is an increased need for Indigenous leadership in health research, including greater Indigenous autonomy, mentorship, and self-determination in health research. This scoping review aims to explore Indigenous mentorship within Indigenous health research in post-secondary institutions in Canada, the US, New Zealand, and Australia. A review of empirical studies, case studies, reviews, commentaries, and grey literature was conducted. Four databases were used: Web of Science, PubMed, Native Health, and Google Scholar. Out of 1594 articles, 11 articles met the inclusion criteria. Four overarching themes were identified: (1) reciprocity: giving back to community; (2) supporting the development of research skills to build research capacity; (3) fostering a sense of belonging; and (4) building student ownership and confidence. The findings suggest that Indigenous mentorship is vital to creating supportive research environments for Indigenous students in the area of health sciences. Indigenous mentorship holds promise to address challenges faced by Indigenous scholars within post-secondary institutions, including intellectual, social, and cultural isolation, and can help to foster greater integration of Indigenous worldviews in Western-dominated academic settings and research systems. Future research should examine place-based mentorship opportunities for Indigenous students in community-based health research environments. Fostering Indigenous mentorship in health sciences is essential for advancing the health and wellbeing of Indigenous peoples and communities.

A Case Study of Organizational and Curricular Attributes for Interprofessional Education: A Model for Sustainable Curriculum Delivery

Background: In health and social care (HASC) professional education, interprofessional competencies are optimally developed by engaging in interprofessional education (IPE) activities that are delivered sustainably along a continuum. Ultimately, active engagement in IPE is meant to prepare future practitioners for interprofessional collaborative practice (IPCP), which leads to improved patient/client and community-oriented outcomes. Methods and Findings: This qualitative case study explores how four Canadian post-secondary institutions deliver IPE within their HASC professional education programmatic structures. Data were collected from institutional websites, publicly available IPE relevant records and documents, and interviews with coordinators and faculty/facilitators of IPE curriculum. Data were inductively analyzed to generate relevant themes, followed by a deductive analysis guided by the five accreditation standards domains identified in the Accreditation of Interprofessional Health Education (AIPHE) projects. Analyses of the data resulted in five attributes: 1) central administrative unit, 2) longitudinal and integrative program, 3) theoretically informed curriculum design, 4) student-centred pedagogy, and 5) patient/client-oriented approach. Conclusions: Using these attributes and guided by AIPHE’s accreditation standards domains, an organizational-curricular model for sustainable IPE is proposed, through which we assert that IPE reinforced through these organizational and curricular supports reflects successful programming, leading to patient/client-oriented outcomes.

International Student Transition to Canadian Post-Secondary Institutions

The number of international students has been increasing in the last decade in Canada. International students are bringing revenue and boosting the local and federal economy. However, they may also face various challenges as compared to domestic students because of cultural and language differences. These students need proper support to transition into Canadian culture and academic environment. The purpose of this research was to find out the challenges that these students face as international students. A semi-structured interview was applied to elicit the experiences of international students studying in Canada. The data indicated that international students go through acculturative stress, and a lack of communication skills makes it even harder to connect and build relationships. Several implications have been indicated for support services that can enhance a smooth transition for these students along with social-cultural awareness so that they feel embraced at Canadian post-secondary institutions while away from home.

Accessing Education: Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion in Online Learning

As Canadian post-secondary institutions emerge from the pandemic restrictions, they are in a historically unique position to assess how online education has both facilitated and hindered learning, and how the effects might be greater for some. In this study, open-ended comments from the Canadian Digital Learning Research Association 2022 Spring National Survey were analyzed to understand how online and/or hybrid learning both supported equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) and presented EDI-related challenges. The findings were that: (a) online and hybrid learning presents challenges of access for students marginalized by “race,” class, and location; (b) online and hybrid learning supports EDI by increasing access and flexibility; (c) pedagogy and course design are central to ensuring that online and/or hybrid learning supports EDI; and (d) student experiences and expectations around online learning indicate a need for support and flexibility. These findings highlight some of the promises of online and hybrid learning, but they also bring to light some of the challenges. This paper discusses three challenges, access, pedagogy, and technology, as well as flexibility, and recommendations that might begin to address EDI.  

Impacts of COVID‐19 on Women and/or Caregivers in Accounting Academia at Canadian Postsecondary Institutions and Suggestions Moving Forward: A Commentary*

ABSTRACTThis commentary provides insights on the issues faced by women and/or caregivers in accounting academia at Canadian postsecondary institutions during the COVID‐19 pandemic. Personal reflections from 23 contributors across Canada were compiled and analyzed using thematic content analysis. Results show that COVID‐19 has adversely impacted research, teaching, and other areas of work and life for this demographic. Research stopped or slowed, lower productivity was experienced, concerns over academic integrity increased, interactions with students decreased, academics left the profession, mental health was adversely impacted, and academics lost dedicated work time. In addition, the contributors provide suggestions to address these issues moving forward to help equity‐seeking groups. Suggestions include support from postsecondary institutions at all levels, additional funding, adjustments to tenure and promotion criteria, and the option for a reduced workload.

