In search of a land flowing with milk and honey: The adaptation experiences of uprooted Chinese and Black immigrant students in a multicultural society

grantor: University of TorontoThis dissertation examined the adaptation experiences of Hong Kong and Caribbean immigrant students attending public high schools in Metro Toronto during 1993 and 1994 using a multivariate approach. The present sample comprised of 368 Chinese immigrant students from Hong Kong attending 26 different public high schools under the jurisdiction of six school boards. The three selection criteria included (i) last permanent country of residence being Hong Kong; (ii) legal status in Canada being landed immigrant or citizen; and (iii) length of residence in Canada being 5 years or less. The same criteria applied to the comparison group, except the last permanent place of residence being the Caribbean, rather than Hong Kong. The comparison group included 63 Black students from 10 schools under the jurisdiction of three school boards. Multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) was conducted on the various scales measuring the adaptation experiences of these immigrant students. It has been found that Hong Kong immigrant students adapted better academically than the Caribbean counterparts. On the other hand, Caribbean students were found to be adapting better culturally, socially, and linguistically. Racial discrimination was a problem encountered by these immigrant students. More specifically, about 25% of the Hong Kong group and 17% of the Caribbean group reported discrimination experience. To assess their overall adaptation experiences, students were asked to indicate whether they would prefer to stay in Canada or to return to homeland if they were given a choice. More than one-third of the Hong Kong students (34.1%) expressed that they would return to Hong Kong. Slightly less than one-third (31.3%) indicated that they would stay, and 30.8 percent said they had no particular preference. With respect to the Caribbean students, about half of them (51.6%) would choose to stay in Canada. Multiple regression and logistic regression analyses revealed various socio-demographic and background variables as strong determinants of adaptation. Additional qualitative data obtained from personal interviews conducted with 30 Hong Kong and 10 Caribbean students provided greater depth of understanding of these minority students' adaptation experiences.Ph.D