A Task-Based Needs Analysis of Primary School-Aged Children with Migrant or Refugee Backgrounds in Austria

Abstract

[eng] In the last decade, Austria was among the European countries that received a high number of young refugees and learning German has been crucial for their successful integration. However, their language needs had not yet been analysed systematically. In this study, we report on a task-based needs analysis (TBNA) for primary school-aged newcomers to Austria, which aimed at detecting target tasks and describing them in terms of multiple task dimensions, as per Gilabert & Malicka (2021). Semi-structured interviews with field experts and former newcomers were conducted and a survey inquiring about the frequency and the need for training of 38 target tasks was distributed. Results show general, academic, social, and family-oriented tasks that newcomers need to perform in their L2 German and their rankings regarding perceived frequency and the need for training. The study demonstrates how the triangulation of multiple sources and methods facilitates such an identification of target tasks in various life domains, as well as the development of detailed task descriptions along multiple task dimensions. Collectively, the results provide a well-informed basis for task selection, task sequencing, and the development of a meaningful and effective syllabus for refugee/migrant populations at the primary school level in Austria.