Language Education for Migrants? International Research Can Help Make It More Effective
Life in a foreign country is challenging for almost everyone at first. In many cases, it is not a voluntary decision, but a step forced by circumstances. It is then that people often find themselves in a host country without any knowledge of the local language. However, sufficient mastery of the language is an important prerequisite for successful integration into a new society. This raises the question of why some people find it easier to learn a new language than others and what institutions and educators can do to help. Researchers from leading European institutions addressed this topic at a conference on language development in the context of migration.
The research team focused on migrants who acquire a new language primarily through everyday interactions – at work, in shops, or at local authorities. This approach is logical, given that hundreds of thousands of people relocate to Europe each year without guaranteed access to formal education. Paradoxically, this group has long remained outside the scope of scientific attention. Research on second language acquisition has traditionally focused on learners whose backgrounds and educational experiences align more closely with European norms.
According to Egle Mocciaro from the Department of Romance Languages and Literatures at the Faculty of Arts, Masaryk University, who has been studying this topic in depth for many years, there is a logical explanation for this situation. "Migrants often move, either voluntarily or involuntarily. This constant movement, combined with limited opportunities or willingness to participate in research, makes it very difficult to monitor language development over time," she explained. According to her, social marginalisation, isolation and uncertain or extremely demanding working conditions also play a role.
“UNESCO data show that many migrants come from countries where multilingualism is the norm, but the level of formal education and literacy is very low.”
Egle Mocciaro
investigator on the project
Although people usually learn to communicate reasonably well in everyday situations, native speakers notice that such speech often sounds unusual. In the Czech Republic, we would probably say that such a person speaks "broken Czech". However, this is not a mistake or a failure; on the contrary, it is a natural consequence of language development.
In this context, Mocciaro emphasised the importance of the linguistic and social background of migrants. "UNESCO data show that many migrants often come from countries where multilingualism is the norm, but the level of formal education and literacy is very low. We must therefore examine the languages migrants spoke before or during migration, their previous school experiences (including learning styles and strategies), and what goals they have set for themselves," she said. While for some, communication is the most important thing, others strive for accuracy and complete knowledge of the language. However, current teaching systems often overlook these differences.
Key Themes and Questions at the Conference
The conference presentations offered reflections and case studies addressing the role of different factors in learning new languages. The keynote lectures explored two central themes: literacy and multilingualism. Ewa Dąbrowska (Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen–Nuremberg) discussed the complex role of literacy in language education—not only for second languages but also for learning in general. She demonstrated how students develop different linguistic systems depending on factors such as exposure to written texts. Friederike Lüpke (University of Helsinki) examined multilingualism through the lens of “small multilingual repertoires,” typical in sub-Saharan Africa. She contrasted these with the narrower European perspective, which sees a multilingual speaker as someone who flawlessly masters several languages, studies their grammar, and uses them in all contexts. Small-scale multilingualism instead reflects flexible use of linguistic resources based on communicative needs.
Other lectures provided introduced case studies and insights into specific learning situations: the role of literacy and school background in the development of oral skills in a second language (Benazzo et al., Paris), the mobilisation of complex language repertoires by migrants (D'Agostino & Farina, Palermo; Lupica Spagnolo, Potsdam), the use of the host country language as a lingua franca (Dimroth et al., Münster), the impact of L2 exposure and social interaction (Milan, Naples) and the role of trauma in the context of forced migration (Luppi & Arnone, Bologna) in second language development. Other topics included the emergence of writing skills (Czinglar et al., Jena), data collection methods and their influence on the nature of the data itself (Albanesi et al., Brno; Farina & Lorenzova, Palermo–Brno), and new approaches to data collection and processing in the context of migration (Mauri & Zucchini, Bologna).
A better understanding of the language acquisition process will make it possible to tailor education and support for people in a new environment more sensitively, thereby facilitating their integration into society. If education and integration systems are based on the idea of a single starting point and a single correct goal, they miss the reality of millions of people. Migration only highlights this contradiction.
The research may also influence, for example, the form of language tests and integration programmes, which, among other things, corresponds to the European Union's priorities in the field of language education and the integration of migrants.
The conclusions presented at the conference are a starting point for further research and, above all, the beginning of a broader debate on how to better understand the complex process of language acquisition (not only) in the context of migration. The research team will use them as a basis for formulating more precise research questions and developing new data collection protocols and analytical models that will reflect this way of learning languages.
The principal investigator of the project A Lifetime with Language: The Nature and Ontogeny of Linguistic Communication (LangInLife), reg. no. CZ.02.01.01/00/23_025/0008726, co-funded by the European Union, is Pavel Caha from the Department of Czech Language at the Faculty of Arts, MU. The project also involves experts from CEITEC MU, Charles University, and the Institute of Psychology of the Czech Academy of Sciences. The project runs until 2028.
Photos from the conference
