scholarly journals Hearing Audible Minorities: Accent, Discrimination, and the Integration of Immigrants into the Canadian Labour Market

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alanna MacDougall
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Labour Market ◽  
English Proficiency ◽  
Language Ability ◽  
Small Study ◽  
Esl Students ◽  
Standard Ideal ◽  
Integration Of Immigrants ◽  
Widespread Belief

Accent is a permanent marker of difference for learners of a second language, and may be a barrier to finding appropriate employment. Research on discrimination and accent reveals a widespread belief in the myth of a standard, ideal accent. This has resulted in individuals stereotyping accented speakers and drawing inappropriate conclusions about their language ability, leading to discrimination in both the workplace and broader society. A small study of Ottawa companies conducted for this paper supports the hypothesis that some employers may rely on accent to determine an applicant's English proficiency. Accent discrimination can be addressed by providing employers with information about accent and appropriate tools for language evaluation, confronting the reality of accent discrimination with ESL students, and by broadening the discourse on discrimination as a whole to recognize that minorities can be audible as well as visible.

scholarly journals Hearing Audible Minorities: Accent, Discrimination, and the Integration of Immigrants into the Canadian Labour Market

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alanna MacDougall
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Labour Market ◽  
English Proficiency ◽  
Language Ability ◽  
Small Study ◽  
Esl Students ◽  
Standard Ideal ◽  
Integration Of Immigrants ◽  
Widespread Belief

Accent is a permanent marker of difference for learners of a second language, and may be a barrier to finding appropriate employment. Research on discrimination and accent reveals a widespread belief in the myth of a standard, ideal accent. This has resulted in individuals stereotyping accented speakers and drawing inappropriate conclusions about their language ability, leading to discrimination in both the workplace and broader society. A small study of Ottawa companies conducted for this paper supports the hypothesis that some employers may rely on accent to determine an applicant's English proficiency. Accent discrimination can be addressed by providing employers with information about accent and appropriate tools for language evaluation, confronting the reality of accent discrimination with ESL students, and by broadening the discourse on discrimination as a whole to recognize that minorities can be audible as well as visible.

A Study on Students' Problems in ESL Writing Classes in the Arts College/ Kuwait University

2018 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-11
Author(s):  
Mona Salem Rashed
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
First Language ◽  
Word Choice ◽  
Esl Students ◽  
Esl Writing ◽  
Kuwait University ◽  
Writing Classes ◽  
The Arts ◽  
The Difference ◽  
At Home

This paper discusses the influence of the first language (Arabic) on the second language (English) in the writing pieces of ESL students in Arts College/ Kuwait University. Going over some writing papers taken from the students' work in class, the reader would notice a 'different English'. The overall layout of the paper, the ideas presentation, the personal expression, the syntax and word choice, the punctuation and other elements make this new language on students' papers. From papers written in class and at home, I conducted an analysis to see the difference between the two languages techniques, and to find solutions for that. I also interviewed students and they assured that Arabic has a massive influence on them. They disclosed that they read the topic in English, and think/analyze in Arabic. Some participants mentioned that their limited competence of vocabulary in English hindered them from expressing well on paper. Another group mentioned that the idea of 'being explanatory' prevailed their thinking while writing. They said that they wanted to explain their ideas well and repeatedly so that the reader/teacher would understand their points. They also had troubles in organizing the sentences according to the English paragraph style.

scholarly journals Skilled Migrants in the Swedish Labour Market: An Analysis of Employment, Income and Occupational Status

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (6) ◽  
pp. 3428
Author(s):  
Nahikari Irastorza ◽  
Pieter Bevelander
Keyword(s):  
Labour Market ◽  
Descriptive Analysis ◽  
Occupational Status ◽  
Division Of Labour ◽  
Skilled Immigrants ◽  
Highly Educated ◽  
Highly Skilled Migrants ◽  
Highly Skilled ◽  
Integration Of Immigrants ◽  
Employment Rates

In a globalised world with an increasing division of labour, the competition for highly skilled individuals—regardless of their origin—is growing, as is the value of such individuals for national economies. Yet the majority of studies analysing the economic integration of immigrants shows that those who are highly skilled also have substantial hurdles to overcome: their employment rates and salaries are lower and they face a higher education-to-occupation mismatch compared to highly skilled natives. This paper contributes to the paucity of studies on the employment patterns of highly skilled immigrants to Sweden by providing an overview of the socio-demographic characteristics, labour-market participation and occupational mobility of highly educated migrants in Sweden. Based on a statistical analysis of register data, we compare their employment rates, salaries and occupational skill level and mobility to those of immigrants with lower education and with natives. The descriptive analysis of the data shows that, while highly skilled immigrants perform better than those with a lower educational level, they never catch up with their native counterparts. Our regression analyses confirm these patterns for highly skilled migrants. Furthermore, we find that reasons for migration matter for highly skilled migrants’ employment outcomes, with labour migrants having better employment rates, income and qualification-matched employment than family reunion migrants and refugees.

scholarly journals Learning Poetry: Attitudes and Challenges Faced by ESL Students

