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Language Acquirement
Language as a requirement for integration
Language is a column of integration – sounds like a commonplace, but nevertheless it is not a matter of course. Knowledge of the German language is an important requirement for the completion of everyday-life in Austria. German knowledge makes it easier for a non-Austrian person to establish contact with the local inhabitants. Therefore, language knowledge and a basic idea about Austrian society are an absolute necessity for an effective participation in Austrian society. If the intension is to support integration, it makes a lot of sense to enable refugees right from the start, independent on the state of their asylum process, to join a language course. In Salzburg, this does not go without saying: often, language courses are held exclusively on voluntary and irregular basis, regular language courses are unaffordable for refugees.
This is where FluEqual “docks on”: ten language courses took place in four different regions of the state of Salzburg. 154 participants altogether have frequented a language course and a high number of them have also completed the latter. Methods as well as the setting were created especially according to the group of asylum seekers. Gender fairness, or rather Gender Mainstreaming was an important issue in the field of language: In order to consider the learning need of as many women as possible, two courses solely for woman were offered in the city of Salzburg. Two other courses, that also took place in the city of Salzburg, were frequented mostly by men, while the other courses were mixed. At two network-meetings of the language teachers, intensive interchange took place; experiences from the first round were implemented in the conception of the second round.
The surplus value deriving from a holistic approach to language courses is obvious: intensive language courses that are orientated along the lines of the “life situations” and the needs of the asylum seekers not only help to promote language knowledge but help to build a bridge to the new country of residence, Austria.
Design and didactics: particular for asylum seekers
Realised by the project FluEqual, ten courses “German as a foreign language” took place from October 2005 until April 2006, featuring each 200 units.
Target group: asylum seekers in the ongoing asylum process that are under primary care and that are placed within the project regions of the state of Salzburg.
The learning aim was to achieve level A1, according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages. This way, participants have been able to acquire the following skills:
- Communication in everyday situations
- Active participation in conversations about general topics
- Sensible handling of simple texts
The setting as well as the schedule and the methods of the courses were synchronised with the special needs and circumstances in the life of an asylum seeker:
- Accessibility: In order to enable the target group to participate, six of the ten courses took place in rural areas, where also housing facilities for asylum seekers are to be found: Mittersill, Ramingstein, Puch, St.Michael/Lungau.
- Duration of a course: ten weeks
- Course schedule: daily from Monday until Friday, mornings from eight until twelve o'clock (in the second course for women, the intensity was reduced to only 4 days a week)
- 14-18 participants per group
- FluEqual paid the travel expenses to the courses
- Childcare was available and paid for during the whole length of the course
- Curriculum and methods:
> Vocabulary and exercises correspond with the everyday-life of the participants Motivation and mobilisation of the participants through a broad repertoire of materials and a lively class
> Different levels of alphabetisation to be met by targeted and flexible use of remediation
> Instructions for self-guided learning in the special situation of an asylum seeker (self-study, libraries, Internet and so on)
> Supporting of social learning and group activities (for example through promotion of learning together outside of the classroom)
> Excursions and “study-trips” made the targeted contact to the proximate surroundings possible. - In order to warrant accessibility of the courses for female asylum seekers:
> 50% of the course places were reserved for women and only had been given to a male applicant if the place could not be filled by a woman
> In case of application of a married couple, the woman was treated with priority.
> Two courses were held solely for women
> woman teachers were deployed as far as possible
> Course material was chosen carefully to avoid one-sided stereotypes
> Course hours were arranged according to women's possibilities.
Performance by:
BiBer - formation consulting for adults, Imbergstraße 2, A 5020 Salzburg, Tel 0043 662 87 26 77, www.biber.salzburg.at biber@salzburg.at
BiBer - formation consulting for adults, Imbergstraße 2, A 5020 Salzburg, Tel 0043 662 87 26 77, www.biber.salzburg.at biber@salzburg.at
Experience and recommendations
94% of the language course participants have concluded their course. The vast majority of the participants was dedicated, willing to learn and showed high motivation to learn the language of their new home.
Final grades of the language course participants:
25% excellent result
27% very good result
28% good result
14% completed
6 % not completed
Experiences from the ten language courses show that asylum seekers are confronted with special life circumstances, that clearly also have certain effects on their learning ability.
Often, the situation of the asylum seekers is marked by:
- Living in cramped accommodation without possibility to self-supply and without a everyday routine
- Health restrictions
- Experiences of escape
- Traumatic experiences in their country of origin and/or during their escape
- Cultural shock
- Alienating feelings or feelings of being denied
- Isolation and therefore lacking knowledge of conventions in Austria's everyday-life
- Uncertainty caused by long and complicated asylum processes
- Lack of means and poverty
These living conditions get experienced and worked up in many different ways, however, often, great learning difficulties can result from the lack of conditions. This is why it is indispensable that expectations and rules are outspoken very clearly. Consequently, the following recommendations can be given for the realisation of further courses:
- In order to provide equal access, courses attended exclusively by women are necessary. These courses should be carried out in a less intensive form (4-5 half days a week with a duration of 10-12 weeks proved to be too much) and require a clear demarcation from the other support services on behalf of the teacher.
- Varied levels of pre-knowledge, heterogeneous levels of education and states of motivation lead to strongly fluctuant learning progresses, which cannot be compensated only by means of differentiated classes. A flexible creation of the course (for example a split after six weeks) should be thought of.
- Remediation, flexibly and individually adopted, can greatly increase the individual learning success.
- The obligation of the participation rules has to be very clear for the participants right from the start. Teachers are responsible to draw consequences.
- The teacher's sensitisation for the topic “asylum” is highly recommended. Such a briefing should include: course and duration of an asylum process in Austria, meaning of primary care, visit of asylum seeker's accommodation, compendium about responsible sites, as well as information about the main countries of origin.
- The coverage of the travelling costs to the courses is an absolute necessity in order to provide access to the courses. It is strongly recommended that the parties involved have agreed in detail how the travelling costs will be accounted for and paid out, before the actual execution starts. This way, security can be assured on side of the collaborator as well as on the side of the participant. At any rate it is sensible to acquire weekly or monthly tickets in case of an intensive course that will take place four or five times a week. The pre-financing of the travelling costs by the asylum seekers, how it was the case with FluEqual, and the refunding only after expiry of the ticket, often is a problem for the destitute asylum seeker. Desirable would be the payout in cash at the moment of submittal of the original ticket, by means of clearing through a copy of the original. The payout of the travelling costs on-site has to be assured.
- Childcare is an essential auxiliary to an intensive course (4-5 days), especially for women. According to the respective family situation and the regional possibilities, a suitable form of childcare has to be arranged: kindergarten, day mothers, supervision through cohabitants or through the help of a baby sitter.
- An appropriate time of preparation has to be allowed for, in order to realise these recommendations aimed at the organisation of language courses.
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