Language Development and Social Integration of Students with English as an Additional Language

Based on in-depth analyses of original empirical school data, this book discusses key ideas concerning the social and linguistic experiences of newcomer migrant students. It is aimed at policymakers, scholars, teachers and graduate students interested in English as an additional language, migration and education and second language development.

Given the current context of the experience of migration on schools in England and Europe, and the competing policies and approaches to social integration in schools, there is a need to understand the connection between language development and social integration as a basis for promoting appropriate policies and practices. This volume explores the complex relationship between language, education and the social integration of newcomer migrant children in England, through an in-depth analysis of case studies from schools in the East of England. The authors set this evidence against the background of policy debates in the wider international setting, including a critical discussion of assumptions underlying national narratives of mainstreaming and assimilation. In the light of an absence of national guidelines for appropriate practice in schools, the authors outline a model of inclusive pedagogy for English as an additional language (EAL) and a framework of home-school communication to promote effective EAL parental engagement in schools.