LESLLA Spring Coffee Break 2026
Please join LESLLA’s online Spring Coffee Break!
900 AM (AEST) 8 APRIL
300 PM (PST) | 600 PM (EST) 7 APRIL
Teresa Hsieh
Invitation to LESLLA Online Coffee Break
Dr Teresa Hsieh (School of Languages and Cultures, University of Queensland, Australia) will talk about:
Beyond Linguistic Skills: How Language Training Shapes Refugee Futures in Host Countries
Governments in many Western nations offer host language training to humanitarian migrants to support their social and economic integration. Yet research suggests that basic conversational proficiency takes several years to develop, and academic literacy even longer. These estimates typically assume first language literacy skills, but many refugees arrive with disrupted schooling and limited formal literacy due to displacement and conflict.
This talk reports on qualitative research involving eight male Muslim refugee migrants attending federal English‑language training programs in Australia. Drawing on semi‑structured interviews conducted in both English and the participants’ first language, the study explores how they perceived the effectiveness of these training programs in linking them to employment.
Participants described remaining in an ongoing cycle of course attendance with little prospect of stable work, despite years of compliance with program requirements. Interpreted through a Bourdieusian lens, the programs function only to reproduce social disadvantage.
The talk argues for a reconceptualisation of refugee language education beyond a one-size-fits-all deficit model towards an explicitly employment-focused design. This would integrate vocational pathways, structured work experience, and recognition of prior cultural and occupational capital. Such a strengths-based framework would position migrants as people who can contribute to the workforce and economy in their host countries.
Register in advance for this meeting:
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
We look forward to seeing you at the Coffee Break!