Schools Cannot Do It Alone: A Community-Based Approach to Refugee Youth’s Language Development

ABSTRACT

In 2017, 53,716 refugees entered the United States; the state of Michigan ranks sixth in refugee resettlement numbers. Each year, nearly 600 new refugees settle in Newtown, Michigan, which is now home to more than 20,000 newcomers who represent diverse language and ethnic groups. In this ethnographic case study, the authors investigated the ways in which a summer camp program for middle and high school immigrant and refugee youth provided opportunities for English language development. Data sources included interviews with four focal youth and two instructors, 19 days of observation field notes, audio and video recordings of observations, and research memos. Based on a systematic process of coding and constant comparative analyses, the findings suggest that the program created conditions for English language development through socially mediated learning experiences in which immigrant and refugee youth could cultivate a sense of belonging in the community and investment in learning a new language. Implications for rethinking how to approach newcomers’ English language development, in and out of school, are discussed.

KEYWORDS:

• Acculturation
• community-based programs
• English language development
• ethnographic case study
• immigrant and refugee youth
• social-emotional learning

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank the Hope Resource Center staff, instructors, and 2017 GLOBE youth for allowing us to learn from you and alongside you.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

1. The HRC works with anyone in the community who wants to learn English, so rather than distinguishing people through the labels of “immigrant” and “refugee,” they use the term newcomer, which communicates that individuals can identify as they prefer. When reporting on the present study, we use the term newcomers to refer to immigrant and refugee youth in the HRC’s summer program. In our review of the literature, we maintain the language used by the authors of other studies.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the American Educational Research Association [Education Research Service Project].