Successful elderly-refugee language programs incorporate more than just language learning¶
Design · All designs
Evidence · 3 claims (3 for) · 2 studies (2 review),q1· 0 of 2 report an effect size · 3 claims rest on one study
Description¶
The digest reports that language learning programs specifically for elderly refugees "have been sparse" and that "Those that incorporate more than just language learning seem to be the most successful." Its examples pair English learning with intergenerational friendship, job training, household skills, music and science, or community-service videos.
Design Implications¶
Context¶
Requirements¶
- Programs should mesh language learning goals with individual, familial and community aspirations, including elders' role in cultural preservation.
- Teachers must believe older adult learners are not necessarily poor learners, which the article calls key to reducing anxiety and building self-confidence.
Constraints¶
- The high drop-out rate of older refugeesenrolled in many traditional adult educationclasses attests to the fact that older adults are not willing to tolerate boring or irrelevant content, or lessons that stress grammar rules out of context.
- In mixed classes, teachers need to arrange the class so older learners speak on topics in which they are interested and have knowledge.
Target Learners¶
- elderly refugees from Southeast Asia, Europe, Africa and the Middle East
- elderly refugees learning English as a second language
Target Goals¶
- English for community services, employment, household safety and intergenerational communication
Claims¶
- Mental health, especially depression, is probably the single most decisive factor in refugee language learning [+W]
- No Evidence Older Adults Cannot Learn Language [+W]
- The possibility that anxiety interferes with language learning has long interested scholars, teachers, and learners [+W]
Related Patterns¶
Examples¶
- - Successful elderly-refugee language programs incorporate more than just language learning - Reduce anxiety and build self-confidence in older language learners - Embed grammar and vocabulary in situations refugees will encounter, and design instruction that acknowledges age - Favor learning strategies that rely on long-term memory and integrate new material with existing cognitive structures
Key Sources¶
- Grognet, Allene Guss. (1997). Elderly Refugees and Language Learning. Center for Applied Linguistics. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED416721
Page metadata
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
type |
design |
id |
elderly-refugee-programs-beyond-language-learning |
title |
Successful elderly-refugee language programs incorporate more than just language learning |
description |
The digest reports that language learning programs specifically for elderly refugees "have been sparse" and that "Those that incorporate more than just language learning seem to be the most successful." Its examples p... |
status |
review |
moved_from |
principle/four-strategies-older-refugee-language-learners |
generated |
by process:wiki-ingest on 2026-09-27 |
trust |
unverified — no one has confirmed this page's content |
sources |
1 — grognet-1997 |
Frontmatter is the page's machine-readable record — see the Schema & Guide.