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This manuscript is dedicated to researching the link between language acquisition and cultural integration. As this has overtime become a glaring gap in multiple federal integration policy instruments, we carried out both theoretical reviews as well as fieldwork to answer this question. In so far as fieldwork goes, we recruited two contrasting participants twenty-two and thirty-five years old respectively, male and female, from different cultural groups but both sharing the overall goal of integration in Canada and enrolled in the Language Instruction for Newcomers to Canada (LINC) program. We carried out semi-structured interviews by way of a theory-based protocol and subsequently processed the data via thematic analysis techniques to arrive at our results. Empirically speaking, we synthesized our participants’ lived experiences and perceptions and found that language plays four distinct roles related to culture and cultural integration. First, it is a tool with which to transmit cultural information directly (the referential function). Second, it is the carrier of a second wave of pragmatic (e.g. body language, prosody) from which cultural norms and conventions can be inferred. Third, language is a tool for group differentiation on the basis of which prototypical members (i.e. native-speakers both in the source and destination culture) at times ostracize learners based on linguistic markers. Lastly, we find that it is precisely the experience of loss of membership, disembeddedness, and lack of belonging in previous and future speech groups which then drives newcomers to cultural integration patterns which are less than additive in nature such as intersection and compartmentalization.

Patient compliance and health care communication are impacted by health literacy. Poor health choices, frequent hospital visits, noncompliance with health regimens, and higher health costs are all associated with low health literacy. The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to determine whether there was an association between health literacy as measured by primary language spoken in the home (Creole vs. English) and hypertension self-management as measured by regular use of medication and cutting down on foods high in salt, and whether there was an association between Haitian men, women, their education level, or level of poverty in relation to health literacy as measured by the primary language spoken at home (English or Creole) and hypertension self-management as measured by regular use of medication and cutting down on foods high in salt. The conceptual framework used for the study was the second language acquisition theory. Strategic sampling was used to identify 318 Haitian participants; however, only 36 respondents qualified as Haitian immigrants with a relatively high propensity of hypertension. Logistic regression was used to analyze the data. The results showed no statistically significant relationship between language spoken at home and hypertensive medical compliance within the New York Haitian immigrant community. The other variables age and household income proved to be statistically significant, however gender and education did not appear to have as much of an influence on hypertensive medical compliance observed in the participants. The social change implications include the need for health care staff to be aware of the roles that age, gender, income, language, culture, and education may play in regard to health literacy and hypertension medical compliance.

Thesis (M. A. (Language Education)) -- University of Limpopo, 2017 / This study investigates the methods of teaching poetry to English First Additional (EFAL) secondary school learners in the Shiluvane Circuit, in order to establish whether their teaching and learning methods equip them as second or additional language poetry teachers at secondary school level. Although English plays a significant role as a language of instruction at the secondary level in South Africa, underperformance at secondary school examinations has generated a continuous debate with many suggesting that the standards of English language competence has declined. Also the role of teachers is usually questioned whenever issues of learners’ performance are raised. The study focuses on the methods of teaching that English first additional language teachers use in poetry to instil the passion for the genre. This study was conducted in rural secondary schools. Forty learners from grade ten classes and their teachers participated. The study used qualitative approaches for gathering information through lesson observations, learners’ focus group interviews and teacher interviews at four secondary schools to evaluate the application of English poetry teaching. A case study design was used using 4 schools. This study is informed by Lev Vygotsky’s constructivist or socio-cultural theory (1978). Literature consulted points to the fact that the Shiluvane Circuit secondary teachers seem to avoid teaching poetry. This reveals that only four out of eleven secondary schools exposed their learners to poetry during their EFAL lessons. The findings also revealed that most respondents lacked interest in English poetry. Instead the learner interacting through cooperative or collaborative group work they competed against each other and believe in witchcraft should they share their learning experiences with fellow learners. The study recommended the use of different methods, such as cooperative learning, to teach poetry. Culturally relevant poems also add to the interest of the learners.

Les élèves nouvellement arrivés en France (ENAF) sont inscrits dans un établissement scolaire pour apprendre la langue du pays et d’autres disciplines non linguistiques. A l’intérieur de l’établissement, un dispositif spécifique a été mis en place pour que ces allophones prennent des cours de langue de français non maternel. Il s’agit de la classe d’initiation (CLIN) et les élèves y passent quelques heures de la journée. Le but de cette recherche est d’explorer et étudier l’appropriation du français par ces élèves dans deux types d’espaces en périmètre scolaire ; celui du cadre formel (la classe) et celui du cadre informel (en dehors de la classe). La recherche se situe donc au carrefour de trois disciplines directrices que sont la sociologie, la didactique des langues et le socio-interactionnisme. Le croisement de ces disciplines est essentiel pour cette recherche parce qu’il m’a permis d’obtenir des résultats de souche disciplinaire différente. J’ai mené des analyses en trois temps. La première série d’analyses concernait la dimension sociologique de la recherche, dans laquelle la concentration était orientée vers la construction et le développement d’un réseau social de communication orale des ENAF. Il en découle qu’il existe deux réseaux sociaux ; dans les espaces où les contraintes sont fortement présentes, le réseau social est subi et dans les espaces où les contraintes sont moins, voire pas du tout présentes, le réseau social est choisi. Lorsque les ENAF se trouvent dans le réseau subi ou dans le réseau choisi, l’appropriation de la langue est s’effectue différemment. La deuxième série d’analyses s’est concentrée sur l’appropriation du français dans le cadre formel à travers la communication didactique. L’étude sur les interactions didactiques montre que le répertoire linguistique des ENAF contient du français standard, des écarts linguistiques et du français non standard. De plus, le comportement interactionnel des élèves durant les échanges est réglementé. La troisième série d’analyses s’est focalisée sur l’appropriation du français dans le cadre informel à travers la communication ordinaire. Les interactions examinées dévoilent que l’appropriation qui se fait dans ce genre d’espace est plutôt interactionnelle que linguistique et que c’est le français non standard qui structure le plus souvent les énoncés des uns et des autres. Au final, cette recherche encourage à approfondir la dimension sociologique dans l’appropriation du français par les ENAF dans le périmètre scolaire et à explorer les « coulisses » de l’immersion totale et interroger ce qui se passe dans le soubassement de l’immersion totale / Children arriving in France from abroad have to get enrolled in a French school in order to learn French and other school subjects. Within the school a special class has been set up for these new comers to learn French as a foreign language. It is called “CLIN” and these pupils spend more than 10 hours in this class per week. The aim of this research work is to study the French (as a foreign) language learning by these foreigner pupils, particularly, the classroom learning and the outside-of-the-class learning. That involves two learning “zones”; informal and formal. The research is based on three main theorical approaches which imply sociology, language pedagogy and social interactionism. The results obtained embed elements of the approaches mentioned above. Data analysis was done and divided into three categories. The first one is about the sociological aspect of the research. It sheds light on the construction and development of the pupils’ social networks. Two types of social network emerge from the results; the chosen social network and the imposed social network. Whatever the network, learning of the French language is done differently. The second one is about learning French in classroom through the communicative language teaching. Studies show that the pupils’ speeches contain French standard linguistic forms as well as French linguistic gap-forms. The third one is about the informal language learning through everyday communication. Results reveal that the linguistic aspect is overshadowed by the communicative and interactional urge throughout the pupils’ discussions. Non-standard linguistic forms are often considered within these exchanges. Finally, the present research work outlines the sociological aspect that needs to be strongly considered when one is learning French as a foreign language (especially the foreign pupils in France) in the school environment. This research also helps to have a better understanding of the “behind the learning scenes” of language immersion in school contexts