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Psychological individual differences as predictors of refugees’ local language proficiency
Author(s) -
Asfar Dan,
Born Marise Ph.,
Oostrom Janneke K.,
Vugt Mark
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
european journal of social psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.609
H-Index - 111
eISSN - 1099-0992
pISSN - 0046-2772
DOI - 10.1002/ejsp.2592
Subject(s) - openness to experience , conscientiousness , psychology , local language , refugee , social psychology , language proficiency , immigration , big five personality traits , personality , educational attainment , developmental psychology , extraversion and introversion , political science , pedagogy , law , computer science , programming language
Learning the local language is important for the successful integration of immigrants. Previous research has identified a number of sociodemographic factors that are associated with the effectiveness of local language acquisition among immigrants, but little is known about the influence of psychological differences on immigrants’ local language acquisition. In the present research, individual differences in general mental ability ( GMA ), work search intention, and personality traits Conscientiousness and Openness were studied among recently arrived Syrian ( n = 1054) and Eritrean ( n = 500) refugees in the Netherlands. The results revealed that in addition to the effects of age of arrival, local length of stay, premigration educational attainment, and psychological distress, GMA and work search intention were positively associated with refugees’ local language proficiency. Additionally, work search intention was found to strengthen the effect of GMA on local language proficiency. No positive linear effects were observed for Conscientiousness and Openness. Some evidence was found for curvilinear relationships between psychological predictors and local language proficiency. Implications are discussed.