IAFOR Journal of Education: Studies in Education

Volume 8 – Issue 4 – 2020

Empowering Adult Immigrant Learners Through Systematic Motivation Workin the Classroom
May Olaug Horverak
Birkenes Adult Learning Centre
NorwayGerd Martina Langeland
Lillesand Upper Secondary School
NorwayKedir Diary
Lillesand Adult Learning Centre
Norway45

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Abstract
This is an action research study investigating how one can work systematically in adult learning
centres to support adult immigrant learners to increase their intrinsic motivation and develop
strategies to take responsibility for their own development and learning. We have applied what
we call a five-step motivation method, where the adult students define and write down what is
important to them, their success factors and their obstacles, and choose focus areas andstrategies to apply to achieve what is important to them. As part of the process, the students
also reflect on these elements in class discussions led by the teacher, which means that thestudents support each other to find solutions to their obstacles and to find strategies to work
towards their goals. The student reflections from the sessions are part of the data collected inthis study, and these are complemented by students’ self-reports on the usefulness of theapproach. The project was carried out in several groups at three adult learning centres, and thefindings show that the majority of the participants were satisfied with the approach. They reportthat they became better at planning and more motivated to work towards their goals. An
element that was emphasised by the teachers was the importance of letting the students use
their native language when needed. We conclude that the method we present here may be auseful tool to assist adult immigrant learners to experience intrinsic motivation and develop
strategies for mastering learning and life.
Keywords: adult learning, learning strategies, motivation, self-determination theory, selfregulated learning

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The year is 1987, and the place is Northern Iraq. I’m stationed at a militaryhospital because of my health care educational background. One day I wascommanded to go to the war arena, and I was assigned the task to check on
medical equipment. Every day I had to stay in my refuge, which was a small
hole in the ground; 1 meter deep, 1 meter long and 50 centimeter in breadth. I
had to stay in the hole the whole day not to be shot by the enemy. I could only
leave it during night to work and to collect food and drink. In this hole, I
experienced both mental and physical obstacles, but if I wanted to come homeand see my family again, I had to focus on my own goal and my own plan, andmanage to keep myself alive and fight death. I survived this horrible situation
using the same type of strategy that the motivation method presents; I asked
myself what my goal is, what the obstacles are, and what type of effort I have to
make to survive. (Quote from an immigrant)This story illustrates the essence of the five-step motivation method presented in this article, amethod that challenges people to identify their own goals, strengths and weaknesses in order
to find solutions to possible obstacles. Many immigrants who come to a new culture with aforeign language, perhaps without official documentation on education and work experience,
have difficulties succeeding in their new lives as the obstacles may be overwhelming. This
study, carried out in three adult learning centres in Norway, presents an approach that may
facilitate motivating and empowering immigrants by providing them with a strategy formastering learning and life in general. The five-step approach applied builds on selfdetermination theory, stating that in order to be intrinsically motivated the three basic needs ofautonomy, competence and relatedness must be met (Deci & Ryan, 2000). When applying thefive-step motivation method, the teacher facilitates learners to take control of their own
development and learning and lets learners choose goals according to their own values andambitions, in order to meet the needs of competence and autonomy. The learners also discusspossible solutions to obstacles in a community of peers, which facilitates meeting the basic
need of relatedness.
One essential element that influences whether immigrants succeed in being integrated in
Norwegian society is their ability to learn the Norwegian language. We have an immigration
law in Norway stating that people with status as immigrants have the right and duty to attend
600 hours of Norwegian and social science teaching (Introduksjonsloven, 2003, § 17), and ifthey need more Norwegian teaching, they have the right to receive up to 2400 extra hours(§18). Most immigrants who come as refugees enter into what is called an “introduction
programme”, where they get a salary for attending classes for two or three years. Many refugees
lack school certificates and they need to take classes to prepare for upper secondary school orhigher education. Many do this while they are in the introduction programme, in addition tolearning Norwegian. The latest trend in Norway is that more and more immigrants prepare forupper secondary school, regardless of whether they have an education from before or very little
educational background, as it is becoming more and more difficult to get a job without
documentation of some type of formal education.
In spite of comprehensive programmes, many immigrants experience that learning a new
language and succeeding in a new society is a challenge. The purpose of the before-mentioned
introduction programme is to “strengthen newly arrived immigrants” opportunities forparticipation in occupations and society, and gain economic independence” (2003, §1, own
translation). Still, statistical numbers reveal that immigrants struggle to achieve this. While theunemployment rate for the total population generally has been low in Norway, (2.7% in 2018;

