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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Educ.
Sec. Language, Culture and Diversity
Volume 9 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/feduc.2024.1484999

"Be Yourself, Rediscover Yourself, and Find New Aspects of Yourself": Newcomer Youth Integration in a Francophone School System

Provisionally accepted
Tonje Mari Molyneux Tonje Mari Molyneux 1*Anusha Kassan Anusha Kassan 1*Sophie Ty Sophie Ty 2
  • 1 University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
  • 2 Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Negative school integration experiences can compromise the healthy development of newcomer youth. Little research has explored what affects their experiences; even less has engaged youth in the research process. This study investigated the school integration experiences of French-speaking newcomer youth in a predominantly anglophone Canadian province using the Arts-Based Engagement Ethnography research method. We explored: (1) How do newcomer youth experience a public francophone school? and 2) How do these experiences influence their positive integration into the francophone school system in a predominantly anglophone province? Data from artifacts, interviews, and planned group discussions were organized into four structures: (a) navigating school integration challenges, (b) negotiating identity, (c) confronting biases, and (d) helping other newcomer youth. Underlying patterns painted a rich portrait of newcomer youth school integration experiences, which informed their emerging identity. Findings point to needed changes to supports and services offered to newcomer youth integrating into the francophone school system in a predominantly anglophone province.

    Keywords: newcomer youth1, school integration2, francophone3, social justice4, multiculturalism5, multilingualism6 Deleted:, such as cameras, diaries

    Received: 23 Aug 2024; Accepted: 08 Nov 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Molyneux, Kassan and Ty. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence:
    Tonje Mari Molyneux, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
    Anusha Kassan, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.