Muslim students’ experiences and perspectives on current teaching practices in Canadian schools
Abstract
This study described experiences of Muslim elementary school students. The schools are located in a large urban area in western Canada. For this study, children shared their lived experiences of schooling. The study results provide important insights into the lives of Muslim immigrant children who are trying to adapt to their host country while also maintaining their family and community religious beliefs and practices. According to the findings, there are clear signs of the presence of Islamophobia in Canadian schools.
Notes
Key recommendations
There is a need for culturally and religiously sensitive approaches to teaching;
Curricula should be more inclusive and bias removed
Key findings
Teachers lack awareness about the needs of Muslim and immigrant children;
There is a lack of cultural sensitivity in schools; there are ‘good’ and ‘bad’ teachers in schools and these distinctions shape the experience of children in schools;
Teachers occasionally present information about global affairs in a biased (anti-Muslim) light.
Integration timeline
At what point during the integration process the study was conducted?
After spending at least 8 years in Canada
Location
Alberta
Key populations
Elementary school aged Muslim immigrant youth
Gaps identified
NA
Community organizations
NA
Open-access – Yes
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1757743818790276