Friday, February 5, 2016 at 9:30 a.m.
Room 203, Graduate Student Centre (6371 Crescent Road), UBC Point Grey Campus
Title: Explaining the Academic Achievement and Well-being of Adolescent Immigrants and Refugees in British Columbia
Research Supervisor: Dr. Jennifer Shapka (HDLC)
Supervisory Committee: Dr. Kimberly Schonert-Reichl (HDLC)
University Examiners: Dr. Sterett Mercer (SPED) and Dr. Martin Guhn (Population and Public Health)
ABSTRACT
The aim of this dissertation was to gain a better understanding of the variations in academic achievement and well-being of foreign-born adolescents in British Columbia (BC) by way of two studies. Leveraging administrative data from the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Education, and Citizenship and Immigration Canada, Study 1 looked retrospectively at a population-based cohort of foreign-born adolescents in BC over the course of their high school years (Grades 10-12), in comparison to a random sample of their Canadian-born peers. The objectives of Study 1 were to (a) characterize their academic achievement and MSP-reimbursed mental health service utilization trajectories during high school, (b) identify assets and risks predicting their academic achievement and MSP-reimbursed mental health service utilization trajectories, and (c) identify the relationship between academic achievement and MSP-reimbursed mental health service utilization. Using a researcher-collected sample of foreign-born adolescents in BC, Study 2 investigated assets and risks in the academic achievement and psychological well-being of adolescents who are new to BC, with a focus on factors of adaptation associated with three overarching groups of predictors, (a) academic attitudes, (b) cultural orientation, and (c) social support.
Utilizing Group-based Trajectory Modeling, Study 1 identified that foreign-born adolescents in BC followed a range of academic and MSP-reimbursed mental health service utilization paths. By way of multinomial logistic regression, Study 1 subsequently identified a number of assets and risks that helped to explain the probability of membership in each trajectory. Study 2 utilized path analysis and found that a number of factors associated with academic attitudes, cultural orientation, and social support were predictive of psychological well-being and academic achievement for foreign-born adolescents in BC.
As expected, a number of assets and risks as well as cumulative assets and risks associated with migration and adaptation experiences were found to be powerful predictors of the variation in academic achievement and well-being for foreign-born adolescents in BC. The results support moving away from a one-size-fits-all understanding of the impact of migration on adolescent development. The utility of contextualizing migration experiences to gain a better understand of who is most likely to struggle or succeed is discussed.