Due to the pandemic, shifts toward blended learning or digital classrooms have caused great distress not only for students but especially for students of immigrant background and queer students. This mixed-methodology pilot study examined the relationship between mental distress and language acquisition in vulnerable students. Participants were either students of immigrant or queer background or both (N=4, mean age of 29 years old (±4.7 years)) who have been taking Icelandic as a Second Language. To provide critical insights into the prevalence of stress, anxiety, and depression and to pinpoint the distress in the landscape of language acquisition among students of vulnerable backgrounds, the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale (DASS-21) (Lovibond & Lovibond, 1995) and semi-structured interviews were used. Two competing theories with two mediation models were tested for use in the main study. Model A examined whether language acquisition mediates the relationship between stressors experienced by students as immigrants or queers and mental distress in a language class. Model B examined whether mental distress mediates the relationship between stressors experienced by language learners due to their background and language acquisition. Model B fits the data well through mediation analysis (Chi-square test, Sobel’s first-order test, percentile bootstrap) and through the semi-structured interviews conducted. The results from the pilot study indicated a considerably high prevalence of mental distress in both groups of vulnerable students, regardless of their level of proficiency. This pilot study provides a baseline dataset for further comprehensive study and provides solutions for future disruptions.

Authors:
Jeannette Jeffrey, University of Iceland, Iceland

About the Presenter(s)
Ms Jeannette Jeffrey is a University Doctoral Student at University of Iceland in Iceland

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