Qualitative research has a long history in vocational psychology. Evolving in primarily Eurocentric contexts, the application of vocational psychology research, including qualitative research, to diverse cultures and contexts and groups such as migrants and refugees warrants careful consideration. Migrants, including former international students and refugees, are a heterogeneous group with varying resources, educational and vocational experiences, who can face many challenges entering and negotiating the education systems and labour markets in western countries. This chapter focuses on ensuring quality in qualitative research with migrants and refugees. Rigour and ethical conduct are considered as well as interrelated strategies fundamental to quality including reflexivity, researcher positionality, integrating the ethic of care with social justice, and practicalities in the research process. Research examples are provided to illustrate the strategies and their interrelatedness. Suggestions for future directions to ensure quality in qualitative vocational psychology research with migrants and refugees are offered.

Being of immigrant background is a risk factor for poor mental health among youth. In OECD countries such as Australia, Canada and the United States, both immigration and youth are a policy-focus as these countries are popular destinations for immigrants. The purpose of this study was to investigate the mental health of immigrant youth to better support their acculturation and mental health. This study compared the mental health of immigrant youth in Australia, Canada and the United States, and refugee and migrant youth within each country. It also explored numerous factors that were previously reported to impact the mental health of immigrant youth needing to acculturate to their settlement country. The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire, a global mental health screen, was used to evaluate 1063 participants recruited through communities in California, Ontario and South Australia. Twenty-four predictor variables were explored, and multivariable linear regression models accounted for substantial proportions of variance in the mental health of immigrant youth in each country. Perceived discrimination, family functioning and resilience were predictive of the mental health of immigrant youth across Australia, Canada and the United States. Additional predictors differed between each settlement country. Similarities and differences in the findings between Australia, Canada and the United States were discussed, and the study provided specific recommendations for policy and practice related to the needs of immigrant youth in the three settlement countries. This study was a timely contribution to the area of youth mental health, whose purpose was to support the acculturation and mental health of youth in OECD countries where great diversity exists due to immigration.

Attention to the emotional aspects of international students' career development and transition experiences has been overshadowed by education as a pathway for improving future employment. This secondary analysis study aimed to understand the emotional experiences and reactions of international students as they transitioned from university to employment. This study considered the multi-system influences that elicit emotional experiences and ways of coping. Interviews with 35 international students, in their first-year post-graduation, surfaced a range of emotional experiences that they associated with their coping strategies to gain employability and job search skills. The analysis highlighted three main themes related to international students' emotional experiences and reactions: (a) 'navigating warning signs and detours without a map;' (b) 'adapting to travelling solo and missing travel companions;' and (c) 'letting go of the destination and cultivating trust and hopefulness in the journey'. Implications for career support and future research are discussed.

Career theory serves as a crucial foundation for practice, yet its relevance is sometimes questioned due to a perceived gap between theory and its practical application. We contend that the practical utility of theory should be a central criterion in evaluating contemporary career theories and models. This study aimed to bridge the gap between theory and practice by analyzing the practical applications of 43 career theories and models featured in Career Theories and Models at Work: Ideas for Practice (Arthur et al., 2019). Through thematic analysis, eight foundational themes emerged that support theory-driven practice. We propose that, regardless of their theoretical orientation, career practitioners can benefit from understanding and applying these themes. The results are discussed with a focus on making career theories and models more accessible for integration into practice. Practice points developed by the contributing chapter authors are provided, illustrating how specific theories and models informed the eight themes. Suggestions are offered for aligning the themes with professional standards and guidelines, and for improving learning and supervision.

Views of international students have shifted from considering them as temporary learners seeking international education to positioning them as a valuable source of human capital. These views form a context from which to consider international students’ career development needs while living and learning in higher educational settings and in considering their career options post-graduation. Influences on international students’ career decision-making to stay in the destination country are discussed. Targeted areas for career services are outlined to support the transition from education to employment in the destination country and for international students returning to their home countries.

