Abstract:

The concept of language integration as an intercultural feature in relation to migration will be studied in the present research with emphasis on its usefulness and importance in the social and cultural integration of migrants and refugees as foreign students in the host country. Language means identity and it is essential in order to acquire intercultural dialogue between people with a different linguistic and cultural background.

The migratory phenomenon has always existed – the refugee crisis with its peak in 2015, at the European level and not only, then the crisis caused by the war in Ukraine and its impact on Romania as a country that is on the border with Ukraine, are two relevant recent examples to illustrate the migration phenomenon in the recent history.

When it comes to cultural and linguistic integration in the host country, a large number of people are facing many challenges. Even more so when we refer to refugees, who, unlike migrants, have a vulnerable status, being forced to move to a foreign country because of political and security reasons. Due to their forced displacement, refugee or migrant students, that we can place under the umbrella term of foreign students, frequently struggle to adapt to new learning environments. Their integration in the educational system of the host country represents a challenge not only for them, but also for educational institutions and teachers.

The present study aims, first of all, to identify the needs of the public target in teaching environments in order to develop a set of good practices that should facilitate their linguistic integration.

This paper aims to analyse the linguistic integration of refugee and migrants in Romania, to identify challenges faced by them in the integration process and to observe this issue both from the perspective of foreign students, as well as that of the teachers. In order to identify the challenges faced both by foreign students and teachers in the process of learning and teaching language, a number of questionnaires will be applied. A further understanding of the phenomenon will develop the awareness of teachers when it comes to teaching Romanian as a foreign language to a target group of students whose integration needs are multiple and complex.

Moreover, the study also aims to emphasize the fact that the integration of refugees and migrants in a host country, in this particular case in Romania, whether they integrate into the educational system and become foreign students or not, implies language learning.

Keywords:

Refugee, migrant, language, integration.