Beyond the Stories: Beneath Foreign Credential Recognition in Canada

• Author / Creator

  Okonkwo, Chisomaga CN

• Issues of recognition and assessment of international credentials within Canada can be traced back decades to the early stages of the influx of international credentials into the country. Although methods to address these resulting issues have continued through the years, recurring issues related to the recognition of foreign credentials are repeatedly highlighted and lamented over. Therefore, this study analyzes attempts to address these issues through public policies such as the most recent pan-Canadian Quality Assurance Framework, intended to facilitate the assessment and recognition of international credentials across Canada. Using a pragmatic research paradigm, this study undertakes an analysis of public policies at the national, provincial and trans-provincial level to discover current approaches toward foreign credential recognition in Canada and how they are addressing the issues that are frequently raised regarding credential recognition and assessment. The study found that while more can still be done, substantial attempts have been made in addressing issues around the recognition of international credentials. However, a skew towards race as the key variable in issues of foreign credential recognition, although important, often overshadows a number of other critical factors that are just as or perhaps more important to consider in the credential recognition landscape.

• Subjects / Keywords

  • Professional recognition
  • Credential recognition
  • Higher education
  • Policy analysis
  • Credentials
  • Credential theory
  • Credentialism
  • Quality Assurance Framework
  • Certification
  • Policy
  • International credentials
  • Canada
  • Credential assessment
  • Post-secondary education
  • Foreign credentials
  • Licensing
  • International
  • Professions
  • Occupations
  • Immigration
  • Document analysis

• Graduation date

  Spring 2017

• Type of Item

  Thesis

• Degree

  Master of Education

• DOI

  https://doi.org/10.7939/R32F7K37C

• License

  This thesis is made available by the University of Alberta Libraries with permission of the copyright owner solely for non-commercial purposes. This thesis, or any portion thereof, may not otherwise be copied or reproduced without the written consent of the copyright owner, except to the extent permitted by Canadian copyright law.