Immigrant Students Can Facilitate Environmental Learning Between Teachers and Families

Students' environmental learning is directly related to their perceived connections to the local community and environment. But these relationships can be particularly challenging for immigrant children to develop. In Canada, where populations of immigrant students are growing, teachers seek new ways to engage with diverse students. The challenges facing immigrant children and their families are especially pertinent in Québec's unique cultural context. In Canada, education policy is delegated to the provinces, thus Québecois educators are well-positioned to help immigrant students develop more positive relationships with their local community and environment.

This study is part of a larger project to develop culturally-responsive environmental education (CREE) curriculum based on students' input. In this research, the authors were interested in student, teacher, and parent perceptions of the relationships and flow of information between school, student, and home. Researchers collected data at three elementary schools in Montréal. In each of these schools, over half of the student population were immigrants or non-permanent residents, and nearly half of the households in the surrounding communities lived below the low-income line. During the first phase of the study, students aged 9-12 completed a survey and participated in focus groups to gather their perspectives on how they learned about the environment and about environmental care at home. Then, 17 teachers participated in focus groups and interviews mirroring the questions posed to the children.

During the second phase of the study, researchers focused on the relationship between school and home. Members of one school's “green committee” participated in a school entrance beautification project, in which some parents were also involved. The children completed interviews and a pre- and post-survey, and some interviewed their parents. Parents also participated in focus groups to share their experiences. The students' responses from the survey and focus groups were analyzed to identify their perceptions of self, community, and the environment. The authors also identified themes and trends from the interviews and focus groups with teachers and parents to understand their perspectives of the relationships between school, students, and home.

The results show that immigrant children related to their local community through environmental care. Engaging with the environment also provided an empowering opportunity for students to act as environmental educators. Students' survey responses indicated that they learned about the environment primarily from their teachers, and that students valued being able to share what they learned with their family. Teachers echoed this connection, noting that immigrant children act as a bridge to teach their families about the environment, especially when language barriers exist between teachers and parents.

The authors also found that children felt satisfied and proud that they could relay environmental information to their parents, especially when they encouraged their parents to adopt more environmentally-conscious behavior. However, teachers and parents both acknowledged that this role-reversal had challenges given different social and cultural norms. Another barrier to the flow of information stemmed from teachers' limited perspectives on what constitutes environmental care. Many teachers believed that environmental care is inherently a North American value and is not apparent in immigrant families' home countries. Yet, parents and children reported feeling more connected with the natural world in their countries of origin, especially when children were prompted to talk to their parents about the environment.

This study provides insight on immigrant students' experiences in the unique socio-cultural context of Québec. But the specific local context of the study means that the results may vary in other settings. Language barriers are another limitation of this research, which may have influenced the way the researchers interpreted the data.

The authors conclude that immigrant students could act as a bridge to facilitate bi-directional learning between teachers and families. They recommend that teachers who want to develop CREE should encourage immigrant children to talk with their parents about their relationship with the environment in their country of origin. The results of this study also suggest that CREE can help immigrant youth and their families to engage with their community.