Turning Conflict Experiences of Some into Resilience for All: An Impossible Task?

Learning, and especially the broader learning process, requires an intellectual and emotional effort. Such emotional effort can come with greater risks for some learner profiles than others, and this is particularly true for refugee/ forcibly displaced learners. To provide adequate support for these students from conflict-affected contexts, reflective educational practices and emotional support are recommended. However, in higher education, educators are often unaware of the circumstances and backgrounds of learners in their classes. This can lead to a lack of dedicated approaches, thus jeopardizing the benefits of educational programs, notably language education, which are essential for integration. The present study sought to address these concerns, questioning whether language courses designed for other foreign learners adequately meet the needs of more vulnerable individuals. More specifically, it analyzed the language learning needs of refugees/ forcibly displaced individuals and well-recognized larger groups, namely first-generation immigrants and incoming learners. The use of a collaborative mixed-method approach allowed for the integration of identified needs from various stakeholders, sources and methods as well as the discussion of actionable teaching practices. The needs analysis shows that refugee/ forcibly displaced learners are more at risk of encountering teaching practices that are less, or perhaps, the least, beneficial for them. However, it also concludes that refugees/ forcibly displaced individuals, first-generation immigrants, and incoming learners have overlapping views of what makes a language course effective and engaging, which are two significant criteria for long-term information retention and skill development. Implications for future research and adult language education practice are discussed.