The comparative/international study discussed in this talk adopts an approach to applied linguistics that examines real-world problems requiring urgent attention and alternate frames of reference (Lorente, 2019). As the theme of AILA 2023 highlights, linguistic diversity must be recognized to foster language and literacy learning, and promote socioemotional adaptation, academic success, and economic well-being in our globalized world. This perspective challenges traditional views of identity and citizenship that do not mesh well with the real-world problem of displaced peoples. Tertiary education systems patterned on traditional, monolithic approaches to language and literacy obfuscate displaced students' lived realities. The groups discussed in this paper are Generation 1.5 Mexican "return migrant" students, and Youth Refugees in Canada. The goal of our study was to shed light on their experiences in tertiary education:
The return migrants discussed with regard to the Mexican component of this talk were born in Mexico and migrated as very young children to the United States. They were socialized and schooled through English-medium instruction for considerable periods of time and identified as "de facto" Americans. Whether they were forcibly returned to Mexico due to migration laws or chose to return to gain access to tertiary education (also due to migration laws), once in Mexico, Spanish became their new medium of instruction-regardless of their written proficiency in the language. The Youth Refugees in the Canadian component of this talk were displaced in their homeland due to war or political unrest. They resettled in Canada before beginning tertiary level studies. Some participants were enrolled in intensive English programs, but most were enrolled in diploma or degree programs taught through the medium of English. Once granted asylum, no record of their refugee status remained in their academic records; therefore, any specific needs or challenges they faced were neither identified nor remediated.
As both the return migrant and youth refugee students were initially schooled through the medium of another language, they had varying degrees of linguistic proficiency and literacy levels in their new medium of instruction (i.e., Spanish or English). Both groups were framed as 'burdens to society' and, sometimes, even as 'criminals' in public discourse; and both experienced resentment towards them as a group – even from educators. In some cases, this framing exacerbated prior socioemotional and academic problems related to disrupted or limited schooling, traumatic experiences, and financial hardship. Both had specific socio-academic and socio-emotional needs related to being displaced, feeling like stigmatized outsiders, and having to navigate dominant language ideologies and practices while experiencing linguistic challenges. Bronfenbrenner's (1979) ecological systems theory informs the research by illustrating how real-world events can impact learners' educational experiences and personal development.
We adopted a qualitative research design, drawing on survey and interview data, and policy and document analysis. The results suggest that while both groups are invisibilized in tertiary institutions framed on monolithic premises that do not recognize linguistic diversity, they nonetheless exert agency. By resisting discriminatory monolithic structures, they create alternate frames of reference from the bottom-up.