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Statistics Norway, 2018), the unemployment rate among immigrants is normally higher (6.4%
in 2018; Statistics Norway, 2018). This makes one ask the question as to whether the
integration efforts we make in Norway have the effect that we wish for, or whether there is aneed to search for new methods and approaches.
A recent research report on the Norwegian introduction programme for immigrants shows that
it is difficult to prove a correlation between single efforts and results for participants in the
introduction programme, and the conclusion of the report is that there are too few reallyqualifying measures in the programme as it is now (FAFO, 2017, p.31). This indicates a needfor innovation in this field, something our study presents. The research question of this study
is: Can a systematic approach, identifying goals, strengths and obstacles and deciding on focus
and action, support adult immigrant learners to achieve increased motivation and strategies that
help them take responsibility for their own learning and life? In the following, we present issues
being debated currently in research in this field, the research methodology applied, the results
and findings, and a discussion of these.
Literature Review
For several decades, the idea of multiculturalism has been prominent in many liberal, Western
nations, a concept that refers to the existence of cultural plurality in societies (Mitchell, 2017).
However, there has been a significant political backlash to this idea of states that successfully
can accommodate a diversity of cultures and religions. There have been several reactions in
Europe against multiculturalism, claiming that it has failed as the celebration of culturaldifference has been at the expense of community cohesion (Vertovec & Wessendorf, 2010).
This criticism has been countered by adult educators emphasising the importance of culturaldialogue and open educative spaces for different cultural groups (Morrice, 2018; Roets et al.,2011; Wildemeersch, 2011). Still, it is a much-debated issue in research on adult education of
immigrants whether practices build on the idea of multiculturalism, or rather on an idea that
immigrants need an intervention to successfully be included or integrated in society (Morrice
et al., 2017).
In their critical work on discourse of adult education in Sweden, Fejes et. al. (2018), point out
that the role of adult education is helping citizens adapt to a constantly changing society in linewith normative assumptions concerning how citizens should be. They refer to this process as
shaping neo-liberal subjectivities. In an earlier publication, the same authors claim that
underlying this practice, there is a notion that the adult learners are not yet “full” citizens, andthat adult learning is a place for abnormal citizens to be shaped and molded into desirable
subjects, or into an employable workforce (Sandberg et al., 2016). In spite of positive notions
and ambition to empower, Sandberg et.al claim that the adult learners appear to be failed
citizens who need motivation and goals in life. In another study based on interviews with adultlearners and teachers of adult education, the same researchers describe the Swedish municipal
adult education as a place “for the individual to create a goal-oriented future” (Fejes et al.,2018, p. 471), with a focus on the labour market. This is described as an instrumental and nonrelational process with little interaction among peers.
In line with the more recent research studies conducted in a Swedish context, a study conducted
more than a decade ago by Morrice (2007), investigating lifelong learning and social
integration of refugees in the UK, concluded that the discourse of inclusion leads to narrowlearning opportunities for immigrants. She argues that there is a need to recognise thesignificance of the social capital the immigrants hold, and more informal and social learning

