Is there an immigrant paradox in Canadian elementary students’ behavioral and social adjustment?

ABSTRACT

The population of Canadian schools is becoming increasingly diverse in ethnic origins. Despite the challenges they face, paradox immigrant theory suggests that immigrant students have a more favorable profile than their non-immigrant peers in terms of academic success. The aim of this longitudinal study which was conducted with 66 elementary school teachers (providing information regarding 626 students from five schools located in disadvantaged areas of Montreal (Quebec, Canada) is to (1) validate whether the immigrant paradox manifests itself among elementary school children, in terms of their behavioral and social adjustment in the classroom and their educational success; and (2) study the extent to which these outcomes are associated with their educational success, differentiating whether they are first-, second-, or third-generation. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) (obj. 1) and a path analysis (obj. 2) were performed. Results show that first- and second-generation students had similar levels of hyperactivity-inattention, peer relationship difficulties, and behavioral engagement, but were advantaged in these variables as compared to their non-immigrant peers. However, none of the individual paths was significantly different among the immigration statuses. Thus, risk factors for school difficulties may not depend on the generation status of the student.

KEYWORDS:

• Elementary school
• immigrant students
• social adjustment
• classroom behavior
• academic achievement
• student engagement

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This research was supported by a grant from the Fonds de recherche société et culture of Quebec (FQRSC) (grant number: 2012-RP-145548) and a grant from the Social sciences and humanities research council of Canada (CRSH) (grant number: 410-2011-1013).

Notes on contributors

Kristel Tardif-Grenier

Kristel Tardif-Grenier, Ph.D. is professor at the Université du Québec en Outaouais (Canada). Her main research interest is the well-being and the social support of students with an immigrant background. E-mail: [email protected]

Élizabeth Olivier

Élizabeth Olivier, Ph.D. is a postdoctoral researcher at the Université catholique de Louvain (Belgium). Her main research interest focus on the motivational development of students without and with adjustment problems. E-mail: [email protected]

Isabelle Archambault

Isabelle Archambault, Ph.D. is professor at Université de Montréal (Canada). She holds the Canada Research Chair on School, Child Well-Being, and Educational Success. Her research focus upon school effects on youth. E-mail: [email protected]