Dr. Kashif Raza

Role: Principal Investigator

South Asian population in Canada is on the rise, and they have emerged as the most visible minority in many parts of Canada including Toronto, Vancouver, and Calgary. This research project develops upon my doctoral dissertation and is focused on the scientific study of the settlement and integration practices and experiences of South Asian diaspora. With a particular focus on Alberta, the role of immigration policy, language, ethnic networking, and population size are studied to understand South Asian integration practices across social, political, economic, and health dimensions. This project focuses on the application of adult education theories on South Asian populations, South Asian economies, mediating role of South Asian languages and networking in newcomer integration, the politics of becoming Canadian, and the mental and physical health of South Asian women. 

Role: Principal Investigator

My doctoral research pointed to the struggles of skilled immigrants that go beyond competency in English language and include lack of recognition of foreign credentials, underutilization of international experience, reduced job satisfaction, and economic inefficiencies. This project (2024-2026) is aimed at addressing the pressing issue of skilled immigrants’ lack of integration into the Alberta workforce by investigating and enhancing work-integrated learning opportunities for these workers. There are three overarching goals of this research project: 1) conduct a comprehensive review of the current landscape of integration programs offered by the Government of Alberta to assess their accessibility and effectiveness for skilled immigrants; 2) examine the unique challenges faced by skilled immigrants in gaining meaningful employment within their fields of expertise; and 3) design a framework for mentorship and skill-building programs that facilitate the transfer of knowledge and skills from establish professionals to skilled immigrants.

Role: Co-Principal Investigator

Collaborator: Dr. Hassan Bashir, Assistant Professor, Carleton University

This project is focused on understanding the nexus between migration and education in the Canadian context with a focus on post-secondary international students. We are particularly interested in the role and responsibilities of higher education institutions and governments in multi-step pathways to immigration. The questions we raised include: What is the fundamental/stated purpose of immigration policy in Canada? What are the points of convergence and divergence between Canadian policy on international student admissions and Canadian study visa regime? Through a scoping review, we intend to find the status of knowledge, identify gaps, and point to future research directions on the topic. 

Role: Collaborator

Collaborator: Dr. Simon Li (PI), Associate Professor, Schulich School of Engineering, University of Calgary

This project develops upon our collaboration during my research assistantship with Dr. Li. Following Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) guidelines for evidence synthesis, we have developed and published a priori scoping review protocol that outlines our research focus, search strategies, data extraction approach. Through this review, we intend to report the learning approaches adopted by adult engineering students, and whether such approaches foster surface level or deep learning. This project will also outline areas for future research on the topic of learning approaches in engineering education. We are currently extracting data from 58 studies that were finalized after a review of 2478 papers through Covidence.

Role: Co-Principal Investigator

Collaborator: Dr. Catherine Chua, Former Assistant Professor, University of Calgary, currently based in Singapore

This project is aimed to expand work-integrated learning research from traditional theoretical + practical training of students, who often lack industry skills, to the contextualization, life-long learning, and skills upgradation of experienced workers and adult learners. Using case studies of blue-collar workers from Pakistan and Singapore and skilled immigrants from Canada, a renewed conception of adult learning and work-integrated learning is argued where the social capital, prior experience and skills, and future goals of adult learners are valued as well as perspectives of key stakeholders (governments, educational institutions, employers, educators, and adult learners) are integrated in curriculum program design and delivery.

Work on the project: 

1. Work-Integrated Learning in Adult Education for Diverse Workplaces

This co-edited volume with Dr. Catherine Chua is about contemporary understanding of work-integrated learning (WIL) in the domain of adult learners. There are six key sections of this edited book that focus on fundamental principles and goals of WIL, transferring WIL to lifelong learning, sustainability of learning and assessment methods in WIL, WIL in globalized contexts, and partnerships among key stakeholders such as governments, adult learners, educators, industries, and educational institutions. A proposal has been submitted to Palgrave McMillan and a contract is being negotiated.  

Role: Principal Investigator

Collaborator: Dr. Hassan Bashir, Assistant Professor, Carleton University

Summary: This project is aimed to produce literature on the legal and ethical challenges faced by educational leaders and the resources that can help them prepare for such challenges in their work environments. We are currently working on a co-authored volume that will include four chapters. Chapter 1 will provide a historical overview of dominant ethical paradigms with reference to rich intellectual traditions and appropriate scholars and their works. Chapter 2 will present contemporary legal and ethical dilemmas shaped by issues of war, terrorism, financial instability, accountability, artificial intelligence, and natural disasters. Chapter 3 will invite educational leaders to solve given case studies by making decisions as legally and ethically literate educators while using both their reason and emotions. Chapter 4 will highlight areas that need special consideration of researchers to enhance legal and ethical literacy of educators and advance research on the topic. This will be a co-authored volume. We intend to submit the proposal to Springer in early 2025.

