Heuristic Inquiry: A Personal Journey of Acculturation and Identity Reconstruction

Heuristic methodology attempts to discover the nature and meaning of phenomenon through internal self-search, exploration, and discovery. Heuristic methodology encourages the researcher to explore and pursue the creative journey that begins inside one\u27s being and ultimately uncovers its direction and meaning through internal discovery (Douglass & Moustakas, 1985). The purpose of this paper is to familiarize readers with using heuristic methodology in research. I (Ivana) share my personal notes of how I decided to use heuristic methodology in my research. In the discussion, I address the nature of heuristic methodology, including its limitations. Finally, I present excerpts from a creative synthesis in the form of three letters to illuminate the final self-reflections about the results of my research

International students’ university to work transition: research-in-brief

International students are increasingly seeking to attend Canadian educational institutions and the Canadian government has signaled its intention to make international students an important part of immigration policy. Yet, international students often face barriers when integrating into the workforce and many decide to return to their country of origin. In this paper we detailed the preliminary findings from the doctoral thesis underway by the first author, including the results from interviews with seven international students who graduated more than two years but less than nine years ago. We used Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (Smith, Flowers, & Larkin, 2009) and Systems Theory Framework (Patton & McMahon, 2014) to conceptualize the study of how former international students transition to the workforce. The findings from this study offered insights into the influences that were important as they navigated immigration issues related to their transition to the workforce

Correlates of immigrant workers’ job satisfaction

Research in the career development field has primarily focused on the barriers immigrant workers face when integrating into the workforce and how they can overcome these barriers. There have been few studies investigating contextual factors that impede workplace integration. To address this gap, the current study surveyed employed immigrant workers across Canada about their job satisfaction, in relation to their bicultural competence, English language usage, social support, and workplace attitudes. A correlational analysis revealed significant correlations between bicultural competence, English language usage, social support, workplace attitudes and immigrant worker job satisfaction. Results from this study highlighted the importance of considering contextual influences such as workplace attitudes in developing research and practices to support the successful employment integration of immigrant workers

Issue Brief: Women/Gender Issues and Affirmative Action

This brief will touch upon what affirmative action has contributed to women in the workplace and in universities as a whole. It will briefly describe reasons as to why people still fight for affirmative action for women

An Ongoing Treasure Hunt: One Library’s Practical Experiences Documenting Post-Cancellation Perpetual Access

Albertsons Library embarked on a practical effort this past year to document post-cancellation perpetual access for those electronic journal titles that had been or were part of large package purchases. Documenting entitled content was challenging and hampered by limits to accounting records maintained at the library and university; a change in the library’s integrated library system (ILS); limited or incomplete access to third-party subscription agent order and payment records; and changes or the demise of consortia. Decisions were made to work with the known more recent electronic journal content purchased, and to work backwards from there. Procedures for creating standardized perpetual access documentation by title was devised for use in the ILS cataloging module as well as the library’s electronic resource management system. By creating a method for documenting perpetual access, institutions are able to support claims for access purchased by the library, even as content shifts from one publisher to another

