Surmounting Linguistic Obstacles: Strategies for Individuals Impacted by Turmoil in Heritage Nation Educational and Vocational Paths

Surmounting Linguistic Obstacles: Strategies for Individuals Impacted by Turmoil in Heritage Nation Educational and Vocational Paths Student’s Name Institution Course Number and Name Instructor’s Name Date Surmounting Linguistic Obstacles: Strategies for Individuals Impacted by Turmoil in Heritage Nation Educational and Vocational Paths The intake of immigrants and refugees by countries such as Canada, the US, the UK, and Australia has significant implications for involved adults and children. As they navigate their heritage nations, the acquisition of the English language becomes essential for education and vocational purposes. In essence, to be integrated into their heritage nations, migrant adults and children face the challenge of having to learn a second language. It is important to acknowledge the disruption of education and careers experienced by these individuals as they seek new beginnings in heritage nations. While heritage nations such as Canada have programs that facilitate the integration of immigrants and refugees, some of the initiatives fail to take into account their diverse needs. For example, Fang et al. (2018) indicate that refugees face gendered barriers, low education levels, emotional scars and physical impairments, and cultural barriers, which hinder their acquisition of the English language. Understanding the specific challenges immigrants and refugees face as they transition to their new environment is critical to improving their experience. This paper examines the psychological, socio-cultural, and educational implications of education and career disruptions of immigrants and refugees and suggests strategies to support new language acquisition. Implications of School and Career Disruptions Psychological Implications The experiences of most immigrants and refugees before joining their heritage nations are characterized by the destruction of previous ways of life by events such as war. According to Warriner et al. (2019), a significant percentage of refugees come from families that have experienced religious, ethnic, and political persecution. In addition, many of them have experienced separation from families and communities. The loss of a way of life and culture, coupled with the difficulties experienced during escape, can have a lasting psychological impact on immigrants and refugees, which can impact language acquisition. As informed by Fang et al. (2018), other than physical impairments, refugees wrestle with emotional scars. Furthermore, the authors highlight how some refugees experience post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression (Fang et al., 2018). One interviewee in the research by Fang et al. (2018) narrates that sometimes, when the teacher is explaining something, they are thinking about their son back in Syria. Benseman (2014) points out that the trauma experienced by refugee learners before arriving in their heritage countries can be psychological or physical torture, residing in primitive conditions during transit, cultural alienation, and sustained separation from friends and families. In essence, the experience of having to move to a new country has lasting psychological implications for immigrants, which impact how they live in their heritage nations and, consequently, how they acquire a second language. Without proper support from systems in the heritage nations, it can be difficult for immigrants and refugees to be fully integrated into their new environments. The experiences of immigrants and refugees are also characterized by psychological distance, which is their affective state and relative predispositions toward learning a second language (Block, 2007). In this case, the experiences of immigrants and refugees can separate them from the ability to acquire a second language. The culture shock and language shock that come with moving to a new country implies that it can be extremely difficult for individuals to be ready to learn. As a result of culture shock, immigrants and refugees experience disorientation and anxiety as they navigate their new environment. Regarding language shock, Block (2007) points out that individuals can experience feelings of shame and stress when they suddenly find out that they have to communicate in a language they do not command. In essence, the psychological distance that immigrants and refugees experience as they settle in heritage nations can impede, to a great extent, their acquisition of a new language. Immigrant and refugee children also experience many challenges that can have psychological implications. According to Miller et al. (2014), when refugee background students arrive in Australia, they suffer social isolation, financial hardship, unfamiliar bureaucratic processes, and difficulties in accommodation. These challenges can be a source of psychological distress for such individuals. Social isolation means that refugees and immigrants may lack social contact and relationships with other people, which are important for their well-being. When you add financial hardship to the problem, the experiences of refugees and migrants in their new environment can cause anxiety and stress. With disrupted schooling, it can be extremely challenging for refugees and immigrants to develop the cultural and social understanding necessary to navigate their new environments. Furthermore, when it comes to education, Miller et al. (2014) point out that it can take 7-10 years for them to learn the linguistic attributes necessary for writing in specific subject areas. The disruption of schooling and the way of life in their home countries, and the challenge of settling in a new country can be a challenging experience for immigrants and refugees. Socio-cultural Implications Moving to a new country implies leaving behind important socio-cultural aspects and values and trying to embrace new ones. Such a transition can be challenging, especially when the new culture is significantly different from one's own culture. For example, a refugee from a Middle-Eastern country like Syria that has a different culture compared to Canada can experience numerous challenges trying to settle in a new socio-cultural environment. A key issue migrants face as they settle in heritage countries is the loss of cultural and social capital (Block, 2007). Cultural capital means having the right cultural assets and resources, such as artifacts and connections to particular institutions, while social capital denotes the relationships with others that are integral in navigating social life (Block, 2007). Given the cultural and social capital that immigrants and refugees had developed over time before their transit, their loss can be devastating since they are important in interacting with others and generally living respectable and dignified lives. In their heritage nations, refugees and immigrants have to forget the social and cultural structures that characterize life in their home countries. In essence, in the new environment, they face the challenge of having to accumulate new social and cultural capital. Compared to the locals who have had a lifetime to develop these important forms of capital, immigrants and refugees must surmount obstacles such as culture shock to develop social and cultural capital. Another socio-cultural implication of the disruption of educational and career life is having to learn a new language without enough social networks to practice with. Although immigrants and refugees can be exposed to new language through television, newspapers, and radio, there are limited opportunities to practice the language outside the classroom (Block, 2007). As revealed by Block (2007), practicing a new language outside the classroom depends on one's access to English-speaking social networks. As immigrants and refugees begin to settle in the heritage nations, the limited access to English-speaking people can impact language acquisition to a great extent. Given the significance of practice in learning a new language, the lack of social networks to facilitate practice means that many of the refugees and migrants learn at a slower pace than desired. Furthermore, the new environment characterized by new cultural and social values means that refugees and immigrants may not have the courage to converse with strangers, more so because their language skills are lacking. Educational and Career Implications Education and career are important facets of life as they enable one to lead a life with dignity, financial security, and good health. The disruption of education and career can be devastating, given that the acquisition of a new language is necessary for one to study and work in the heritage nation. For example, Syrian refugees resettling in Canada must learn English to continue their education and be eligible to get jobs. If one comes from a country where instruction is primarily offered in another language other than English, settling in can be extremely challenging. In essence, there are significant educational and career implications associated with settling in the heritage nations, which must be taken into account by the government and institutions facilitating the integration of immigrants and refugees into the heritage nations. The disruption of refugees' and immigrants' education exposes them to difficult experiences, which impacts how they learn a new language. During the Syrian civil war, there were destructions of schools, and others were converted to shelters to house displaced families (Madziva & Thondhlana, 2017). In essence, before migration to heritage nations, the refugees and immigrants could barely go to school as infrastructures were destroyed and other schools converted to shelters. This implies that before being resettled in their host nations, many children may have experienced prolonged periods out of school. As described by Madziva and Thondhlana (2017), interviewed Syrian refugees narrated the disruption of education of their children as painful as future opportunities in the country seemed bleak. Furthermore, as they arrived in nations of first asylum, the Syrian children could not receive adequate education, with their enrollment rates being 30% in Turkey and 20% in Lebanon (M...