HOW IMMIGRANT AND REFUGEE PARENTS’ EXPERIENCES RELATED TO THEIR CHILD’S SCHOOL SYSTEM DIFFERENT IN CANADA
The purpose of this qualitative research study was to determine the experiences of a group of immigrant and refugee parents related to their child’s school system and interactions with the school personnel, including the teachers, administrators, and school counselors in Canada. Twelve parents who immigrated from Turkey and living in the Greater Toronto Area participated in semi-structured interviews. Results showed that these parents’ experiences were surprisingly much more positive compared to the experiences of immigrant parents in many other parts of the world, including in the U.S. These parents felt welcome and accepted by their child’s school personnel. They also reported not experiencing any discrimination due to their cultural, ethnic, and/or racial backgrounds. The reasons for this difference, and recommendations in relation to how to make immigrant and refugee parents’ experiences related to their child’s school system positive, are discussed.