Factors predicting the stratified academic achievement trajectories of foreign-born Canadian adolescents: A population-based study

ABSTRACT

The study looked at the stratified math and language arts trajectories of foreign-born adolescents (aged 14–19) in British Columbia (BC), Canada, and identified social position factors that predicted this variation. Leveraging data from the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Education and Citizenship and Immigration Canada, the study looked longitudinally at a population-based cohort of foreign-born adolescents in BC (N = 9,113), in comparison to a Canadian-born random sample (N = 22,845). Utilizing Group-based Trajectory Modeling, the study found that foreign-born adolescents were stratified into a range of math and language arts trajectory groups over high school (grade 10 to 12), and group membership was predicted by key social position factors. The results supported moving away from a one-size-fits-all understanding of the impact of migration on adolescent development and identified key factors that predicted math and language arts outcomes for foreign-born Canadian adolescents.

Acknowledgments

The authors acknowledge the support of the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Education, and Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada who permitted access to the data in order to undertake the study.

Disclosure of interest

Please note that 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

The authors are grateful for the financial support of the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC), the University of British Columbia, and Population Data BC.