Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Department

Psychology

Faculty/School

Faculty of Science

First Advisor

Geoffrey Nelson

Advisor Role

Thesis Supervisor

Abstract

The present thesis chronicles a participatory study of the implementation of school-based supports geared to the newcomer children of Highfield Junior School. A dual focus on research and action was integral to the objectives of the investigation, namely to: a) illuminate the present network of school supports, b) compose an ideal configuration of a school attentive to the needs of newcomers, and c) prescribe implementation steps that can transform the school closer to the ideal. To ground the study, I review the adaptation difficulties of newcomer children, the preventive measures that schools can take to reduce these vulnerabilities. and how such interventions should function to be effective and supportive school elements. The findings suggest that the ideal school supportive of the needs of newcomer children hinges on the coordination of six types of intervention: a) academic, b) financial, c) social, d) design (physical layout of the school), e) leisure, and f) welcome supports. Efforts to approximate this ideal depend on an implementation that develops a partnership between planners, the school, and the community. A plan to guide the implementation of a resettlement program, which is currently underway, illustrates the partnerships in practice.

Convocation Year

1999

Convocation Season

Fall

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