Examining Studentsâ Experiences as a Foundation for Multicultural Curriculum Development

John's statement in the interview transcription excerpt above suggests that his family's immigration to Canada may also be accompanied by a shift in the way he sees himself, and a growing awareness of ways in which participation in his school in Canada may present different expectations than those he understood to be important in his former school in China or within the Chinese community outside of the school context.While we had come to know this student as John over a period of several months, we were surprised to learn that in his regular ESL classroom, he often switched between John and Tony, after having previously discarded several other English names.Some language teachers may encourage students to adopt a typical name for the language of study, primarily as a means of facilitating elements of grammar or pronunciation, but this practice is not common in contemporary ESL classes, especially in the context of recently immigrated students in North America.Although John's ESL teacher did not force John to select an English name, and some of his classmates had decided to retain their original names, John perceived his adoption of an English name as connected to his efforts at learning English and his integration into his new school and new community in Canada.John's story above touches upon some interesting beliefs about names, identities, and cultures, in that John recognized that his Chinese name could not be changed while his frequent changes to his English name suggest some of the transformations in cultural and identity formation that students who have recently immigrated may experience as they adapt to Canadian schools.Our student participants also informed us about possible obstacles that they have encountered in the pursuit of academic success.While the research school site has many resources for helping newcomer students to learn English as a means of integrating them into mainstream classes and preparing them for full participation in Canadian society, for various reasons many students remain in ESL classes throughout their stays at the school.In the following story, Sam, a first-generation Chinese Canadian, describes his experiences with learning English upon his arrival to Canada.Sam: At the time there wasn't any school to go,

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