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opportunities (2007). Also in German and Austrian contexts, research presents the same
criticism (Heinemann, 2017), that the adult learning programmes for immigrants focus on
economy and submission, making the learners employable and polite, as many of them later
will hold badly paid positions with little independence.
A recent study from England and Scotland also shows efforts to create alternatives to theeconomy-driven programmes focused on labour markets (Duckworth & Tett, 2019). The
alternative approach presented in this study facilitates learners to reclaim identities of successby giving them opportunities to recognise the discourses that shape them and how these
discourses impact their lives. The learners were given space to explain their own life andlearning narratives, and through this understand events that had held them back. By doing so,
negativity was removed, and academic progress and personal fulfilment was achieved. An
important element mentioned in this study is that the results were especially positive when thetutors engaged with the learners in an egalitarian way.
Research on adult learning for immigrants is limited in a Norwegian context (Monsen, 2015).
However, one interesting finding from research on basic reading and writing training is that,very often, this type of instruction is seen as little relevant or useful, and it does not consider
the adult learners’ previous knowledge and experience (Alver & Dregelid, 2001; Monsen,2015). A recent qualitative study shows that identity, self-feeling and motivation may beaffected if one is not allowed to show who one is and what one is able to do (Alver & Dregelid,2016). Research has shown that for students with less education, it is particularly importantthat their life- and language-experiences are not excluded (Auerbach, 1993, p. 18). Collier &Thomas’ (2002) research on bilingual models concludes that it is important that cognitive,
emotional and social needs are met in a developing language learning situation.
In Nortons’s investigation of diverse aspects in relation to identity and language learning, she
problematizes that learners can be defined as either motivated or unmotivated (2000). She also
problemizes the dichotomous distinctions between the language learner and the language
learning context and the learner’s identity related to the world and the future. The learner’s
investment in English must be understood in the context of their changing identity across timeand space, and the opportunities they have, meaning what situations they have access toparticipate in. Important aspects in second language learning which must be understood arelearners’ desire for friendship and social integrity (Spolsky, 1989), for feeling worthy andcomfortable, for the possibilities for work – preferably in their professions – (Norton, 2000),
and for the understanding of possibilities for the future (West, 1992). These aspects are taken
into consideration in the approach applied in the current study on how to empower immigrants.
The approach applied here, which will be more thoroughly described below, does not only
focus on individuals’ possibilities for the future, but also on individuals’ past, their dreams andqualities, and how the social capital they hold can help them learn in the present, as well as
shape their future.
Methodology
This study is part of a larger action research study (cf. Postholm, 2007), where we havedeveloped and adjusted a five-step motivation method for different contexts in order to meetthe need for increased motivation for learning in school in general. The current study is aqualitative case-study (Creswell, 2013, p. 99), where we examine how the five-step method wehave developed may support adult students with immigrant background to become more
motivated and take control of their own lives and learning. The analysis is based on students’49

IAFOR Journal of Education: Studies in Education

Volume 8 – Issue 4 – 2020reflections from the implementation of the method, as well as students’ and teachers’
evaluations of the method.
The five-Step Approach
The five-step motivation method applied in this study consisted of the following steps (figure 1):1) What is important to succeed with in life? What is important in the near future?
2) What skills do you have? What are you satisfied with in your present situation?
3) Is there something in yourself or in your situation that stops you from reaching yourgoals? 4) What do you choose to work on the next month to reach the goals you have?
4) What will you do to manage to carry this out?
These questions were repeated several times throughout the school year, partly focused on
general issues in life, and partly focused on language learning and other subjects in school.
Some groups participated only one semester, and in these groups the method was applied only
once.

Figure 1: A five-step motivation method (previously published in Horverak, Langeland &Fagerhaug, 2018; Horverak & Aanensen, 2019; Horverak, 2020)
The students discussed the questions in class and then wrote individual answers in books withallocated random numbers. Only the students knew their own numbers, so they could retrieve
their own books the next session. The teachers collected the books after each session and started
every following session with a summary of what the students in the group had written. Then,the class discussed what could be done to reach the different goals and to overcome the
obstacles mentioned. In most of the sessions, the students were allowed to discuss using theirnative language, and interpreters were used for some of the students with very little Norwegianlanguage competence. Students who had very weak Norwegian skills were also allowed towrite in their native language, and the text was translated into Norwegian.

