Factors Contributing to English Language Acquisition as a Second Language among Syrian Refugee Children in Canada

The government of Canada has resettled 40,081 Syrian refugees across Canada since November 2015, and half of these refugees are under the age of 18 (Government of Canada, 2016). Syrian refugee children continue to be at a disadvantage after arriving in Canada due to challenges related to language proficiency. In order to fully participate in Canadian society, refugee children need to achieve fluent language in the relevant official language, which is English in the current study. Few Canadian studies have empirically investigated the factors related to second language acquisition (L2) among refugee children. The purpose of this study is to investigate factors (age of arrival, parental level of education, and language richness) that contribute to the second language acquisition (L2) of Syrian refugee children. Twenty Syrian refugee families with children between the ages of six and twelve years old will be recruited from Kitchener-Waterloo region. Parents will be interviewed to explore the child and family factors that contribute to the English language acquisition. Finally, data will be analyzed using a series of statistical methods such as descriptive statistics and correlational analyses. Initially, we anticipate that higher levels of parental education will be associated with increased language abilities in children. Also, richness of the child’s English environment might be a significant variable in children’s second language outcome. The findings will provide baseline information about the significant factors related to English second language acquisition by Syrian refugee children.

Keywords: Syrian refugee, language acquisition, language richness, parental education.