“My brain doesn’t run”: language learning for refugee adults

Abstract

Refugees are resettled to the US with the advantage of temporary state assistance and the burden of governmental expectations of immediate self-sufficiency. Gaining English proficiency is considered integral for refugee adaptation, in terms of obtaining employment and eventual citizenship. How do refugees, particularly those resettled later in life with limited formal education and familial dependents, perceive and experience the process of learning English? Using qualitative data of language learners in Western New York, I situate their learning frustrations, concerns, and aspirations within a structural context where institutional expectations for employment and societal notions of belonging become intertwined with English-language proficiency. Despite how English is narrowly framed by refugee policies as a step towards employment, learners also valued learning English for its own sake, related to notions of equal personhood and cultural maintenance.

Implications

Service-providers and teachers recognize the relational aspects of language learning but can be constrained by the economic orientation of policy guidelines and the structural inequities built into the resettlement system. The social and affective benefits of language learning need to be acknowledged at a structural level. The participants’ classroom experiences and perspectives underscore a need for policy-makers to broaden their understanding of ESL instruction as more than a tool to increase employability. Rather, language-learning can foster people’s self-esteem and support their roles as parents and tradition keepers within families and communities.

Social Media Statement

Is language learning a means to employment as conceptualized in US refugee policy, or can it also be a means for social integration and personal wellness?

Video Abstract

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©2024 Society for Applied Anthropology

Keywords:

• Refugee resettlement
• migrant integration
• second-language acquisition
• adult education

Acknowledgements

Funding for this project was generously given by the Reed Foundation (Ruth Landes Memorial Research Fund), and SUNY Brockport with in-kind support from the study’s nonprofit partners (names withheld for confidentiality purposes). This project conforms to the standards set by the Institutional Review Board at SUNY Brockport (Project #159). Special thanks to the participants who shared their time with us. My appreciation extends to the whole research team and to our Community Advisory Board. I am grateful for the support of this journal’s editor and reviewers for substantive feedback on this piece.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes

1 All names are pseudonyms. All quotes from refugee participants reflect an interpreter’s translation, unless stated otherwise. Minor grammatical errors have been fixed. Personal details have been modified in ways that retain accuracy while maintaining confidentiality.

2 Later in the research, ESL teachers at the reception sites would be funded by a grant through the local resettlement agency, using school district teachers.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Pilapa Esara Carroll

Pilapa Esara Carroll is an Associate Professor in the Department of Anthropology at SUNY Brockport. Her current research focuses on the affective and relational aspects of integration for current and former refugees and their families.