Acclimatization Perspectives of South Asian Graduate Students in Canada

While emigrating from South Asia, mature international graduate university students face countless challenges in acclimatizing to Canadian weather. The purpose and scholarly rationale of this action research is to explore various perspectives of South Asian international students in graduate studies on acclimatizing in Canada. The research design includes problem identification, planning, data collection and analysis, implementation and evaluation, and reflection. For this study, an action research design was selected with a focus on qualitative analysis. A questionnaire comprising of eight descriptive questions had been distributed via email to five mature graduate students of South Asian origin enrolled in a small Canadian private university. The qualitative analysis conducted involved a thorough examination of the collected narrative-text data, aiming to extract in-depth insights from the responses. The research findings revealed challenges and issues faced by the participants while getting accustomed to inclement weather conditions, a Canadian educational system, and a social environment having cultural diversity. They also expressed resilience in taking balanced diet, participating in outdoor activities, maintaining close contact with family and friends, working on activities involving improvement in physical and mental health, and socializing with the local community during their acclimatization process. This action research also provides useful recommendations on how to tackle challenges like those listed above by establishing effective collaboration between universities, international students’ services, and community organizations while acclimatizing to Canada.