Schools Cannot Do It Alone: A Community-Based Approach to Refugee Youth’s Language Development

Abstract

ABSTRACTIn 2017, 53,716 refugees entered the United States; the state of Michigan ranks sixth in refugee resettlement numbers. Each year, nearly 600 new refugees settle in Newtown, Michigan, which is now home to more than 20,000 newcomers who represent diverse language and ethnic groups. In this ethnographic case study, the authors investigated the ways in which a summer camp program for middle and high school immigrant and refugee youth provided opportunities for English language development. Data sources included interviews with four focal youth and two instructors, 19 days of observation field notes, audio and video recordings of observations, and research memos. Based on a systematic process of coding and constant comparative analyses, the findings suggest that the program created conditions for English language development through socially mediated learning experiences in which immigrant and refugee youth could cultivate a sense of belonging in the community and investment in learning a new language. Implications for rethinking how to approach newcomers’ English language development, in and out of school, are discussed.