Early emotional and communication functioning predicting the academic trajectories of refugee children in Canada

Abstract

We examined how emotional and communication functioning at kindergarten predicted the academic trajectories of refugee children. Drawing from a population-based Canadian cohort, the study followed 629 refugee children from age 5 to 13 and (i) modeled kindergarten, Grade 4, and Grade 7 academic trajectories via group-based trajectory modeling and (ii) investigated to what extent teacher ratings of kindergarten emotional and communication functioning predicted academic trajectory group membership. Three groups were identified: ‘Average’ (n = 438), ‘Declining’ (n = 119), and ‘Low-But-Improving’ (n = 72) groups. Logistic regression analyses revealed that, in comparison to the Average trajectory, lower emotional functioning at kindergarten was associated with an increased likelihood of a Declining academic trajectory, whereas lower communication functioning at kindergarten was associated with a greater likelihood of a Low-But-Improving trajectory (versus an Average trajectory). The findings indicate that refugee children are more likely to overcome early communication challenges versus emotional challenges to achieve academically, and this has important implications for early mental health support.

Keywords:

• Refugee
• academic achievement
• emotional development
• communication
• migration

Acknowledgements

We acknowledge the support of Population Data BC, the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Education, Immigration, Refugees, & Citizenship Canada, as well as the Human Early Learning Partnership who facilitated access to the data in order to undertake the study.

Disclosure statement

All inferences, opinions, and conclusions drawn in this study are those of the author, and do not reflect the opinions or policies of the data stewards.

Additional information

Funding

This project is funded by a Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) Insight Grant. The file number is: 435-2017-0628. The project title is: Understanding the K-12 academic achievement trajectories of immigrant and refugee children. The Canadian Institute for Health Research funding is now expired and so it may not be showing up in the system. The title of the grant was “Education, health, and wellbeing outcomes of children born to immigrant and refugee families in British Columbia” (Application Number: 219226).