Designing for and Exploring Justice-Oriented Citizenship in Adult ESOL Education

Abstract

Immigrant and refugee newcomers to the U.S. face the daunting task of navigating cultural, economic, and civic integration (Wrigley, 2012)--often without the support of federal or even local governments. Those that find their way to adult education programs such as English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) courses, experience a strong emphasis on workforce education as mandated by the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) which funds much of adult basic education. Programs that attempt to emphasize civics often provide a shallow, individualistic approach to democratic engagement that primarily focuses on basic access to public services, naturalization and voting, and volunteerism. While this can be beneficial knowledge, it does not on its own prepare newcomers to fully engage in U.S. democracy. This three paper dissertation explores how one ESOL-civics program for adult learners adopted a justice-oriented approach to civics and the impacts of this approach on learning as a form of belonging and becoming. The first paper offers an empirical analysis utilizing qualitative, community-based design research methods to examine justice-oriented citizenship practices in the ESOL context, interweaving students’ participation patterns and identity shifts as evidence of their learning. The second paper is written for practitioners and provides concrete, on-the-ground approaches to implementing justice-oriented civics in adult ESOL classrooms while simultaneously considering the challenges for federally funded programs. Lastly, in the spirit of reciprocity, the third piece is written for the organization where this research was conducted. As a program update and report, the third piece addresses concerns and lines of inquiry co-developed with program staff.