Acculturation after settlement has been identified as a risk factor affecting the mental health of immigrant youth. Increasing rates of immigration and expanding populations of immigrant youth mean that addressing their mental is a priority. Acculturative stress is the stress-response resulting from the effects of multiple stressors that result from the need to acculturate. Among youth within the developmental stages of late adolescence and emerging adulthood, increased sensitivity to stress, and developmental demands, impact their mental health. The effects of acculturative stress place an additional burden on the mental health of immigrant youth. This scoping review examined existing literature that investigated a variety of relationships between acculturative stress and youth mental health. A comprehensive search strategy that focused on studies involving youth, mainly aged between 15-24, with a proximal history of international migration, published between 2012-2022, resulted in a collection of fifty-three studies. This review examined significant relationships between acculturative stress and major depression, anxiety disorders, eating disorders, substance misuse, behavioural problems and poor psychological wellbeing. This scoping review was truly explorative as it included youth from immigrant minorities, had no geographical limits, and included various study designs. Acculturative stress continues to be an important contributor to the mental health of youth who have a proximal history of international migration. This review provided an exploration of the state of research, identified the importance of the settlement context, and provided recommendations for the direction of future studies, supportive policies, and practice considerations, related to the mental health of immigrant youth.

The interconnectedness of global economies and workforces have influenced the mobility of people between countries and their career development. Researchers need to consider contextual influences on international career transitions and select a methodology that illuminates peoples’ meaning making of diverse experiences. In this critical review, we reflect on Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA), through describing the theoretical underpinnings and practical applications, including the seven indications and six contraindications of the IPA process. Overall, IPA seems to have strong applicability for research with people experiencing international career transitions, particularly because of the solid philosophical and human sciences basis, representation of shifts in meaning-making, and consideration of individuals’ unique transition contexts and diverse experiences. Researchers are invited to consider some hesitations in the IPA process, such as challenges in creating deep interpretations in data analysis and distinguishing whose interpretations are represented in the findings. Future research considerations are suggested to advance theoretical and practical applications, including a summary evaluation of the IPA process to inform researchers’ decision-making.

Internationally, there is an urgent need to understand factors promoting successful settlement and integration of people with forced or voluntary migration experiences (i.e., refugee and non-refugee migrants). This paper provides a protocol of a mixed-methods investigation of contextual factors of successful settlement and service utilization of youth and their families, as young people could be at higher risk due to stressors associated with pre-migration trauma, post-migration settlement stressors, and adolescent development. This large-scale mixed-methods study will be conducted across three countries. A questionnaire survey will seek responses from 1200 youth aged 15–24 years residing in South Australia, Ontario, Canada, and California, United States of America. The qualitative component of the study will comprise 54 focus groups (324 participants) with youth and their parents/caregivers. The study design allows a range of important phenomena (e.g., different migration pathways and settlement countries) and key questions (e.g., regarding the intersection of migration, settlement, and wellbeing) to be addressed. It also allows for generalizability of findings to be tested across different communities and countries. Findings will support recommendations for policy and practice and may be generalized to advance research with youth and their families. This study is one of the largest, most comprehensive studies of youth settlement.

The Heuristic Inquiry (HI) qualitative method applied in this study explored the role of Pentecostal faith in the post-migration lived experiences of Jamaican Canadian immigrant women (JCIW). Semi-structured interviews were conducted with seven JCIW whose Pentecostal faith helped them to reconstruct their cultural identity post-migration. The creative flexibility of HI allowed for the integration of the primary researcher’s (i.e., first author's) voice into the study alongside those of the co-researchers. Positioning the study within a postmodern social constructionism theoretical framework created space for multiple realities to emerge that were constructed through social interaction and language. These realities were evident in the unique ways in which the JCIW used faith to reconstruct their cultural identity during the migration process. Results revealed four key categories and 10 salient themes which were used to inform theory, research, and practice for counseling professionals. Recommendations for future research in using HI and the topic of cultural identity are discussed.