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Some of the groups had a “focus week”, where the motivation method was applied in different
contexts. In two of the groups preparing for upper secondary school, the method was appliedin the disciplines Norwegian, mathematics, English, religion and social sciences. In two of thegroups learning Norwegian, the method was applied in a student business project carried out
as part of the Norwegian teaching. A tool we use in the project called “the Focus Model” wasalso applied in these groups, where the students defined together what they found important.
Following this, they sorted out what was urgent, what was distracting and what was wasted.
Data Collection and Analysis
The reflections the students wrote during the motivation sessions are part of the material in thisstudy, as well as observations from the sessions in classes. An inductive thematic analysis(Braun & Clark, 2006) of the students’ reflections was carried out. At the end of the firstsemester, the students also filled in evaluations with questions concerning how they had
experienced the motivation sessions and whether they experienced increased motivation tolearn. The evaluation form used after the first semester was translated to Arabic and Tigrinja,
the dominant native languages in the groups. The students were allowed to choose what
language to use in their evaluations.
At the end of the second semester, a new evaluation was carried out. As most of the students
had improved their language skills at this point, the evaluation form was not translated to otherlanguages, and the students were encouraged to write in Norwegian. The groups who
participated only one semester also filled in this evaluation form. The teachers also evaluated
how the motivation method worked, what was positive and what was challenging, and some of
the teachers’ reflections are included at the end of the analysis.
The following questions were included in the student evaluation given the second semester:
1) Give examples of something you have managed to focus on as a result of the motivation
sessions.
2) How have you worked with the obstacles you have in yourself or in your life?
3) How will you consider your own efforts to follow your plans?
4) Do you feel that the work with the motivation method has affected the learning
environment or how you view your fellow students? How?
5) Has the motivation method given you increased motivation to work towards your own
goals? (Options: yes, no, I don’t know).
6) Have you become better at planning and focusing on what is important to you (Options:
yes, no, I don’t know).
7) How satisfied have you been with the motivation method? (Options: Not satisfied,somewhat satisfied, very satisfied, I don’t know).
The students’ answers are partly presented qualitatively through examples of themes in thematerial and partly quantitatively through percentages of different answers.
Participants
Most immigrant student groups at two adult learning centres participated in the school year
2018/2019. This included five student groups who attended a preparatory programme for upper
secondary school, following the curricula for lower secondary school, and four student groups
who learnt Norwegian according to the curriculum for Norwegian and social sciences
obligatory to immigrants in Norway. In addition, two groups from a third adult learning centre

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participated in the autumn semester 2019. These two groups were attending the final year of
the preparatory programme for upper secondary school.
Student groups at adult learning centres are dynamic and change during the year, so it isdifficult to find exact numbers on how many students were exposed to the intervention. We
therefore count as participants all students who filled in evaluation forms and accepted that
their reflections could be used for research and calculate a response rate based on the total
number of students in the group at the end of the semesters. In the total school year 2018-2019,46 of 89 students participated in the first semester (response rate: 52%), and 45 students
participated in the second semester out of 61 students (response rate: 74%). In autumn 2019,23 students participated out of a total number of 34 students (response rate: 68%) The majorityof the students had Arabic as their first language, and the second most common native language
was Tigrinya. Details about the participants are not included as this may compromiseanonymity.
Reliability and Validity
There are different challenges with the reliability and validity of the findings in this study –whether we can trust the findings and whether we can generalise (Jacobsen, 2005, p. 345). One
challenge with an intervention study in an adult learning context is that people from othercultures may have norms that interfere with how they respond to the type of evaluation applied
here. For example, not all cultures accept criticism of authorities, and perhaps the students
respond positively out of respect for the teachers. Another challenge is that they may give apositive response at one point, because they feel optimistic when working with the method inclass, but at another later point, they may feel more negative as they do not feel things havechanged. The obstacles are still there, but they felt perhaps more optimistic at the time theyevaluated the method. Some students may also have had problems understanding the questionsin the evaluation form due to limited competence in Norwegian. These are all threats to thereliability of the findings in this study.
To respond to some of these challenges, we analyse the students’ reflections from themotivation sessions, to see how the method actually works. We have also included open
questions in the evaluation and asked the students to give some reflections on how they
perceive the method, which may yield more accurate answers than choosing either “yes” or“no”. We also let the students use their native language when needed and supported them inthe process with translations.
Another challenge with this study is that the sample is limited, and it may be difficult togeneralise based on the findings. This is a threat to the validity of the study. Still, we argue thatthe experiences and examples we present may be transferrable to other, similar contexts(Lincoln & Guba, 1985). However, more long-term studies with more extensive measuring
instruments are needed in order to investigate possible effects of the five-step method in adultlearning contexts.
Results and Findings
This study investigates whether a five-step motivation method may facilitate increased intrinsic
motivation and development of strategies for learning and developing in life. The analysis
presents tendencies in the students’ reflections on what is important in life, what success factors
and obstacles they experience they have, what they need to focus on and how they are to carry