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 55-69
Author(s):  
Hafilah Zainal Abidin ◽  
Taufik Lock Kim Wai
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Second Language Acquisition ◽  
Language Acquisition ◽  
Positive Attitude ◽  
English Language ◽  
Language Skills ◽  
Esl Students ◽  
Selection Of

Learning literature, as part of the English Language Syllabus, has been practiced in many countries. In Malaysia, literature is incorporated as a component and an authentic means of learning the language with the hope that students acquire the desired language skills. However, poetry, one of the genres in the component, is the least favourable among students. This paper investigates students’ attitude towards learning poetry and the challenges they encountered learning poetry. Data from 120 respondents were collected through questionnaire and interviews. The findings revealed that the selection of texts for poetry in the literature component and teacher’s methodology play a role in cultivating students' interest in learning not only the language but also the context, culture, and values as well as inculcating a positive attitude towards learning poetry in second language acquisition.

scholarly journals Teaching Stress to ESL Students

IIUC Studies ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
pp. 123-132
Author(s):  
Gazi Shahadat Hossain ◽  
Sawsan Tarannum
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Stress Pattern ◽  
Esl Students ◽  
Raising Awareness ◽  
Language Students

In English conversation, people use their voice as a complex instrument. As they use sound systems of their languages, their pronunciation usually produces infinite variations of meaning. This variation made by stress on particular syllable or word creates confusion in the minds of the ESL (English as a Second Language) students in identifying the correct meaning of the word. So it is essential for ESL students to be familiar with English stress pattern. This essay will highlight the meaning and role of stress, the ways of raising awareness among the students and the techniques of teaching it in the classroom. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/iiucs.v6i0.12253 IIUC Studies Vol.6 2010: 123-132

scholarly journals Research on the Role of Situational Teaching in Second Language Teaching

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 59
Author(s):  
Lijuan Gao
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Teaching Method ◽  
Language Teaching ◽  
Language Skills ◽  
Colleges And Universities ◽  
Language Ability ◽  
Second Language Teaching ◽  
The Times ◽  
Different Levels

<p>With the development of society and the progress of the times, it is very important for people to master a second language. Nowadays, the development of our country is becoming more and more international. Under such an environment, the application of second language is becoming more and more popular. At present, various colleges and universities have listed second language as a compulsory course, mainly to attract students' attention. In the process of second language teaching, in order to effectively enhance students' language skills and promote the teaching results of second language, the author believes that language teaching and situational teaching should be fully combined to effectively enhance students' second language ability. On this basis, the application of situational teaching method in second language teaching is discussed and analyzed in details from different levels.</p>

The Effect of New Environments on Children’s Language Ability

2014 ◽  
pp. 32-49
Author(s):  
Ursula Thomas
Keyword(s):  
Early Intervention ◽  
Differentiated Instruction ◽  
Title I ◽  
English Proficiency ◽  
Initial Level ◽  
Immigrant Children ◽  
Language Ability ◽  
Proficiency Levels ◽  
Terminal Level ◽  
Kindergarten Class

Change is the only constant. This is the mantra for immigrant children and those who serve them. Schools and communities are employing various approaches to addressing the needs of these children and their families. In many schools, there are several levels of English proficiency. Students who are in the initial level have the lowest level of English proficiency, while those at the terminal level have the highest level. State reading standards are unique for each of these levels. ELL classrooms are often challenging places to teach and learn because students in them come from an assortment of different backgrounds and have many different proficiency levels. Because of this, many learners need individualized or differentiated instruction. This chapter explores how an early intervention language specialist addresses the needs of immigrant learners at a Title I kindergarten class as recorded in an instructional journal.

scholarly journals Examining oral reading fluency among Grade 5 rural English Second Language (ESL) learners in South Africa? An analysis of NEEDU 2013

2015 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 34 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kim Draper ◽  
Nic Spaull
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Second Language ◽  
Reading Fluency ◽  
Oral Reading ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Oral Reading Fluency ◽  
Esl Students ◽  
Grade 5 ◽  
English Second Language

The ability to read for meaning and pleasure is arguably the most important skill children learn in primary school. One integral component of learning to read is Oral Reading Fluency (ORF), defined as the ability to read text quickly, accurately, and with meaningful expression. Although widely acknowledged in the literature as important, to date there have been no large-scale studies on ORF in English in South Africa, despite this being the language of learning and teaching for 80% of ESL students from Grade 4 onwards. We analyze data provided by the National Education and Evaluation Development Unit (NEEDU) of South Africa, which tested 4667 Grade 5 English Second Language (ESL) students from 214 schools across rural areas in South Africa in 2013. This included ORF and comprehension measures for a subset of 1772 students. We find that 41% of the sample were non-readers in English (&lt;40 Words Correct Per Minute, WCPM) and only 6% achieved comprehension scores above 60%. By calibrating comprehension levels and WCPM rates we develop tentative benchmarks and argue that a range of 90-100 WCPM in English is acceptable for Grade 5 ESL students in South Africa. In addition we outline policy priorities for remedying the reading crisis in the country.

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