Bridging the Digital Gap: A Content Analysis of Mental Health Activities on University Websites

Mental health concerns are common among university and college students. Digital mental health resources and support are offered through university websites. However, the content and type of mental health activities of these institutions have not been analyzed. The aim of this study was to conduct a content analysis of mental health commitment and practices listed on Canadian postsecondary institutional websites. A 27-variable codebook was developed to map the content of all Canadian postsecondary institutions (n = 90). Descriptive statistics were applied to provide a broad snapshot of current institutional wellbeing activities. Nearly all institutions offered crisis response options, and multiple mental health supports through various modalities. However, few institutions had a wellbeing framework (34%), engaged in recent campuswide anti-stigma campaigns (33%), tracked campus wellness activities (13%), monitored student mental health outcomes (13%), and solicited feedback through the wellness center webpages (14%). These outcomes were similar across all geographic regions but statistically significantly different between small, medium, and large institutions. Findings suggest institutions need to address these gaps, provide smaller institutions with greater governmental support for building mental health capacity, and work towards developing a centralized hub for mental health that is accessible, navigable, and considers student needs and preferences.

Circles and lines: indigenous ontologies and decolonising climate change education

ABSTRACT In 2015, The Truth and Reconciliation Report (TRC) was released in Canada, outlining 94 Calls to Action which, include pushing Canadian post-secondary institutions to ethically engage Indigenous communities and knowledge systems. This paper seeks to respond to the TRC by offering a spatial analysis of the differences, broadly conceived, between Indigenous and western ontological structures. We consider these differences in terms of ‘circles and lines’ through a novice, settler understanding of how Mi’kmaw concepts of etuaptmumk (two-eyed seeing), netukulimk (conservation laws) and m’sɨt No’kmaq (all our relations) can be brought to support decolonial teaching and learning about such important and urgent matters as climate change. A related goal in this paper is pedagogic: we hope our own ambivalent learning here can be used as an example to reflect deeply on how settlers like us might/should/can’t work with the ethical, political, and practical challenges of responding to the TRC in our research, involving, and considering Indigenous ways of knowing and being.

The Importance of Others: The Link Between Stress and Social Connectedness in University Students

The mental health of undergraduate students is a concern across many North American institutions. To support students’ mental well-being and help them manage stress, many Canadian post-secondary institutions have introduced a mid-semester break during the fall term. However, there has been limited work evaluating whether this fall break is associated with a decrease in stress (a well-established correlate of mental health). Further, it is not known which demographic variables and lifestyle factors (e.g., sleep patterns, regular exercise) may contribute to a change in stress surrounding the fall break. We assessed the effects of the fall break on perceived stress levels and investigated whether these effects varied according to gender and the quality of students’ social network. Our results indicate that on its own, the fall break did not reduce students’ level of perceived stress. Further, students who reported feeling socially disconnected reported greater stress (both pre- and post-break) than those who reported being more content with their social network. Men in our sample reported less perceived stress than women. We recommend that mental health initiatives on campuses integrate strategies to build social connections between students and emphasize outreach programs to students who report feeling socially disconnected. We acknowledge the increased necessity and challenge of doing this in the context of education in the time of COVID-19.

Multilevel research on factors impacting international branch campuses’ global integration and local responsiveness: an empirical investigation of two Canadian cases

ABSTRACT The considerable institutional distance between home and host countries of most international branch campuses (IBCs) necessitates that they address the managerial challenge of balancing global integration and local responsiveness. Previous studies have investigated IBCs’ strategies for addressing this challenge as well as the macro- or micro-level factors impacting their strategies. This study extends previous research by constructing a multilevel framework for understanding both macro- and micro-level factors and adopting it to guide the empirical investigation of two Canadian cases. The results demonstrate that the two Canadian IBCs have maintained a high level of localisation in staffing but different levels of globalisation in curriculum. Like many other IBCs, these two IBCs, as institutions, are inactive in research, although they do provide occasional support for research activities. Such strategies are increasingly influenced by the institutional forces in their host countries than those in their home country at the macro level. At the micro level, the strategies are primarily impacted by their students’ educational demands. These findings exemplify strategies for other IBCs and for Canadian postsecondary institutions that consider opening overseas campuses.

“In China, I live to eat. Here, I eat to live”

The population of international students in Canadian post-secondary institutions, including in dietetic programs, is growing. In addition to academic stress, international students must cope with culture change and acculturative stress, which has been found to increase the prevalence of problematic eating and body image concerns among this population. Research indicates that problematic eating and body image concerns may also be relatively high among dietetic students due, in part, to the emphasis on body weight management and the narrow representations of healthy eating, and the disciplinary processes of professional socialization that are characteristic of dietetic education. For international dietetic students, vulnerability to problematic eating and body image concerns may be particularly acute, given their position as both dietetic and international students. However, little is known about the experiences of this population, and if, how and to what extent being an international dietetic student may impact on eating and body image concerns, or what efforts may be needed to prevent and support those experiencing these concerns. This research used the EAT-26 questionnaire and one-on- one, semi-structured interviews to explore how culture change impacts eating and body image among Mandarin-speaking, Chinese international dietetic students. Results indicate that culture change has a significant impact on the relationships to food and on eating and body image among the study population. Further research is needed to elucidate the impacts of culture change, and how dietetic educators may best support international dietetic students.