Browsing by Author "Tapio, Ida"

Despite a continuous immigration to Finland from countries where illiteracy is considered high, there are few studies about illiterate adult immigrants. Neither are there any earlier compilations of Finnish, Swedish and Norwegian studies related to illiterate adults. Therefore, the goal of this paper is to study what kind of research has been done about illiterate adults in these countries in the 21st century as well as to specify illiterate adults’ challenges in learning a second language based on research literature. The study was implemented as a literature review. Helka Finna, Swepub, Uppsök and Google Scholar were used for searching for articles and research papers. The final reference literature comprises 13 pro gradu theses, two dissertations and five research articles or reports. Three of the studies are originally published in Norway, six of them in Finland and the rest 11 in Sweden. The studies focused on students, teachers or methods used in teaching. Majority of the studies focused on the role of a student’s first language and illiteracy when learning a new language. Furthermore, the development of various linguistic skills as well as students’ experiences of living in a new country were essential research subjects. Clearly the most common research method was an interview. Based on the studies, there are challenges related to three central themes present in illiterate adults second language learning: limited contacts with locals, insufficient learning skills and time.