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this out. The results also include summaries of students’ evaluations of how they perceive themethod and their own development. Finally, teachers’ reflections are presented.
Students’ Reflections
Most of the students consider education and work to be important in life, and that they need tolearn Norwegian in order to succeed with getting a job. Several of the students also emphasisethat they want to become independent and contribute in society. One of the students writes “Ifthere is something I am interested in and want in life, it is to take care of myself throughworking like everyone else do”. Another student writes “I want to pay taxes and be an active
participant in the Norwegian society”. The aspect of wanting to contribute is repeated byseveral of the students: “Through work, I want to give as much as possible to the Norwegiansociety”. More of the students’ report that they want to start a business, for example as a tailor
or a hairdresser, or they want to open a shop or a restaurant. Many of the students are also
concerned with having good health, and this is related to working and contributing to society:“I want to achieve mental calmness, wellness and safety in my life, and to achieve this, I must
work and make an effort to contribute”.
Another theme in the students’ reflections on what is important is relations, both within thefamily and in society in general. Many of them are concerned about whether their family isokay, for example, one of the students wrote “That my child is healthy”. Others are concerned
about getting news from relatives that are not in Norway. A wish to understanding Norwegian
culture and becoming integrated is another central theme in the students’ reflections, and thisalso concerns building relations. As one of the students expresses: “I wish to find Norwegianfriends”. Again, the issue of learning Norwegian is reported as important to become integrated.
Also getting a driver’s license is mentioned as important for being integrated, and forsucceeding with getting a job.
When it comes to success factors, many of the students mention previous work experience.
Others write that they are good at handling children or people in general. Another successfactor revealed in the students’ reflections is hope - they have a hope and a wish to become
integrated and to learn Norwegian. Others write that they have motivation, and some write thatthey are fast learners. Having children is also mentioned as a success factor, as this may help
them learn Norwegian and become integrated in a new society.
When reflecting on obstacles, most of the students point out the challenge of learning
Norwegian and becoming integrated in Norwegian society. One student writes “Nothing
without language”. More of them write that they easily forget because they do not haveanybody to practice with during their spare time, as they find it difficult to get in touch with
Norwegians and get Norwegian friends. One example of a specific challenge mentioned isarranging children’s birthdays, as misunderstandings easily appear: “Therefore, there arealmost always conflicts after birthdays, as I cannot understand what Norwegians like”. Other
challenges mentioned are uncertainty concerning their financial situation and their status in
Norway, for example whether they will receive citizenship.
One theme that is clear when it comes to obstacles is time. The fact that immigrants have alimited period to finish what is called “the introduction programme” is a challenge. They needto learn Norwegian and become prepared for upper secondary school in two or three years, andthis is a rather short period of time to many. This is what is often referred to when they writethat time is a challenge. Others emphasise the problem of finding time to schoolwork andlearning Norwegian in a hectic life with family obligations and other challenges: “I cannot do

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more than I do now. I am exhausted because I do not have any Norwegian friends […] I am
tired in my heart because the whole family depends on me as my husband is sick”. More of thestudents mention health issues - both physical pains and mental problems as depression andstress. Others have problems studying enough because of children’s illnesses or because they
think about family members in other countries. One student reflects:
I am mostly lonely and have no one that can motivate me, and this has to acertain degree removed me from my goals, and I am not satisfied with mysituation currently, but I hope I can take some steps to improve my life.
The most recurring themes in the reflections on what the students are to focus on are language
learning and schoolwork. The students write that they want to improve their Norwegian bytalking to friends and contact neighbours. Some specify that they will talk Norwegian to fellow
students during the breaks, others that they will walk in parks and talk to other parents. They
write that they will practice reading different texts, and many of them write that they will learn
new words by watching Norwegian television: “I will watch television and write down somedifficult words”. More of them express that they will work on grammar, and some of them are
more specific, as this example shows: “Do grammar exercises from Norsk Start every Friday
from 21.00 to 22.00”. More of them express that they will do homework, for example “Do
homework 1½ hour a day”, and others write that they will learn a certain number of words eachday. Others write that they will go to the library and borrow books. In the different subjects inschool, the students report that they need to focus on learning Norwegian terms specific foreach subject.
In the material from the student business, different goals are listed: to experience and carry out
a project, to learn about business and finances, to learn Norwegian and get to know
Norwegians, to contribute with making food, to contribute with sewing and to work together
as a group. Some mention skills such as being able to sew, to paint, to clean, to do carpentry,
to sell, to bake and make food and to use social media. Others mention more personal skills
such as being systematic, being social and liking to help others. Of obstacles, language ismentioned, and some write that they are not good with numbers or finances. In the reflections
on what they need to focus on, several of them mention that they need to practice Norwegian,both by reading and by meeting with others in the afternoons and in breaks. Some of thestudents report that they will focus on learning words they need when working with sewing. In
material from the second round, the students are more specific about their role in the business:
one will lead the sewing team, one will lead the party committee, which is to organise a
multicultural buffet for the local community, some of them will focus on planning and making
food for the planned party, some will focus on making advertisement and advertise on
Facebook, and other relevant webpages, and some will focus on sewing.
Students’ Reflections on the Five-Step Method and Their Own Development
In the evaluation after the first semester, 78%, report that they have increased their motivation
to learn and 72% report that they feel the method was good for them (table 1).
Table 1: Students’ responses to the evaluation after the first semester (n =46)
Question
Increased motivation
Method felt as good for them

