What strategies are effective for English language acquisition in newcomer populations?

This evidence summary, authored by Switchboard, provides an overview of the current evidence on the effectiveness of various interventions for English language learning among newcomers. It addresses two crucial questions:

Are there specific elements of English language acquisition programs for newcomer populations that are more effective or efficient than others?
What role does technology play in the provision of English language learning programs?

By examining these questions, the summary aims to identify best practices and innovative approaches that can enhance English language learning outcomes for newcomers, ultimately supporting their integration and success.

Post Title	Strength of Evidence	Type of Study	Direction of Evidence
Understanding and responsiveness in the trauma-informed adult ESL classroom	Suggestive	Suggestive evidence	N/A
The home environment and Asian immigrant children’s early literacy skills	Suggestive	Suggestive evidence	N/A
Language policies and programs for adult immigrants in Canada: Deconstructing discourses of integration	Suggestive	Suggestive evidence	N/A
Diaspora literacies	Suggestive	Suggestive evidence	N/A
Investigating the impact of self-pacing on the L2 listening performance of young learner candidates with differing L1 literacy skills	Suggestive	Suggestive evidence	No impact
Conducting a community-based ESOL programme needs analysis	Suggestive	Suggestive evidence	N/A
A need to be needed: The intersection between emotions, apprenticeship, and student participation in an adult ESL literacy classroom	Suggestive	Suggestive evidence	N/A
Implementing a year-long reading while listening program for Japanese University EFL students: Computer Assisted Language Learning	Suggestive	Suggestive evidence	Inconclusive or mixed impact
English-only instruction and immigrant students in secondary schools: A critical examination	Suggestive	Literature review	N/A
Change in home language environment and English literacy achievement over time: A multi-group latent growth curve modeling investigation	Suggestive	Suggestive evidence	N/A
Bilingual education in the United States: An historical overview and examination of two-way immersion	Suggestive	Suggestive evidence	N/A
Blended learning program: An alternative solution to improve students TOEFL score	Suggestive	Suggestive evidence	Positive impact
A participatory EFL curriculum for the marginalized: The case of North Korean refugee students in South Korea	Suggestive	Suggestive evidence	No evidence about impact
A resource-oriented functional approach to English language learning	Suggestive	Suggestive evidence	N/A
Factors shaping bilingual and ESL teachers’ perceptions of successes and barriers in meeting emergent bilingual students’ needs	Suggestive	Suggestive evidence	N/A
Exploring early reading instructional strategies to advance the print literacy development of adolescent SLIFE	Suggestive	Suggestive evidence	Positive impact
Exploring multilingual learners’ writing practices during an L2 and an L3 individual writing task	Suggestive	Suggestive evidence	N/A
“If I speak English, what am I? I am full man, me”: Emotional impact and barriers for refugees and asylum seekers learning English	Suggestive	Suggestive evidence	N/A
English language learning barriers of Afghan refugee women in Australia	Suggestive	Suggestive evidence	N/A
Supporting immigrant families and rural schools: The boundary-spanning possibilities of an adult ESL program	Suggestive	Suggestive evidence	N/A
Head Start, two-generation ESL services, and parent engagement	Moderate	Impact evaluation	Positive impact
Learning communities finding common ground for the common good	Suggestive	Suggestive evidence	N/A
Using gamification to support learning English as a second language: A systematic review	Strong	Systematic review	Positive impact
Thirty-five years of ISLA on form-focused instruction: A meta-analysis	Strong	Meta-analysis	Positive impact
School drama: Using drama for oracy in an EAL/D classroom	Suggestive	Suggestive evidence	Positive impact
Workplace ESOL goes digital: Expanding opportunities for English language learning	Suggestive	Suggestive evidence	Positive impact
Digital simulation games in CALL: A research review	Strong	Systematic review	Positive impact
Retrospect and prospect of comuter assisted English language learning: A meta-analysis of the emprical literature	Strong	Meta-analysis	Positive impact
Developing mental orthographic representations in refugee spellers with low literacy: How much input is too much?	Moderate	Impact evaluation	Inconclusive or mixed impact
The effects of a two-generation English as a second language (ESL) intervention on immigrant parents and children in Head Start	Moderate	Impact evaluation	Positive impact
The health literacy and ESL study: A community-based intervention for Spanish-speaking adults	Moderate	Impact evaluation	Positive impact
A cardiovascular health intervention for Spanish speakers: The health literacy and ESL curriculum	Moderate	Impact evaluation	Positive impact
The effects of a game-enhanced learning intervention on foreign language learning	Moderate	Impact evaluation	Positive impact
Differences in language proficiency and learning strategies among immigrant women to Canada	Suggestive	Suggestive evidence	N/A
The use of video games in teaching EFL students to write arguments	Moderate	Impact evaluation	No impact
“Keeping words in context”: Language policy and social identification in an immigrant job training program	Suggestive	Suggestive evidence	N/A
Spoken word poetry with multilingual youth from refugee backgrounds	Suggestive	Suggestive evidence	No evidence about impact
Exploring ESOL teachers’ perspectives on the language learning experiences, challenges, and motivations of refugees and asylum seekers in the UK	Suggestive	Suggestive evidence	N/A
Learning difficulties or learning English difficulties? Additional language acquisition: An update for paediatricians	Suggestive	Suggestive evidence	N/A
The learn act: A bipartisan legislative proposal to advance educational opportunities for immigrants and English learners	Suggestive	Suggestive evidence	N/A
“J’aime to be funny!”: Humor, learning, and identity construction in high school English as a second language classrooms	Suggestive	Suggestive evidence	N/A

Post Title

Strength of Evidence

Type of Study

Direction of Evidence

Understanding and responsiveness in the trauma-informed adult ESL classroom

Suggestive

Suggestive evidence

N/A

The home environment and Asian immigrant children’s early literacy skills

Suggestive

Suggestive evidence

N/A