Adult immigrant learners’ perspectives of language learning experiences

Author: Merih Ugurel Kamisli

Edition: Volume 63, Number 1, April 2023

Introduction: The purpose of this qualitative, phenomenological study was to explore adult immigrant learners’ perspectives and motivations for participating in an ESL program through the lens of McClusky’s Theory of Margin. Nine adult immigrant ESL students were interviewed about their learning experiences. Creswell’s (1994) systematic process informed the data analysis of the study. The findings of the study include adult immigrant learners’ perspectives of the ESL program, the challenges (loads) they face in their daily lives in terms of learning and speaking English, the support system (power) that help them navigate through those difficulties, and their suggestions to improve the learning experiences at the ESL program. Implications of this research for policy, adult educators, curriculum, and program developers are explored.

Keywords: immigrant ESL learner, adult learners, learner perspective, refugee learners, Theory of Margin

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This article is part of AJAL, Volume 63:1. The entire volume is available in .pdf for purchase here.