Language and Literacy Education of Asylum Seekers and Refugees: Pre-Resettlement Experiences of Learners in Malaysia

The educational experiences of youth refugees and asylum seekers during migration, cross-border movements, protracted displacements, and pre-resettlement phases have largely remained as a black box. Due to the lack of widespread studies on the existential crisis of this population group, our understanding of what transpires during these phases has been rather insubstantial. There are also concerns regarding the decision-making abilities of various stakeholders about pre-resettlement educational provisions for these youths, where the severity of their interrupted formal schooling would have been overlooked. Considering such occurrences, this monograph delves deep into the pre-resettlement educational experiences of a generation of untapped potential from the Myanmar Chin ethnic group in Malaysia, where we attempt to address existing concerns and emerging issues through longitudinal research, analysis, and a series of educational initiatives.

This monograph uses an ecological framework to illustrate the complexity of the education ecosystem for refugee youths during phases of transition. It also highlights the significance of a safe, secured, and sustainable informal education system during crucial or emergency times. In particular, the book examines the language learning opportunities and literacy practices, within the premises of sociopolitical, socioeconomic, and sociocultural dynamics, which have shaped the agencies of these students and volunteer teachers who work with them.

The monograph further provides recommendations for assisting refugee learners and volunteer teachers in language and literacy education. A multitude of other potential approaches to enhancing the language, literacy, and overall educational development of refugee youths are proposed, with a focus on empowering them as active agents in their learning journey. This book will be of interest to educators, language practitioners, academics, and stakeholders engaged in the provision and development of refugee education, especially in a pre-resettlement and transitional context.

Azlin Zaiti Zainal is Senior Lecturer at the English Language Department, Faculty of Languages and Linguistics, Universiti Malaya. Her research interests include teacher education, technology in language education, second language writing, oral communication, and discourse studies. Her recent publications are on dialogic teaching in language classrooms.

Meng Huat Chau is Professor of Applied Linguistics and Language Education at Zhejiang International Studies University. He holds/has held Adjunct and Visiting Scholar or Professor positions at Jeonbuk National University, the University of Cambridge and Yogyakarta State University. He has spent over 20 rewarding years working with students and teachers from primary and secondary schools and from institutions of higher education, including 14 years of service at Universiti Malaya. Meng Huat has published widely on how the study, teaching and use of language and communication can help to make this world a better, more inclusive place for humans and fellow animals.

Jessica Rummy is currently a doctoral candidate at the Faculty of Languages and Linguistics, Universiti Malaya, where her research revolves around adolescent trauma and language development. She would mainly describe her scholarship stance to that of an interdisciplinary applied linguist-educationist, within the architecture of contemporary humanitarian issues, social inequalities and existential crises across multifaceted societies in Southeast Asia. Her past research and academic projects have integrated applied linguistics and second language acquisition with cross-cutting issues surrounding indigenous students, youth refugees and asylum-seeking learners, followed by underprivileged youths in Malaysia.