Accommodation, empowerment and disinvestment—Typical second‐language learning trajectories of Syrian refugees in Germany
| Published date | 01 June 2023 |
| Author | Stefan Bernhard |
| Date | 01 June 2023 |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1111/imig.13044 |
Permanent Working Group on Qualitative
Methods, Research Unit ‘Basic Income
and Activation’, Institute for Employment
Research, Nuremberg, Germany
Correspondence
Stefan Bernhard, Permanent Working Group
on Qualitative Methods, Research Unit
‘Basic Income and Activation’, Institute for
Employment Research, Regensburgerstr. 100
(210), 90478 Nuremberg, Germany.
Email: stefan.bernhard@iab.de
Abstract
This paper asks how refugees' second-language learning
processes are embedded in their lives in host countries.
To address this question, the paper proposes the concept
of second-language learning trajectories. These trajecto-
ries conceptualise refugees' second-language learning as
closely intertwined with learners' self-understanding, expe-
riences and positioning in host countries. Using longitudinal
narrative interview data from Syrian refugees in Germany,
the paper identifies three different types of second-language
learning trajectories, that is empowerment, accommodation
and disinvestment. These trajectories have vastly diverse
outcomes, not only in terms of second-language profi-
ciency but also in terms of learning motivation, self-views
and future prospects. Moreover, second-language learning
trajectories evolve based on self-reinforcing dynamics that
make switching between trajectories increasingly difficult
over time. This is particularly detrimental to refugees on the
disinvestment trajectory, which entails social decline and
exclusion. The paper also identifies institutional regulations
in Germany that compound refugees' struggles to gain a
foothold in their host country.
ORIGINAL ARTICLE
Accommodation, empowerment and
disinvestment—Typical second-language learning
trajectories of Syrian refugees in Germany
Stefan Bernhard
DOI: 10.1111/imig.13044
Received: 9 November 2021 Revised: 25 May 2022 Accepted: 17 June 2022
254
This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License, which permits use,
distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited and is not used for commercial purposes.
© 2022 The Author. International Migration published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of International Organization for Migration.
International Migration.2023;61:254–269.wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/imig
SECOND-LANGUAGE LEARNING TRAJECTORIES255
INTRODUCTION
When people migrate to another country, they often must learn the dominant host country language. Succeeding in
this endeavour is crucial for immigrants' future in receiving countries. Studies show that host country language profi-
ciency (i.e. second-language 1 proficiency) affects all areas of life, from labour market outcomes to self-reported health
to feelings of belonging and identification (Chiswick et al., 2020; Pottie et al., 2008; Warriner, 2004). Second-language
proficiency is also a matter of everyday life, as it influences opportunities to practice the new language in everyday
encounters and has consequences for self-understandings and identities (Norton, 1995; Perry & Moses, 2011; van
Tubergen & Kalmijn, 2009a). Factors that contribute to and hamper second-language acquisition include premigration
education, age, intentions to stay, language course attendance and ties to native speakers (Beckhusen et al., 2013;
Geurts & Lubbers, 2017; Hoehne & Michalowski, 2016; van Tubergen & Kalmijn, 2009b). Compared to other groups
of migrants, refugees face additional challenges, some of which relate to their flight experiences, such as psycholog-
ical burden or little control over the timing and direction of their mobility. Other challenges derive from macrosocial
contexts in receiving countries, such as asylum processes and segregated housing (van Tubergen & Kalmijn, 2005).
Thus, for refugees, second-language acquisition is even more demanding than for other groups of immigrants.
Against this backdrop, this paper asks how refugees' second-language learning processes are embedded in
their lives in host countries. To unravel the complexities of this embeddedness, the paper outlines the concept of
second-language learning trajectories, which puts learners' experiences in a biographical and societal context (Darvin
& Norton, 2015; Norton, 1995). This approach counters the idea that second-language learning is merely an intel-
lectual exercise (Block, 2007) or that it is basically an asset for the rational pursuit of other (e.g. professional) goals
(Braun, 2010). Rather, second-language learning interweaves with refugees' lives in host countries in intricate ways.
It is about the experiences developed in language courses, the opportunities to practice the new language and the
feedback received from others when doing so. It is also about how learners make sense of such experiences against
the backdrop of their biographies as well as the consequences for their life plans, ambitions and self-views. This
sense-making depends upon and shapes, which positions refugees take in host societies and the direction of their
lives. This paper aims to further our understanding of the interplay among learning experiences, self-views and social
positioning of refugee second-language learners. The concept of second-language learning trajectories offers a way
to explore in depth the complexities of second-language learning while grounding the analysis in the extant research.
In doing so, the concept offers a way to emphasise individual experience and agency without losing sight of recurrent
patterns across cases and the institutional setting in host countries.
As the following section elaborates, research on second-language proficiency is multidisciplinary and
multi-methodological but falls into three strands that thus far remained isolated from each other. The theoretical
section presents the concept of the second-language learning trajectory and formulates heuristic questions for the
analysis. Empirically, the study draws on longitudinal data from narrative interviews with Syrian refugees in Germany.
The section on research design presents the research process, sampling, methods of data collection, data preparation
and multistep data analysis. The data analysis aimed to identify typical patterns across cases to construct ideal types
of second-language learning trajectories. The results section tells the stories of Wael, Badia and Said and demon-
strates why their stories constitute anchor cases for the disinvestment, empowerment and accommodation types of
second-language learning trajectories. The final section juxtaposes these trajectories and argues that self-reinforcing
dynamics contribute to their specificity and durability. The section also explicates how the study adds to different
strands of literature and, potentially, to strengthening the dialogue between them.
RESEARCH ON SECOND-LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY
Researchers have addressed migrants' second-language acquisition processes through three strands of research. In
the quantitative social sciences, researchers treat second-language proficiency as a dependent variable that can be
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