Which One to Take On?: International Students’ Identity Acquisition in the Hyperdiversity of Montreal

Abstract

This study explored the role of linguistic variables (fluency in both official languages, passing in both official languages and University affiliation) and identity variables (centrality and satisfaction towards the new cultural group) in the acquisition of a new cultural identity among international students in Canada. Two hundred and fifty four international students were recruited from universities in the Montréal region. Self-reported questionnaires were used to assess which new identity international students are in the process of taking on, their linguistic abilities, their university affiliation and in-group identification. The results demonstrate that international students who were fluent in French, could pass for a bilingual or a Francophone, and who attended a primarily French-speaking University mostly took on the Québécois identity as their new cultural identity. International students who were fluent in English, could pass for an Anglophone or neither pass for an Anglophone nor a Francophone, and attended a primarily English-speaking University took on either the Montréalais or the Canadian identity. International students who took on the Montréalais identity reported higher satisfaction towards their new cultural group compared to those who took on the Québécois or Canadian identities. We discuss the implications of these findings for future research and policy. Cette étude explore le rôle que des variables linguistiques (fluidité dans les deux langues officielles, pouvoir passer comme un Francophone et/ou un Anglophone et l’affiliation universitaire) et que des variables identitaires (la centralité et la satisfaction envers le nouveau groupe culturel) peuvent jouer dans l’acquisition d’une nouvelle identité culturelle pour les étudiants internationaux au Canada. Deux cent cinquante-quatre étudiants internationaux furent recrutés dans des universités montréalaises. Ils remplirent des questionnaires auto-rapportés utilisés pour évaluer quelle identité les nouveaux étudiants internationaux souhaiteraient acquérir, leurs compétences linguistiques, leurs affiliations universitaires et leurs identifications envers leur nouveau groupe culturel. Les résultats démontrent que les étudiants internationaux qui étaient fluides en français, qui pouvaient passer comme un bilingue ou un francophone, et qui étaient affiliés à une université où le langage principal d’instruction est le français souhaitaient surtout acquérir l’identité québécoise. Les étudiants étrangers qui étaient fluides en anglais, qui pouvaient passer pour un anglophone ou ne pouvaient passer ni pour un anglophone ou francophone, et qui avaient une affiliation à une université où la langue principale d’instruction est l’anglais souhaitaient surtout prendre l’identité montréalaise ou canadienne. Les étudiants internationaux qui souhaitaient acquérir l’identité montréalaise semblaient avoir une plus grande satisfaction envers leur nouveau groupe culturel comparé à ceux qui souhaitaient acquérir une identité québécoise ou canadienne. Nous discutons des implications de ces résultats pour la recherche et les politiques futures.

Cultural identity dynamics: Capturing changes in cultural identities over time and their intraindividual organization

“…3 New cultural identities nominated by participants throughout the study could be grouped into four broad categories: Canadian (18 %), Montréalais (28 %), Québécois (30 %), and Other (24 %). Exploring patterns of new identity nominations was not the focus of the current investigation (see Arias-Valenzuela, Amiot, & Ryder, 2016). Nonetheless, as supplementary analyses, we examined whether the new cultural identity participants nominated was related to outcomes of interest.…”

Identity configurations and well‐being during normative cultural conflict: The roles of multiculturals’ conflict management strategies and academic stage

“…One possible explanation for these different results between the studies relates to the contextual differences between these studies: Whereas Study 1 was conducted across all Canada, Study 2 was conducted specifically in Montreal, a hyperdiverse city (see Arias-Valenzuela et al, 2016). While hyperdiverse contexts can promote the exploration and negotiation of different cultural identities, in less diverse contexts identifying with one cultural identity can be more adaptive than trying to incorporate different cultural identities in the self-concept (e.g., Kus-Harbord & Ward, 2015).…”

Ecocomposition in the ESL Classroom: The Campus Space Compare and Contrast Assignment

“…Researchers have reported that international students often feel alienated from their new communities (Du and Wei 2015;Gu et al 2010;Yeh and Inose 2003). Research has also demonstrated that international students' acculturation to a new study environment can be stressful, even leading to mental health struggles due to difficulty forming social networks, linguistic challenges, discrimination, and academic stressors (Arias-Valenzuela et al 2016;Jung et al 2007;Yeh and Inose 2003;Ying and Han 2006). Jung et al (2007) define acculturation as "the process of cultural change resulting from contact with a different culture and the process of adapting," and further explain that acculturation can in some cases result in a person turning away from his/her cultural background, but it can also result in students balancing aspects of their new and previous cultural identities (p. 609).…”

“…Jung et al (2007), citing Birman (1998), emphasize that during the acculturation process, international students with higher familiarity with the host country's popular culture are often more likely to feel confident about communicating with members of the host culture. Based on a survey investigating the acculturation of international students in the hyperdiverse city of Montreal, Canada, Arias-Valenzuela et al (2016) conclude that because students who reported the development of a local Montréalais identity also reported a relatively high level of satisfaction toward their new cultural group, universities should consider taking steps to encourage students to develop local identities in order to improve their overall acculturation experiences (p. 136).…”