In Germany, roughly 27.2% of the population (22.3 million people) has a migrant background (Statistisches Bundesamt, 2022). Integration takes place in very different ways and depends not least on the political, economic, social, cultural, and religious dimensions of the immigrants. However, even with courses and many other support initiatives, the problem remains that many immigrants do not have adequate language skills (Becker & Lauterbach, 2008). Many of those who, at least, attend courses must retake the B1 exam and only 50-60% of them pass the B1 level, which they need to obtain a permanent residence permit (BAMF-Bericht zur Integrationskursgeschäftsstatistik, 2020).
Immigrants´ language efficiency in the host country has a positive effect on labor market integration and earnings (Dustmann & van Soest, 2001) and to be able to learn the language of the host country would be essential for immigrants to achieve full integration, whereby the immigrant becomes equal with the country's residents in terms of rights, duties, and opportunities (Sezer, 2010). However, as immigrant workers and refugees often do not have good education and some of them even struggle with literacy skills in their native language, Saunders (2015) asks the question whether the preconditions are given for these immigrant adult learners to participate autonomously in shaping their learning process. These new challenges call for new learning support methods. Saunders (2015) notes that one of the current challenges in foreign language teaching is to focus on learners' needs and to promote learner autonomy.
The level of a person´s autonomous learning ability may be indicated by the use of language learning strategies, which are behaviors or actions of learners to enhance their own learning (Oxford, 1990). Language learning strategies support the improvement of language proficiency (Oxford, 1990) because they support self-directed and active involvement, which is essential for improving communicative competence. Although they play a very important role in language learning processes, research that would have looked at immigrant and refugee self-regulated learning strategy use has been scarce so far, as most studies deal with the groups of school children or students.
Therefore, the current study investigates the self-directed strategy use (Oxford, 2016) of adult immigrants based in Germany and learning German as a foreign language in Integration Courses (BAMF integration courses). BAMF is the Federal Office and a competence center for migration and integration in Germany and is responsible for carrying out asylum procedures and protecting refugees but is also the driving force behind the nationwide promotion of integration. BAMF integration courses are specifically designed for adult migrants and guide participants in 6 modules (100 hours each) from the state of no language knowledge at all to the level B1 (Council of Europe, 2001).
The purpose of the research is to investigate in a smaller group of immigrant language learners (N=18) the external and internal factors influencing their learning and their autonomous language-learning ability. We use mixed method approach with narrative interviews, self-reflection questionnaires and a self-regulated strategy use questionnaire.
The research questions are:
- What are participants’ perceptions about their own learning?
- What technics, tools and learning strategies do the participants use outside of the classroom for self-directed learning?
- What are their motivations, attitudes towards learning German, and what are their needs and obstacles in learning German?
