Continuity and change

migrants’ experiences of adult language education in Sweden

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.3384/rela.2000-7426.ojs1680

Keywords:

Adult language education, language competence, Swedish for immigrants, marketisation, neoliberalism, student experiences

Abstract

This article aims to explore continuity and change in adult migrants’ experiences of Swedish for immigrants (SFI), a state-subsidised language programme for basic Swedish. The study has a longitudinal and comparative design, drawing on discourse analysis of qualitative interviews conducted with language learners in 2001/2002 and 2015/2016. This period was characterized by important societal shifts, defined by increased migration, growing tension between discourses on rights and obligations of adult migrants living in Sweden, and an intensified marketisation of the Swedish education system derived from neoliberal principles. The study describes how these changes affected SFI as well as the conceivable impact that restructuring the language programme had on the learners. Ultimately, the study highlights tensions between various state initiatives that impacted the language programme and the SFI participants’ experiences of being adult language learners.

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Author Biographies

Katrin Ahlgren, Department of Language Education, Stockholm University and Autonomous University of Madrid

Senior Lecturer

Maria Rydell, Department of Swedish Language and Multilingualism, Stockholm University and Dalarna University

Associate senior lecturer

 

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Published

2020-10-15

How to Cite

Ahlgren, K., & Rydell, M. . (2020). Continuity and change: migrants’ experiences of adult language education in Sweden. European Journal for Research on the Education and Learning of Adults, 11(3), 399–414. https://doi.org/10.3384/rela.2000-7426.ojs1680