Yes
78%
72%

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No
11%
11%

I do not know
11%
17%

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One of the students writes that the method is good «Because I learnt how to motivate myself».
Another student writes “I organised my time and felt that I had to study and learn as quickly
as possible”. A third student writes “It gave me energy to learn more”. More of the students
express that the motivation method helped them plan their future.
The results at the end of the second semester confirm the positive responses from the firstsemester (table 2). 78% report that they experience increased motivation to work towards theirown goals, and 80% report that they have become better at planning and keeping focus.
Table 2: Students’ responses to evaluation after second semester (n =45)
Question
Increased motivation to work towards goals
Better at planning and keeping focus

Yes
78%
80%

No
13%
7%

I do not know
9%13%

When asked about how satisfied they are with the method, 44% report that they are verysatisfied and 49% that they are somewhat satisfied, whereas only 7% report that they either do
not know or are not satisfied.
The results from the third school, where the students only took part in the project for a shortperiod during the autumn semester, also show that the method helps them (see table 3). 91%
report that they experience increased motivation to work towards goals, and 96% report thatthey have become better at planning and keeping focus.
Table 3: Students’ responses to evaluation in school 3, after one semester (n =23)
Question
Increased motivation to work towards goals
Better at planning and keeping focus

Yes
91%
96%

No
0%
0%

I do not know
9%4%

22% report that they are very satisfied with the method, 48% are satisfied, and 17% somewhat
satisfied, whereas only 13% either do not answer or report that they do not know. In this round,
the option “satisfied” was added to the evaluation form.
One of the students write that in order to deal with obstacles “I try to focus on what is positive.
I take care of my health. I use my good mood as a weapon”. Many of the students write thatthey make plans and they succeed with following their own plans. Most of the students reportthat the learning environment has not been influenced, but one student writes that they motivate
each other by using the motivation method. Another student writes “It became easy for us totalk to the students in the group and ask how we can practice on difficult subjects”. Some ofthe students also emphasise that the method creates a better dialogue between the teachers andthe students, and that they appreciate receiving advice from the group.
Teachers’ Reflections
The participating teachers emphasise that the motivation work gives the students a place toexpress what they are concerned with, and a place where they can complain and get out
frustration without this having any consequences as everything is anonymous. Some teachers
also point out that it is a relief to think that it is not only the teachers’ responsibility that students
learn, the students also have a responsibility to work with their own learning process. As

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pointed out by the students, the teachers also say that they get a better dialogue in the classroom
as they get to know each other better and build relations through working with the method.
One topic the teachers reflect on is the use of mother tongue. There is a preference for letting
the students use their mother tongue when talking about such personal issues as how to master
life, and what is good and what is challenging. One teacher says:
I think it is good that they can use their mother tongue, as this concerns so muchthat they do not have enough words. The mother tongue is their heart language,
and since this is about mastering life, they should be allowed to use it, at leastin the beginning.
At the same time, it is mentioned that it could also be a problem if the students just continue
writing in their mother tongue when they could manage to write in Norwegian as they needwriting practice.
Another aspect the teachers mention is that when they apply the method in all disciplines, they
see that the students develop a set of common concepts for talking about their learning process.
One teacher describes how a student reminded another student about how they had worked
with the same approach in another lecture. Before applying the method across disciplines, theteachers feared that it would perhaps bee too much, and that the students would be tired ofhearing the same questions in all contexts. However, when reflecting on this afterwards, theyagree that it is positive as it supports the students to developing a common framework fortalking about learning. They also mention the need to repeat the process so that the students
integrate this way of thinking. One of the teachers emphasises the value of developing this typeof strategy for learning in all disciplines before moving on to upper secondary school.
Discussion
This study investigates how teachers of adult immigrant learners can support their students indeveloping a strategy for mastering life and learning. The main findings show that the fivestep method as described here, where students define what is important to them, success factors
and obstacles, and make plans on what to focus on and how to do it, may contribute to students
experiencing increased motivation and improved planning skills. Applying the method also led
to a better dialogue in school between teachers and students, and a common framework forlearning. These findings comply with Ryan and Deci’s self-determination theory (2000), that
if students experience autonomy, competence and relatedness, they will be intrinsicallymotivated to learn. The students had the opportunity to be autonomous through making theirown plans, they felt competent as they set the goals themselves and managed to follow theirplans, and they worked with finding solutions to obstacles in a supportive community of peers,
and through this they could experience relatedness.
One of the most important contributions of this study is a methodology that allows one to takethe students’ knowledge and experience as a starting point. This is needed in the field of adultlearning, as research shows that teaching in this context is often considered as little relevant or
little useful (Alver & Dregelid, 2001). By starting with the students’ own lives and theirprevious experience, it is easier to meet the students on their premises in teaching. This is inline with the approach advocated in Duckworth and Tett’s recent study from the UK (2019),
where it is reported that adult learners reclaimed their identities through their personal
narratives. The most important aspect of the five-step approach applied in the current study is56

