This qualitative research study has examined the English Language Learning (ELL) experiences of Arabic-speaking adult refugees to identify the nature of sociocultural dynamics that influence their additional language learning (ALL) in the Australian context. It highlights the positive and negative aspects experienced by former adult refugees when learning the target language (TL) in their attempts to settle in the host country. ALL research (traditionally known as second language acquisition or SLA) acknowledges the role of social factors in learning the TL but it has not yet constructed a framework that groups these social and cultural factors together and explains the relationship between these factors and the ALL process. This study is important because it focuses on the role of sociocultural dynamics in ALL as it is perceived by adult refugee additional language (AL) learners who are already at disadvantage because of the forced and unstable nature of their migration (Reid & Al Khalil, 2013). Hence, the study produces new ways of looking at the sociocultural forces and conditions affecting ALL to inform those involved in the ALL process and assist rethinking the nature of ALL and ways in which to enhance the learning process. Language is not only a means of communication, as it was approached by traditional theories (Ellis, 1994), but also a shared social practice that people use on a daily basis in order to exchange meaning, solve problems and meet their changing social needs. One of the main methodological gaps in ALL research is the absence of the personal views of AL learners on their own language learning experiences. Personal perspectives are valuable tools, which can provide important and rich insights about the nature of ALL (Miller, 1999, 2000). Therefore, this study employed a qualitative narrative inquiry through the use of written biographies and semi-structured interviews in eliciting participants' perceptions of their ALL experiences (Hopkins, 2009). These narratives of refugee settlement, ELL and social integration reproduce former refugees as human agents with multiple identities (Reid & Al Khalil, 2013). By using content analysis and Discourse analysis, three broad clusters of sociocultural dynamics were conceptualised. These findings suggest that social interaction opportunities, cultural capital and identities influence ALL, based on the understanding that language learning is culturally embedded and a socially mediated process (Lantolf, 2000, pp. 79-80). The findings also indicate that the nature and impact of sociocultural dynamics differ between different AL learners because learners have different learning experiences shaped by different social, cultural and historical contexts. Therefore, understanding the mechanisms of social interaction, learner identities and cultural capital is central to ALL.
Date of Award | 2016 |
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Original language | English |
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- English language
- acquisition
- social aspects
- second language acquisition
- refugees
- Arab
- Australia
Sociocultural dynamics affecting the additional language learning process of Arabic-speaking adult refugees in Australian learning settings
Al Khalil, A. (Author). 2016
Western Sydney University thesis: Doctoral thesis