Persistence in the Face of Adversity: What Drives Low-literacy Women Refugees to Continue on in LINC Classes in Calgary?
Date
2018-09-18
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Abstract
For the thousands of refugee women who arrive in Canada annually speaking a language other than English, the language barrier is one of the most significant obstacles to integrating into Canadian society that they will face. To help facilitate the process, the Government of Canada offers free English classes called Language Instruction for Newcomers to Canada (LINC) to all newcomers. However, it has only been recently acknowledged that those who arrive might have little to no prior formal educational experience and as such will be largely illiterate in their mother tongues. This demographic will arrive needing help with both language and literacy and due to the nature of their situation, have been classified as ESL literacy students. Despite the seemingly daunting task of simultaneously having to acquire a new language along with first-time literacy skills, there are women who are working their way through LINC programs in Calgary, but little is known of them as a demographic. In this study, a methodology of narrative inquiry was used along with semi-structured interviews to gather the stories of seven women and from the interviews three main themes emerged: 1) The influence of past experiences; 2) Navigating new surroundings through language acquisition and literacy learning; and 3) Who am I now? Results of the study provide an overview of the motivations, challenges, perspectives and triumphs that these women have experienced and gained through engaging in classes as well as suggestions for improved practice in the developing field of ESL literacy.
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ESL, ESL Literacy, Adult Literacy, Adult ESL Learning
Citation
Perry, R. (2018). Persistence in the Face of Adversity: What Drives Low-literacy Women Refugees to Continue on in LINC Classes in Calgary? (Master's thesis, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada). Retrieved from https://prism.ucalgary.ca. doi:10.11575/PRISM/33045