Literacy, Legitimacy, and Investment in Language Learning. The Experiences of a Female Syrian Refugee in the UK

Al-Dhaif, Amina, Hall, Graham and Naeb, Rola (2022) Literacy, Legitimacy, and Investment in Language Learning. The Experiences of a Female Syrian Refugee in the UK. In: Literacies in the Age of Mobility Literacy: Practices of Adult and Adolescent Migrants. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham, pp. 77-101. ISBN 9783030833169, 9783030833176

Preview

Text AlDhaif_Hall_and_naeb_4._Literacy_legitimacy_and_investment_in_language_learning_final_submitted_version_Northumbria_Pure.pdf - Accepted Version Download (391kB) | Preview

Abstract

Focusing on the experiences of a female Syrian refugee, Nadeema, this chapter explores the relationship between her Arabic L1 literacy, her investment in learning and becoming literate in a second language, English, and the implications of this for identity/ies negotiation in the multiple domains of her life in Britain. It traces the ways in which Nadeema’s migration and post-migration settlement experiences in the UK impacted upon her literacy development and social mobility, guided by the research question: how does a Syrian refugee’s investment in learning English intersect with her social positioning, changing identities and social mobility? Data is drawn from a broader ethnographic investigation of the language learning and identity experiences of 14 adult Syrian refugee language learners, including Nadeema, recently arrived in the UK.

Actions (login required)

View Item

Downloads