Conference Agenda

Identity negotiation is an often-overlooked process that adult immigrants actively experience through language learning, because for adult immigrants, learning is not only a means to an end (passing a language test, obtaining citizenship, joining the work force, or gaining study rights) but a process in which our identity is redefined by newly learned linguistic and cultural norms and by interactions with proficient speakers and other learners.

Identity is to be understood as a flexible set of beliefs, thoughts, feelings, and behaviours of an individual which have been learned and are adjusted through social interaction and which influences the individual’s future actions. This understanding of identity is based on the work of Bonny Norton, who has extensively researched and discussed identity in relation to adult immigrants learning English in the US and Canadian context. Norton views language learning and identity from a poststructuralist perspective, drawing especially from Christine Weedon’s ‘subjectivity’, and from a sociological perspective, using the work of Pierre Bourdieu to highlight the power relations present in language use, learning and interactions.

Weedon uses the term ‘subjectivity’ to refer to a persons’ sense of ‘self’ including thoughts, feelings, and understandings of our relationship to the world. Language, for Weedon is where our ‘self’ is constructed, given meaning, and even challenged. Norton points out that, subjectivity also reminds us that identity and language is to be understood in relation to others and considering the power dynamic in these relationships.

Power relations in social interactions can be further understood by using the interrelated concepts of ‘habitus’, ‘capital’, and ‘field’ by Bourdieu. Habitus can be understood as a person’s history internalized into ideas, rules, language, and physical traits; Bourdieu also coined the term ‘language habitus’ as dispositions which show competences and strategies used in linguistic interactions adapted to different situations. The accumulation of this ‘history’ becomes valued ‘capital’ depending on the ‘field’ of interaction and the power relations in them. Though heavily centred in economics, the interplay between habitus, capital, and field becomes relevant in identity research with adult immigrants because it brings forth the sometimes-opposing forces present in their every interaction. Adult immigrants’ internalized history, may or may not be considered valuable in their new country; their language competences and strategies, may or may not be considered acceptable or worth responses. It is because and through these opposing forces that identities are negotiated.

Adding to Norton’s work, this research focuses on Finland and Finnish language. Unlike English, Finnish is a language that is often considered very difficult and slow to learn; it is used by a relatively small population worldwide and mostly restricted to residents; learning through other media like has only become available until recent years, and availability is still very limited. Most adult immigrants in Finland learn Finnish in intensive integration courses. The main objective is to help them integrate into work or study, but it is important to emphasize that learning a language, as stated before, affects the person as a whole, not only their status.

This is why this research aims to answer: how do adult immigrants in Finland negotiate their identities through language learning?

Even though the focus is on Finland and Finnish language, this research may be of use to other countries across the globe that may have a challenging to learn language, limited availability of language users, similar language integration courses, or overall interest in the process of identity negotiation. The research can be replicated in other contexts and results may offer a starting point for discussions about the suitability of language education for adult immigrants’ complex lives.

In Germany, roughly 27.2% of the population (22.3 million people) has a migrant background (Statistisches Bundesamt, 2022). Integration takes place in very different ways and depends not least on the political, economic, social, cultural, and religious dimensions of the immigrants. However, even with courses and many other support initiatives, the problem remains that many immigrants do not have adequate language skills (Becker & Lauterbach, 2008). Many of those who, at least, attend courses must retake the B1 exam and only 50-60% of them pass the B1 level, which they need to obtain a permanent residence permit (BAMF-Bericht zur Integrationskursgeschäftsstatistik, 2020).

Immigrants´ language efficiency in the host country has a positive effect on labor market integration and earnings (Dustmann & van Soest, 2001) and to be able to learn the language of the host country would be essential for immigrants to achieve full integration, whereby the immigrant becomes equal with the country's residents in terms of rights, duties, and opportunities (Sezer, 2010). However, as immigrant workers and refugees often do not have good education and some of them even struggle with literacy skills in their native language, Saunders (2015) asks the question whether the preconditions are given for these immigrant adult learners to participate autonomously in shaping their learning process. These new challenges call for new learning support methods. Saunders (2015) notes that one of the current challenges in foreign language teaching is to focus on learners' needs and to promote learner autonomy.

The level of a person´s autonomous learning ability may be indicated by the use of language learning strategies, which are behaviors or actions of learners to enhance their own learning (Oxford, 1990). Language learning strategies support the improvement of language proficiency (Oxford, 1990) because they support self-directed and active involvement, which is essential for improving communicative competence. Although they play a very important role in language learning processes, research that would have looked at immigrant and refugee self-regulated learning strategy use has been scarce so far, as most studies deal with the groups of school children or students.

Therefore, the current study investigates the self-directed strategy use (Oxford, 2016) of adult immigrants based in Germany and learning German as a foreign language in Integration Courses (BAMF integration courses). BAMF is the Federal Office and a competence center for migration and integration in Germany and is responsible for carrying out asylum procedures and protecting refugees but is also the driving force behind the nationwide promotion of integration. BAMF integration courses are specifically designed for adult migrants and guide participants in 6 modules (100 hours each) from the state of no language knowledge at all to the level B1 (Council of Europe, 2001).

The purpose of the research is to investigate in a smaller group of immigrant language learners (N=18) the external and internal factors influencing their learning and their autonomous language-learning ability. We use mixed method approach with narrative interviews, self-reflection questionnaires and a self-regulated strategy use questionnaire.

The research questions are:

1. What are participants’ perceptions about their own learning?
2. What technics, tools and learning strategies do the participants use outside of the classroom for self-directed learning?
3. What are their motivations, attitudes towards learning German, and what are their needs and obstacles in learning German?