This paper focuses on English as an Additional Language (EAL) for adult newcomers and draws from the experiences and voices of 118 adult refugees and immigrant learners, settlement service providers, adult educators, and administrators who work either in school divisions or community agencies.
We use ethnographic and narrative research methods (Smith 1986, 1987) to better understand the pre, trans, and post immigration experiences which influence the process of acculturation and learning for newcomer adults who have settled in the inner city of Winnipeg.
Transformative learning theory (Cranton 2006; Mezirow 1981; Mezirow and Associates 2000; Taylor 2006) is used as interpretive lens to understand the challenges of newcomers and the specific teaching approaches used to help
them succeed in Canadian society.