Session Information
99 ERC SES 07 E, Language and Education
Paper Session
Contribution
In Europe, the assessment of language proficiency in the Second Language (SL) of migrants once they arrive in the country of immigration, if not even prior to this moment, is crucial for permanence in the destination territory of migration. Consequently language can tip the scale that decides against the fate of migrants in the migratory context, based on the assessment of linguistic and grammatical skills, founded on the criteria defined by the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR). Beyond these regulatory and normative connotations, SL has a central role in the path of social inclusion in the host society and, for this reason, the right to language education is fundamental to the migrant's effective and active participation and, indeed, can be defined precisely as the most important skill to be acquired with a view to medium- or long-term stay in the host country (OECD, 2021).
The linguistic dimension, however, is much more heterogeneous, biographical and, at the same time, cultural. For these reasons, in addition to the acquisition of grammatical and lexical skills alone, it is unthinkable not to consider identity and social aspects as well in the construction of pathways of education, hosting and inclusion. Such consideration ensures that the formative and educational experience is not characterized by the assimilationist paradigm, but, rather, by a curious, supportive and humanizing attitude toward otherness.
The intercultural perspective in SL learning allows for the recognition of all the cultural and identity aspects that characterize the linguistic biography of the subject who, in migration, finds himself interacting with other languages and other identities. In the communicative relationship with otherness, dialogue is fundamental and cannot be excluded from pedagogical and cultural reflection, which is essential in order to effectively direct educational interventions toward an intercultural and socially inclusive society. In this perspective, plurilingualism arising, also, from migration encourages and promotes forms of participation of "otherness" that, among other things, predisposes the overcoming of power dynamics inherent also to the linguistic dimension. Indeed, it is recognized that forms of cultural racism also find in language a mode of expression of relations of domination and that Fanon (1952), specifically, identifies the promotion of the colonizer's language as a civilizing language, defining a relational hierarchy dependent on cultural and identity factors. The risk inherent in the imposition of the acquisition of the language of the country of immigration at the expense of the linguistic and cultural background of which the migrant person is the bearer would, in fact, entail the adoption of the assimilationist paradigm by the country of immigration, favoring passive coexistence instead of social interaction resulting from inclusive processes.
For these reasons, the realities of non-formal language training for migrants were investigated, paying attention to the inclusion practices applied in these contexts and noting the criticalities of this sector and the unmet needs of users. At the theoretical level, the project is guided by the analysis of migration, the encounter between cultures and the processes of inclusion captured through an intercultural, post-colonial and intersectional perspective of the phenomenon under investigation. The three research questions that guided the investigation of the phenomenon are: 1. What are the characteristics, strengths and weaknesses of non-formal language training practices for migrants? 2. What are the educational, cultural and social needs of migrants?3. In particular, what training tools are effective in empowering migrants attending SL courses (also in the recent pandemic situation)?
Method
The research was carried out in the city of Rome, Italy, between October 2021 and September 2022, a period in which 60 semi-structured interviews were administered to 8 SL schools. The schools that have joined are mostly part of the panorama of associations and only one is part of the institutional school. Of the people interviewed, 25 were teachers (volunteers, operators and tenured teachers) and 35 students, from A0 level of language proficiency to B1 level according to CEFR criteria, And all respondents participated in the survey on a voluntary basis. Based on the role played by the respondents were formulated two grids of interview, one directed to teachers and one to students, but both built on the same thematic areas: 1. biographical area; 2. the school and the language courses; 3. SL during the Covid-19 pandemic period; 4. SL and inclusion. Given the linguistic competence of the respondents, particular attention has been paid to the interviewer’s interview skills and the communication asymmetries inherent in the use of the aforementioned survey tool. Language is one of the fundamental elements of the interview relationship, especially with subjects who have or perceive a vulnerability in this field, for these reasons the language of the researcher is adapted to that of the interviewee. As regards the transcription of the interviews have been reported in the form of the literal transcription, without any adaptation or manipulation, as this attitude enhances the words of the students of the courses, who carried out the interview in the SL and, if they did not have sufficient language skills to carry out the interview in Italian, they had the opportunity to use mediation languages, in particular English, French and Spanish. Furthermore, the literal transcription of the interviews was considered to be the most suitable method for the analysis as the attitude adopted towards the data was illustrative and aimed at a thematic analysis of the content of the interviews. Themes and sub-themes have been identifies within the interview, in order to allow comparison. the interview extracts used in the analysis of the themes are then treated crosswise, bringing out the relevant content through a kind of conversation between the interviewees.
Expected Outcomes
What has emerged is that language courses pay special attention to all those elements that could limit access to training services, and this awareness allows for proposals to counter social and educational marginality, particularly for immigrant women and illiterate people. The importance of the territorial network and contacts between schools emerged, which are confirmed to be fundamental in the construction of educating communities and effective paths of social inclusion. The focus on the intercultural inclusion project is also confirmed by the numerous workshop and experiential activities that go along with SL learning and encourage interaction among class members, but also with the reality of immigration. Regarding the pandemic period, social, economic and gender inequalities are also confirmed in the introduction of online learning, which saw many students, but also many teachers, cut off from the possibility of accessing language education. Regarding the connection between language learning and the migrant's path to inclusion, SL learning has a strong potential for empowerment and self-determination if understood from an intercultural perspective, although it emerges how there are numerous elements that hinder language training, in fact some of the interviewees undertake this education many years after migration. For these reasons, numerous critical issues have been identified, such as the influence of the community of origin in the territory of migration and the absence of relationships of schools with these realities, leading to the lack of language acquisition and social inclusion not only of an individual, but of an entire migrant community settled in the territory. Other elements relate to the desire to strengthen relations with territorial services, communication methods to promote SL services and the need to invest more in intercultural activities in which natives are also involved.
References
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