Expanding meanings of home: A case study of Nigerian migrant families and their school-aged children

This qualitative case study facilitates understanding of how Nigerian migrant children and their families within the Manitoba K-12 educational system articulate their ideas of home with regards to their sense of identity, perception of belonging, and emotional relations. Specifically, the research considers how these families negotiate and navigate the complexity that surrounds the concept of home in their migration narratives and experiences. Undergirding this study is critical constructivist theory, which incorporates critical notions into social constructivist theory. The theory allows individuals or groups to be cognizant of the social, political, and historical issues within the context of the community or society in which they live (Barkin & Sjoberg, 2019; Kincheloe, 2005). The data was collected during the COVID-19 pandemic and partially during periods of remote learning when children were at home with their parents and meeting with their teachers online. The methods included interviews, observations, and photovoice to collect data and to learn about the experiences of the participants, particularly about how they conceptualize and understand their ideas of home. The findings suggest that participants identify and articulate a complex and multidimensional meaning of home: home was not seen as a fixed place or space, home was experienced in several different ways. The participants saw home as a place of peace, comfort, happiness, joy, and safety and where individuals living in the space felt accepted and loved. The participants also articulated the ideas of home as the social and physical unit of the dwelling, as identity and self, as threatening and dangerous spaces, and as journeying. The participant children built relationships with individuals within their school communities and engaged in organized sports both in school and community that helped them to realize a sense of belonging, comfort, security, and familiarity in Canada. The participant parents were involved in different Nigerian associations, connected with their churches, and established social networks within their African and Nigerian communities that kept them grounded in their new home. Participant families were able to negotiate and navigate the complexities of their new home through physical components such as their traditional food, attire, movies, and paintings. They also kept in touch with people in their country of origin through technology; phone calls and social media that preserved their memories of home and their cultural traditions and identities. This study offers insights on how migrant children and their families realize a sense of identity, a perception of belonging, and an affirmation of self in their new home. The study underscored the human need for connection to new people and places, and to community and work organizations. This research importantly foregrounds the voices of African immigrant children and their families so they may inform policy and future research, as it encourages them to share their often unheard and untold stories. This study contributes to the research addressing the links between and among education, migration, and home.

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