What is it about?
Around the world, about 14% of adults cannot read or write. When these adults migrate to high-income countries—whether as refugees or for other reasons—they often face the added challenge of learning a new language. This study spoke with a group of such learners to understand what supports or makes it harder for them to learn a language. It also explored the strategies they use to overcome these challenges.
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Why is it important?
Many European countries now require migrants to learn the local language as part of civic integration policies. However, we still know surprisingly little about how to best support adults who are just beginning to read and write. This study explored the experiences of these learners and found that building new social connections plays a key role in their success. Adults who have a supportive network of people to practice the new language with often feel happier, more confident, and more invested in learning.
Perspectives
European civic integration policies place high demands on newcomers regarding language learning. This study showed that adult literacy learners are motivated to learn a new language, but they cannot do it on their own, they need a supportive envirionment.
Kaatje Dalderop
Universiteit van Amsterdam
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Investigating language learning strategy use in adult L2 literacy, AILA Review, November 2024, John Benjamins,
DOI: 10.1075/aila.24017.dal.
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