Role: Principal Investigator

Collaborators: Dr. Zohreh Eslami, Professor, Educational Psychology, Texas A&M University, USA; Dr. Mohammad Manasreh, Lecturer in English, Qatar University, Qatar, Dr. Mick King, Lecturer in English, Community College Qatar, Qatar

Summary: Contemporary leadership is faced with amalgamations of diversity, uncertainty, and dynamism. This calls for revisiting leadership practices in a globalized world to explore how today’s leaders can cope with emerging situations and challenges (e.g., COVID-19) while committing to local practices and global developments. Recognizing that the topic has not received needed attention in the field of TESOL/ELT, this project is focused on producing literature on TESOL leadership through articles, book chapters, and blogs. Some of the work in the pipeline is focused on the issues of methodological and theoretical tensions in promoting TESOL leadership as a topic, marginalization and racism faced by non-native English speaking TESOL leaders, and administration of linguistically and culturally diverse language programs. Previous work on the topic has appeared in TESOL Journal, Journal of Educational Thought, International Journal of Leadership in Learning, International Journal of Leadership in Education, and International Perspectives on Teaching and Learning Academic English in Turbulent Times (edited volume).

Role: Principal Investigator

Collaborators: Dr. Özgehan Uştuk, Postdoctoral Fellow at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University; Dr. Dudley Reynolds, Senior Associate Dean and Full Teaching Professor at Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar; Dr. Christine Coombe, Associate Professor of General studies at Higher Colleges of Technology, Dubai Men’s College

Summary: This project is focused on understanding the theoretical and practical tensions that may emerge in policy, teaching, learning, and assessment in multilingual language classrooms. Through case studies from across the globe, we aim to provide practical and context-specific solutions to teachers, learners, policymakers, curriculum developers, and program leaders to address these challenges.    

Work on the project:

1. Multilingual TESOL: De-constructing and Re-constructing Power ‘in’, ‘of’, and ‘for’ Language Classrooms (under contract)

This co-edited volume with Dr. Özgehan Uştuk (Postdoctoral Fellow at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University) and Dr. Dudley Reynolds (Senior Associate Dean and Full Teaching Professor at Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar) develops upon our previous two volumes on multilingual TESOL and focuses on the issues of power ‘in’, ‘of’, and ‘for’ language classrooms. It is aimed to be a reference-book for TESOL practitioners, policymakers and students. Documenting examples of de-constructing and re-constructing power in, of, and for language classrooms, the book presents a collection of chapters that showcase how multilingual TESOL can contribute to power deconstruction and reconstruction in, of, and for language classrooms. This volume is under contract with Springer and will be published in late 2024.

1. Handbook of Multilingual TESOL in Practice (2023, Springer)

This co-edited volume with Dr. Dudley Reynolds (Senior Associate Dean and Full Teaching Professor at Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar) and Dr. Christine Coombe (Associate Professor of General studies at Higher Colleges of Technology, Dubai Men’s College) developed upon our first volume and was aimed at providing practical exemplars for language teachers, curriculum developers, program administrators/leaders, assessment specialists, policy developers, and other stakeholders who want to create educational environments where local language resources can be utilized and developed while teaching and learning English. This was a unique volume that provided rich examples of teaching multilingual TESOL with case studies from Africa, the Americas, Asian, and Europe. Working as a reference-book for TESOL practitioners, the book should benefit a wide range of readerships such as teachers, trainers, students, and policymakers.

1. Policy Development in TESOL and Multilingualism: Past, Present and the Way Forward (2019, Springer)

This co-edited volume with Dr. Christine Coombe (Associate Professor of General studies at Higher Colleges of Technology, Dubai Men’s College) and Dr. Dudley Reynolds (Senior Associate Dean and Full Teaching Professor at Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar) provided a historical context of monolingual ideologies in English language teaching that often ignore and/or suppress local and Indigenous languages and teaching practices when promoting English as a second/foreign language. Serving as a platform for discussions related to policy enactment where Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) and multilingualism are viewed as collaborative endeavors, the chapters in the volume covered the topic from three angles: Critical examination of previous policy-level initiatives that recognize and embrace linguistic diversity; ongoing efforts at school, state, region or organizational levels to promote local and Indigenous languages in TESOL classrooms; and proposals and discussions to shape the future of TESOL as a multilingual field. The book presented a collection of chapters that reported, discussed and questioned existing, currently developing and future language policies that would inform teaching practices, materials development, intercultural communication, and research in the field of TESOL as it intersects with multilingualism. The volume was aimed to serve as a reference-book for TESOL teachers, curriculum developers, teacher trainers, and policymakers.