Motivations of Refugee-Background Adults in Enrolling in English Language Classes in the United States

This study examines the motivations of refugee-background adults in participating in English language classes in the United States. Five focus group discussions were held with refugee-background adults with no or very limited English proficiency who were enrolled in an English language program in an urban area in the Northeastern region of the United States. The study participants had been resettled in the United States for between 10 months and 4 years at the time of study and were of different nationalities, including Somalia, Yemen, Myanmar, Cuba, and Sudan. While agencies and organizations funding and running these English programs have generally focused on job readiness English language skills in their curriculums, this study found that refugees had a wide range of motivations for learning English. In addition to better paying jobs, refugees were also interested in learning English to better navigate the health care system and safeguard their privacy, become self-reliant and avoid the humiliation of public assistance, enable self-advocacy in various settings, pass the United States citizenship test, and to provide English language support for family and neighbors. Based on these findings, the study recommends that these language programs intensify collaborative learning activities that invite and incorporate the experiences, perspectives, and expectations of refugee participants in the design, execution, and assessment of these programs.