The Settled Immigrant Adult Learner
Settled immigrants – Canadians who have been in Canada for longer than 7 years – are often in a position where more "intermediate" and "long-term" education needs are of relevance (Caidi et al., 2008). Settled immigrants often have a functional English proficiency level, but this is not always the case. These learners may have similar language training needs as the Newcomer Adult. For this reason, English language proficiency level will often indicate which adult education options are best. A second factor in determining appropriate education pathways for this group of learners also follows prior learning experiences similar to those of newcomers. For example, a settled immigrant - for whatever reason - may have "little to no schooling" in their home country or Canada. Conversely, such learners may have some education (i.e. high school diploma from home country) or may be highly educated, possessing post-graduate degrees from their home country.
Questions are provided in the Core Questions section of this website to assist SPO practitioners (i.e. assessors, teachers, managers, caseworkers etc.) in identifying prior learning experiences, academic needs, and goals for settled immigrant adult learners.