Language and culture learning needs of adult refugees

Abstract

Refugees suddenly face life transitions and challenges such as the need to learn a new language, learn the rules of a new culture, endure traumatic situations, and loss; all of these are factors that impact their integration. This article describes the language and culture learning needs of adult refugees resettling in the United States suggests best teaching practices to meet their unique learning needs.

A Multi-Method Profiling of Adult Refugees and Migrants in an L2 Non-Formal Educational Setting: Language Needs Analysis, Linguistic Portraits, and Identity Texts

“…Extended research has been conducted by several scholars [10,11], especially in the field of needs analysis. First of all, migrants try to improve their socioeconomic and professional status [12], and usually, they want to learn the dominant language to take exams and receive citizenship of their place of residence, as well as socialize and find a job [12,13]. They focus on acquiring the L2 to find accommodation and take advantage of public services [12,13].…”

“…First of all, migrants try to improve their socioeconomic and professional status [12], and usually, they want to learn the dominant language to take exams and receive citizenship of their place of residence, as well as socialize and find a job [12,13]. They focus on acquiring the L2 to find accommodation and take advantage of public services [12,13]. They want to have easier access to health services and political resources [12,14], and they need to communicate with healthcare providers [12], cope with everyday life in their host country properly [15], and cultivate their communication skills, which are essential for social inclusion, for entering the labor market, and for improving their career prospects [15].…”

“…They focus on acquiring the L2 to find accommodation and take advantage of public services [12,13]. They want to have easier access to health services and political resources [12,14], and they need to communicate with healthcare providers [12], cope with everyday life in their host country properly [15], and cultivate their communication skills, which are essential for social inclusion, for entering the labor market, and for improving their career prospects [15]. Additionally, they want to be able to complete their CVs, search the internet for jobs successfully, and communicate with their employers during interviews [16,17], and they want to be educated so as to have the opportunity to enrich their professional profile [14,18].…”

“…Additionally, they want to be able to complete their CVs, search the internet for jobs successfully, and communicate with their employers during interviews [16,17], and they want to be educated so as to have the opportunity to enrich their professional profile [14,18]. Furthermore, if they are parents, they need to cope properly with their children's schoolwork and communicate with their children's teachers successfully about their progress [12,16,17,19], or to be able to inform the teachers if their children are sick, and generally be able to participate in the informative meetings at their children's schools [14,16,17].…”