Immigrant children are the fastest growing sector of the Canadian child population, with 43 per cent of all newly arriving immigrants landing in Toronto. A study by Queen’s doctoral candidate Shaljan Areepattamannil involving 573 immigrant and non-immigrant adolescents in two public schools in the GTA shows that despite the unique challenges immigrant adolescents face, they tend to perform better than non-immigrant adolescents reporting significantly higher overall and math GPA’s.
One reason for their significant performance may be found in their family background. The parents of some immigrant families received high levels of education in their home countries and have come to Canada seeking greater professional opportunity
“Immigrant parents place a great importance on the academic success of their children. They believe education to be the most significant way for their children to improve their status in life,” says Mr. Areepattamannil.
Mr. Areepattamannil will be presenting his findings at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association (AERA) on April 12 and is available to discuss his findings and their implications.
To arrange an interview with Shaljan Areepattamannil, please contact Alissa Deley at (613) 533-6000 ext. 77513, deleya@queensu.ca or Molly Kehoe at (613) 533-2877, molly.kehoe@queensu.ca.