The needs of adult immigrants in Europe for social inclusion through language education

Abstract

Learning the language of the host country plays a significant role in the social life of migrants regardless of their age, gender or cultural background since it is the key to their integration into different dimensions of the social life from the labour market to education or simple daily interactions. This multi-dimensional integration may give rise to a socially cohesive and productive society. The study aimed to investigate the needs of adult immigrants in Europe for their social inclusion through language education. It was based on the survey method and adopted the qualitative research design. For this purpose, the data were collected via a structured questionnaire and a detailed review of literature. For the data analysis, after the pre-analysis, the coding system was administered. The results have revealed that learning the official language at a basic level is not enough for adult immigrants to integrate into the host society; they are actually in need of a comprehensive and multidisciplinary language teaching program comprising both in-class and out of class activities for real engagement and some personal experience in everyday situations in the new socio-cultural environment.

Keywords

• adult immigrants; European society; social inclusion; language teaching program; multidisciplinary program; socio-cultural engagement

Kaynakça

1. Arslan, M. (2019). Educational and integration problems of immigrant Turkish youth in Germany. International Journal of Curriculum and Instruction 11(1), 89-100.
2. Beacco, J-C, Krumm, H.J., Little, D., Thalgott, P. (2017) (Eds) The Linguistic Integration of Adult Migrants. Walter de Gruyter GmbH: Berlin
3. Council of Europe. (2005). Warsaw Declaration. Retrieved from http://www.coe.int/t/dcr/summit/20050517_decl_varsovie_EN.asp
4. Council of Europe. (2010). EUR-Lex - 52011DC0455 Retrieved from http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:52011DC0455
5. Council of Europe. (2011). Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: Learning, teaching, assessment. Cambridge: CUP
6. Council of Europe (2014). Language education policies for adult immigrants. Retrieved from http://www.coe.int/t/dg4/linguistic/MIGRANTS_EN.asp
7. Council of Europe. (2017). Common European Framework of Reference for Languages. Retrieved from http://www.coe.int/en/web/common-european-framework-reference-languages
8. Crul, M., Mollenkopf, J. (2012). Eds. The Changing Face of World Cities. New York: Russell Sage Publication

9. European Center for Modern Languages. (2017) Migration and language education. Retrieved from
10. http://www.ecml.at/Thematicareas/Migrantlanguageeducation/tabid/1624/language/en-GB/Default.aspx
11. European Commission. (2011a). Migrant Integration Aggregate Report. Retrieved from http://ec.europa.eu/commfrontoffice/publicopinion/archives/quali/ql_5969_migrant_en.pdf
12. European Commission (2011b) Renewed European Agenda for adult learning. Retriewed from http://ec.europa.eu/education/policy/adult-learning_en
13. European Commission (2016) Public opinion in the European Union. Standard Eurobarometer 86 Autumn 2016. Retrieved from
14. file:///C:/Users/acer/Downloads/eb86_first_en.pdf
15. Eurostat (2017). Migration and migrant population statistics. Retrieved from http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php/Migration_and_migrant_population_statistics
16. Extramiana, C. & Van Avermaet, P. (2011). Language requirements for adult migrants in Council of Europe member states: Report on a survey. Strasbourg: CoE Language Policy Division
17. Little, D. (2009). The European Language Portfolio: where pedagogy and assessment meet. 8th International Seminar on the European Language Portfolio, Graz, 29 September–1 October 2009
18. Nagel, A.D., Bacon, P.A. (2010). Importance of Early Childhood Education: Family Involvement. Early Childhood Education: Birth- 8. New York: Prentice Hall
19. Saldaña, Johnny (2012): The Coding Manual for Qualitative Researchers (Second Ed.). London: Sage
20. Stathopoulou, M.; Dassi, P. (2020). Teaching languages to students from refugee and migrant backgrounds around Europe: Exploring difficulties and teachers’ beliefs. International Online Journal of Education and Teaching (IOJET), 7(1), 60-82.
21. Yıldırım, A., Şimşek, H. (2009). Sosyal Bilimlerde Nitel Araştırma Yöntemleri. Ankara: Seçkin Yayıncılık