Refugee youth in particular struggle in accessing PSE. In 2011, youth who immigrated to Canada before the age of 15 had high school and university completion rates that were higher than those of third- or higher-generation Canadians. However, another Statistics Canada report found that children of refugees had a much lower completion of university than children of economic migrants and skilled workers. A study from York University states that a large and growing percentage of refugees have less than high school level education and no English or French language ability upon arrival in Canada. Arrival data from 2000 to 2009 indicate that, on average, refugees who are 15 years and older are four times more likely than economic immigrants (32.3%
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A study from Statistics Canada reveals that for those who arrive in Canada after the age of 9, the risk of not completing high school increases by 1% for every year past this age. Furthermore, the study found that for those who arrive in Canada after the age of 13, the high school dropout rate is 20% to 25%. Another study from Simon Fraser University noted that failure to progress at the normal age-at-grade level due to lack of essential skills, such as language, is a key predictor of dropping out of high school. The study also noted that this may be due to the challenges children face in learning a new language. For instance, there is no clear pattern between high school graduation and age at arrival for those who came to Canada from English-speaking or French-speaking countries. See figure …show more content…
In the study from York University, refugee youth identified linguistic barriers as a key challenge in pursuing their educational goals. Participants in the study emphasized that low fluency in English made it difficult to understand what is being taught in class, and limited their ability to ask questions or seek clarification from teachers and to communicate with others. This in turn resulted in youth falling behind in classes and limiting their overall interactions in school. A separate research study has shown that linguistic minority immigrants generally perform worse on literacy tests than those who are proficient in English or French. However, as students acquire language proficiency, the gap narrows and their performance eventually converges with or exceeds that of their English- and French-speaking
A study from Statistics Canada reveals that for those who arrive in Canada after the age of 9, the risk of not completing high school increases by 1% for every year past this age. Furthermore, the study found that for those who arrive in Canada after the age of 13, the high school dropout rate is 20% to 25%. Another study from Simon Fraser University noted that failure to progress at the normal age-at-grade level due to lack of essential skills, such as language, is a key predictor of dropping out of high school. The study also noted that this may be due to the challenges children face in learning a new language. For instance, there is no clear pattern between high school graduation and age at arrival for those who came to Canada from English-speaking or French-speaking countries. See figure …show more content…
In the study from York University, refugee youth identified linguistic barriers as a key challenge in pursuing their educational goals. Participants in the study emphasized that low fluency in English made it difficult to understand what is being taught in class, and limited their ability to ask questions or seek clarification from teachers and to communicate with others. This in turn resulted in youth falling behind in classes and limiting their overall interactions in school. A separate research study has shown that linguistic minority immigrants generally perform worse on literacy tests than those who are proficient in English or French. However, as students acquire language proficiency, the gap narrows and their performance eventually converges with or exceeds that of their English- and French-speaking