Adult migrants who received little or no formal education in their home countries face a unique set of challenges when attempting to learn the languages of their new countries. Few adult migrants with limited or no literacy in their native languages successfully attain higher levels of literacy in their additional languages, even if they attain high levels of oral proficiency. This book, the result of a European- and United States-wide collaborative research project, aims to assist teachers working with adult migrants to address this attainment gap and help students reach the highest possible levels of literacy in their new languages. The chapters provide the latest research-informed evidence on the acquisition of linguistic competence and the development of reading in a new language by adults. The book concludes with a chapter that addresses the challenges and opportunities faced by this group of learners and their teachers, with specific instructional strategies that can be used. The book will be an invaluable resource for teachers, tutors and training providers, as well as volunteers, who work with adult migrants.

About the Author

Joy Kreeft Peyton is a Senior Fellow, Center for Applied Linguistics, Washington, DC, USA.

Martha Young-Scholten is Professor of Second Language Acquisition, Newcastle University, UK.

Reviews
Teaching literacy to adult migrants who are learning the language of their new countries requires specific competences. This book offers valuable suggestions, framing them in both the context of research on second language acquisition, bilingualism and literacy learning, and the socio-political dimension of migration. Exhaustive information and clear language make it a valuable tool for all involved in teaching and immigration. * Fernanda Minuz, Independent Researcher, Italy *
This is an excellent book that offers insightful research on teaching and learning among adult migrants having limited formal education or literacy in any language. It establishes a long-needed and very helpful research base to support the difficult process of teaching and learning in a new language. I especially appreciate how the research is systematically linked with practical implications and strategies for teaching. * Stephen Reder, Portland State University, USA *

[This book] aims to be a source for teachers and researchers working with adult migrants with limited formal education and a guide for finding research efforts. This volume clearly hits the mark. I would gladly recommend it to all those actively seeking to deepen our understanding of this understudied population, the challenges they face, and the strengths they can bring to the table.

-- Diego Agostini Ferrer, University of Puerto Rico * LINGUIST List 32.2054 *

For the novice, this volume will serve as a graduate course in the current issues, challenges and research pertaining to teaching low-literate adults. You are likely to mark, mangle, and annotate every page. If you are already a consummate professional laboring for the freedom of others, read this for the sheer joy of discovering some of the finest research and practical implications in a ridiculously concise volume.

-- Nan Frydland * MinneTESOL Journal, Fall 2020 *

Editors Peyton and Young-Scholten have brought together an impressive group of international scholars from different backgrounds to address a gap in research related to adult second-language learners with limited education and literacy. Throughout the collection, readers are exposed to both the individual and social aspects that impact the adult learning process. Despite limited empirical research on this topic, the contributors clearly and efficiently extrapolate research on young language learners and adult learners to provide teachers, practitioners, and researchers with practical knowledge and skills to better teach migrant adults.

-- C. R. Hebert, Louisiana State University, USA * CHOICE, Vol 58, No 7 *

This is a ground-breaking volume that, albeit mostly oriented to teachers, can also be enlightening to policy-makers, researchers, and administrators, because it portrays an unknown reality as well as a growing necessity, i.e., helping immigrant adults to become literate in a second language. It also opens new doors to confront the need for conducting more research in this field, because most of the conclusions reached in this book are based on research carried out with children, yet immigrant adults have their own unique characteristics that make them a subject of interest for specialized investigation.

-- Vanesa Alonso Gonzalez, University of Ottawa, Canada * Languages 2021, 6, 11 *

The volume is a valuable contribution to a growing body of resources for researchers, practitioners, and administrators working with L2 adult emergent readers and writers. The authors' broad interdisciplinary and theoretical expertise-representing diverse geographic, linguistic, and teaching/research foci-reflects not only the variety of scholarship and pedagogical questions in this emerging field, but also the diversity of its educators and students. Such work has been, and continues to be, necessary during this time of increased global migration.

-- Jenna A. Altherr Flores, University of Arizona, USA and Nicole Pettitt, Youngstown State University, USA * Language Issues 31.2 *



Book Information
ISBN 9781788926980
Author Joy Kreeft Peyton
Format Paperback
Page Count 208
Imprint Multilingual Matters
Publisher Multilingual Matters
Weight(grams) 345g
Dimensions(mm) 225mm * 170mm * 12mm