Accompanying Partners of International Students: Reflections on Three Issues

This paper reviews and critiques the existing literature on accompanying partners of international students (APIS), who are often an ignored population in programs and services for the internationalization of Canadian higher education. Particularly, we identify three issues. First, we argue that current research on this group overwhelmingly focuses on their social and cultural adaptation difficulties while ignoring their agency in dealing with life challenges in the host society. Second, we note that research on this population should go beyond an overemphasis on gender, to include a comprehensive analysis of how gender intersects with other unequal social relations, such as race and class, in contributing to the complexity and multiplicity of their lived experiences. Finally, we suggest that rather than conflating APIS with trailing partners of expatriates or immigrants and treating them as a homogenous group, researchers should do more to address their heterogeneity from an anti-essentialist approach.  Cet article examine la littérature existante sur les partenaires accompagnateurs d’étudiants internationaux (PAEI), une population souvent ignorée dans les programmes et services pour l’internationalisation de l’enseignement supérieur canadien, et formule quelques critiques sur le sujet. On y relève trois points en particulier. Dans un premier temps, nous postulons que les recherches actuelles sur les PAEI se concentrent exclusivement sur leurs difficultés d’adaptation sociales et culturelles, et ignorent leur entremise dans la gestion des défis de la société d’accueil. Deuxièmement, nous remarquons que les recherches sur les PAEI doivent se poursuivre au-delà de la trop grande importance accordée au genre, et proposer une analyse complète sur la façon dont le genre s’entrecroise avec d’autres facteurs d’inégalités sociales, tels l’ethnie et la classe sociale, qui contribuent à la complexité et à la multiplicité de leurs expériences de vie. En dernier ressort, nous suggérons qu’au lieu d’amalgamer les PAEI avec le flux de partenaires d’expatriés ou d’immigrants et de les traiter comme un groupe homogène, plus de recherches doit mettre en exergue leur hétérogénéité dans une approche anti-essentialiste

Recruiting Ethnically Diverse Participants into Qualitative Health Research: Lessons Learned

The inclusion of ethnically diverse populations in health research is crucial for addressing ethnic disparities in health status and care. Despite this need, non - dominant ethnic groups continue to be under - represented in health studies. The reasons may be at least partly du e to the difficulties inherent in recruiting such groups for research. In this article, we attempt to assist researchers , who are seeking to conduct inclusive qualitative health research , by sharing some of the lessons we learned in the process of recruiting ethnically diverse immigrant women for a qualitative study on the experience of developing weight - related concerns. Specifically, we discuss issues such as engaging gatekeepers, using cultural insiders, developing culturally - sensitive recruitment materials, offering payment, and developing trust with participants and their communities. We conclude the article by presenting practical strategies for addressing these issues based on our experience and the available literature on the recruitment of non - dominant research participant

Community Capacity-Building in Schools: Parents’ and Teachers’ Reflections From an Eating Disorder Prevention Program

A pilot research study to examine the effect of a wellness-based intervention on improving students’ body image, personal attitudes, and eating behaviors highlighted the importance of a healthy school environment. Parent and teacher focus groups were conducted to explore the perceived influences of wellness-based interventions designed for parents, teachers, and students. Results support movement toward wellness-based programming and suggest that school-community capacity-building may be a worthwhile framework for continued study in relation to programming to prevent eating disorders. Excerpts from focus group data illustrate key themes in relation to change and demonstrate the importance of capturing both the content of the wellness-based interventions and the process of interaction in the schools. This pilot study found that interventions in schools that focus on wellness and target parents, teachers, and students are effective in terms of building capacity for promoting positive change in students’ attitudes and behaviors.Une étude pilote sur l’effet d’une intervention reposant sur l’amélioration de l’image de soi des élèves, d’attitudes personnelles et de comportements liés à l’alimentation a souligné l’importance d’un milieu scolaire sain. Des sessions avec des groupes de discussion impliquant des parents et des enseignants ont permis d’évaluer les perceptions quant aux influences des interventions reposant sur le mieux-être et visant les parents, les enseignants et les élèves. Les résultats appuient les efforts pour établir une programmation reposant sur le mieux-être et permettent de conclure que le développement de ressources scolaires et communautaires pourrait s’avérer un cadre utile pour poursuivre l’étude et y incorporer une programmation destinée à empêcher les troubles de l’alimentation. Des extraits provenant des discussions de groupe illustrent des thèmes-clés par rapport aux changements et démontrent l’importance d’exploiter tant le contenu des interventions visant le mieux-être que l’interaction dans les écoles. Cette étude pilote a permis de conclure que les interventions scolaires visant le mieux-être et impliquant les parents, les enseignants et les élèves constituent un moyen efficace de développer des ressources qui favorisent des changements positifs dans les attitudes et les comportements des élèves