Language learning and migrant 'integration' in Scotland
Language learning and migrant 'integration' in Scotland: exploring infrastructure, provision and experiences
What is the relationship between language learning and migrant ‘integration’? Is it understood in the same ways by the different stakeholders involved: learners, teachers, providers and policy-makers? How are migrants’ needs and experiences of language learning shaped by location, migrant status and/or gender? This project explores these questions through a qualitative study of ESOL provision in Scotland. The research involves multi-sited fieldwork in Glasgow and rural Aberdeenshire; we are conducting semi-structured interviews with learners, teachers and policy-makers, and participant observation in both formal and informal spaces of language learning. The project will provide new insights into the complex landscape of ESOL provision in Scotland, at a point when it is undergoing significant changes in terms of governance, funding and co-ordination. The project findings will be of interest to academic audiences, policy makers and practitioners in Scotland, other parts of the UK, and wider European contexts.
Research team
- Dr Francesca Stella (PI)
- Professor Rebecca Kay (Co-PI)
Funder
British Academy/Leverhulme Small Grant
Dates
September 2019- August 2022