Teachers' perspectives on meeting the needs of immigrant students in British Columbia, Canada

Increasing immigration has contributed to growing linguistic and cultural diversity in Canadian elementary schools, placing new demands on teachers to support immigrant students effectively. Despite policy commitments to inclusion, there remains a limited understanding of how elementary teachers support immigrant students in everyday classroom practice. This qualitative study explores elementary teachers' perspectives on identifying, assessing, and addressing the needs of immigrant students. Data were collected through a single semi-structured interview with 5 elementary school teachers working in linguistically diverse classrooms in British Columbia. Three emerging themes were identified through inductive thematic analysis. Teacher participants reported that they felt they met the needs of immigrant students through instructional strategies, Culturally Inclusive Practices, and school-based systems.