Spinning their own webs: An exploration of English second language learning for newcomers in New Brunswick.

摘要

This qualitative study explored the English second language (ESL) experiences of immigrants and refugees in Fredericton, New Brunswick, who participated in a level three class of the Language of Instruction for Newcomers to Canada (LINC) program. Narrative inquiry and phenomenology were the combined methodology used in the study. Several factors connected their experiences to resettlement and goals for further education and employment. ESL experiences were defined in terms of three categories of factors (situational, dispositional, and institutional). Metaphors that emerged from the narratives expressed four phases of cultural adjustment (disoriented, discouraged, energized, and determined). The situational factors were: community involvement; cultural readjustment; personal safety and inclusiveness; prior language learning; family responsibility and support; financial constraints; previous education, skills and experience; discrimination; impact on native language; and informal ESL learning. Dispositional factors were: perception of age as a barrier to learning; anxiety, stress and depression; and motivation. Institutional factors included: transportation; formal ESL learning; and bureaucratic disconnectedness. There are implications for ESL practitioners, service providers, and policymakers: suggestions were made to extend ESL educational programs, create more effective communication between government offices and immigrants, and generate greater community awareness of the needs of newcomers. The loss of personal agency that was expressed by participants in this study underlines the need for further exploration. Future research must address how newcomers perceive power relationships through the different stages of the migration experience and how they understand their decision-making and learning through resettlement.