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perhaps that it takes the whole person into account, so that cognitive, emotional and social
needs are considered, as pointed out as important needs to be met in a language learning context(Collier & Thomas, 2002). This way of working also contrasts the neo-liberal governancemindset, critiqued in much recent research on adult education for immigrants (Fejes et al.,2018; Heinemann, 2017; Morrice, 2007).
Neoliberalism means that individuals are structured to obtain a certain behaviour and individual
freedom is transformed into the instrument through which individuals are directed (Lorenzini,2018). By applying the five-step method, we aim at focusing more on the learners’ narratives
and competences, what is called success factors in the method, and not only on what they needto prepare for a future occupation, or to be successfully integrated. There is, however, a danger
that the method may become too instrumental, and fall in the category of neoliberalism if there
is too much focus on future goals and what is realistic to achieve in the future. To avoid this, it
is important to dwell on question two in the approach, what competences, or success factors,
do the adult immigrant learners have, what have they experienced before, and what in theirsituation is positive? Individuals’ understanding of the world and possibilities for the future areinfluenced by what range of resources they have access to (West, 1992), and for immigrants,
it may be challenging to identify resources in a new and foreign context, where previous
experience is perhaps dismissed due to lack of documentation. It is therefore important tosupport immigrants to retrieve their narratives, and reidentify their skills and resources.
It is also important to let immigrants identify the obstacles they themselves experience, as
asked about in question three of the five-step method, and not let others define their obstacles
for them, as there may be different views here. Still, it is a challenging balance to keep focus
on adult immigrants’ needs and dreams, and at the same time, help them succeed in a society
where it is required that they adapt. It is perhaps the society that really needs to change, andnot the immigrants. Perhaps the whole concept of integration needs to be reinterpreted andadjusted in the Western world in order to achieve a true multicultural society where different
cultures coexist and diversity is appreciated.
Conclusion
Based on the findings presented in this study, we conclude that the five-step motivation method
presented here can facilitate adult learners to develop a strategy for mastering life and learning.
Both the teachers’ and the students’ reflections show that the method may be a useful tool that
contributes to increased motivation and improved planning skills. Some of the essence of themethod is that it takes the students’ individual lives, goals and obstacles as a starting point. To
get the chance to express oneself about personal issues is something the students appreciatedand something that made the teachers have a better understanding of what the students wereconcerned with and considered important.
Even though this study shows good results, there is a need for more research on the method to
see if the findings presented here can be supported by more extensive studies carried out overlonger time and with a larger sample. Another aspect that may be further explored is how
working with the motivation method could be transferred to making and adjusting individual
plans in cooperation with the refugee services, plans that are obligatory for all immigrants in
Norway who are part of the introduction programme. This could lead to increased cooperationin addition to supporting the immigrants’ role in making plans for their future.

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Acknowledgements
The project has been supported by Sørlandet Hospital (ABUP) and the Norwegian Directorate
of Health and the Agder county through the programme Healthpromoting Kindergartens andSchools (HBS).

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Corresponding author: May Olaug Horverak
Email: may.olaug.horverak@birkenes.kommune.no61