Literacy Education and Second Language Learning for Adults (LESLLA) is an international forum of scholars who share an interest in research on the development of second language skills by adult immigrants with little or no schooling prior to entering the country of entry. The goal of LESLLA is to share empirical research and information to help, inform and guide further research on second language acquisition for the low-educated adult population. This research in turn will provide guidance to education policy development in all those countries in which immigrants settle and most need educational support.

Confirmed invited speakers:

Jean-Claude Beacco (Université Sorbonne nouvelle Paris 3)
Theo Marinis (University of Reading)
Martha Young-Scholten (Newcastle University)
Massimiliano Spotti (Tilburg University)

We welcome papers for the 14th annual conference to be held in Palermo on October 4-6, 2018. Suggested topics may include but are not limited to:

Second language acquisition (with a focus on low literate adults)
Training for volunteers providing language and literacy support
Teaching tools for unaccompanied minors
Refugees and asylum seekers segregation in hosting contexts and language acquisition
First languages and L2 literacy
Testing literacy levels
School policies for low literate migrants
Youth literacy
European policies for young and adult low literate migrants
Human rights and advocacy
Professional development and teacher education
Language and literacy for resilience

Please send your proposals to leslla2018@unipa.it, by May 15th 2018. Abstracts should be anonymous and will be reviewed by two referees. Please, indicate your name(s) and affiliation in the email.