Educational persistence and general acculturation process of permanent-resident students enrolled in Québec universities: The challenges of integration and adaptation
The article focuses on educational persistence as well as the general process of acculturation of permanent-resident students enrolled in six higher education institutions in Québec. To do so, it documents the challenges of integration within and adaptation to the Québec society and the university that these students face. The study addresses the lack of human capital development of some permanent residents after their arrival in Québec, which partially justifies their choices to enroll in university to (re)qualify for a profession. A conceptualization of the permanent-resident student experience, through the concepts of educational persistence and acculturation, makes it possible to understand the nature of the challenges encountered, the stress they generate, and their impact on the academic progress of these students. Using qualitative data from answers to open questions in an online questionnaire completed by nearly 1,000 permanent-resident students, the article re-examines challenges related to professional integration, social integration, family-study-work balance, interpreting university culture and practices, as well as the perception of discriminatory practices. Possible remedial courses of action which would engage society in general as well as institutions of higher education and the proactivity of the students themselves are presented.