A protocol for a systematic review of community and volunteer-led initiatives for social integration and language education of asylum seekers and refugees

It is estimated that there are over eighty million displaced people who have fled conflict, persecution, or violence (UNHCR, 2021). In response to the growing asylum seeker and refugee population, voluntary sectors have provided less formal learning opportunities (Simpson, 2015). Integration strategies require more than a one-size-fits-all language learning initiative. However, studies on formal language learning for migrants and refugees have dominated literature and policies. The demand for alternative approaches for the language learning of refugees requires a substantial focus within academia. However, there is limited evidence-based and comparable data on the full impact and contribution of nonformal language programmes for refugees and asylum seekers. Thus, this project, which is the first phase of a PhD study by the first author, seeks to produce an evidence-based analysis on the impact and outcomes of nonformal language learning approaches that take place in community and volunteer language education initiatives.

A systematic review is chosen for its strength in producing repeatable, transparent and quantifiable data. A systematic review evolves from a research question seeking “to identify, select and critically appraise relevant research, and to collect and analyse data” (Moher et al., 2009). The systematic review will collect scholarly outputs discussing community and volunteer-led language education. There is a growing interest in using systematic reviews to inform future educational policies and encourage further research into the best practices (Polanin et al., 2017). Thus, it is resourceful in providing accountable research into learning approaches that has remained overly qualitative and unquantifiable. This allows for the subsequent case study analysis (phase 2 of the PhD study) to be grounded in the broader discussion of nonformal approaches to language learning. The protocol is to be published to encourage more accessibility and more discussions of community language learning approaches.