Individual Variables, Literacy History, and ESL Progress Among Kurdish and Bosnian Immigrants

Abstract

This study examines the relationship between individual variables and ESL progress among nine Kurdish and seven Bosnian immigrants. All participants are adult refugees who arrived in Canada with virtually no English. Significant correlations are found between the dependent variables of oral and written progress and the independent variables of literacy level, years of schooling, and ethnicity. Contingency, text quality, and text quantity are also examined. Although the number of participants is small and the number of variables examined is large, it is hypothesized that in 18-21 months high literates will progress from low beginner to advanced, semi-literates from pre-beginner to low intermediate, and pre-literates from pre-beginner to low beginner. The article concludes with implications for ESL programming and future research.