VOL. 3 (2024)
ISSN 2952-2013 pp. 26-43
https://doi.org/10.33776/linguodidactica.v3.8159
Teaching Spanish to migrants in Spain: the teachers’
perspective
La enseñanza de español a migrantes en España: la perspectiva
del profesorado
Elvira Margarita Morales Rodríguez
Universidad de Granada
Martin Sosinski
Universidad de Granada
Resumen:
El propósito de este trabajo es acercarse a la realidad
de las aulas de español para migrantes en España y re-
flexionar sobre diferentes aspectos de este tipo de ense-
ñanza desde la perspectiva del profesorado. Para ello, se
ha trabajado con una muestra conformada por 20 profe-
sores de español a migrantes en varias organizaciones
ubicadas en diferentes ciudades españolas, a los que se
entrevistó entre 2021 y 2022. El estudio, de carácter cua-
litativo y descriptivo, gira en torno a tres dimensiones:
el alumnado, el profesorado y el proceso de enseñanza.
Los resultados muestran que, en relación con el alumna-
do migrante, el profesorado los considera vulnerables,
pero también señala que cuentan con mayor motivación
por la necesidad de conocer el idioma para encontrar
trabajo e integrarse en la sociedad receptora. Asimismo,
concuerdan en que un/a profesional de la enseñanza
con alumnado migrante debe ser empático, paciente,
comprensivo, capaz de mediar en posibles conflictos y
de tener interés en la labor social que este trabajo impli-
ca. En cuanto al proceso de enseñanza, se incide en la
necesidad de adaptar los materiales y de centrarse en un
enfoque comunicativo que posibilite al alumnado utilizar
el idioma en su vida diaria. Como puntos débiles se des-
taca la falta de autonomía del alumnado y la necesidad
de mejorar la comprensión y expresión escritas. Asimis-
mo, cabe señalar que este trabajo parte de la experiencia
del profesorado, por lo que sería conveniente ampliarlo
con futuras investigaciones que recojan nuevos datos,
como la experiencia del alumnado o la evolución de la
enseñanza en los últimos años.
Palabras claves:
Español, aprendizaje, migrantes, profesores, enseñanza
de una segunda lengua.
Fecha de aceptación: 09 de mayo de 2024
Abstract:
The aim of this paper is to approach the reality of Spanish
classrooms for migrants in Spain and to reflect on diffe-
rent aspects of this type of teaching from the teachers’
perspective. For this purpose, we have worked with a
sample of 20 teachers of Spanish for migrants in seve-
ral organizations located in different Spanish cities, who
were interviewed between 2021 and 2022. The study is
descriptive in nature with a qualitative data analysis and
focuses on three dimensions: the students, the teachers
and the teaching process. The results show that, in rela-
tion to migrant students, teachers consider their students
to be vulnerable, but also indicate that they are more
motivated by the need to know the language in order to
find work and integrate into the host society. They also
agree that a teacher with migrant students should be em-
pathetic, patient, understanding, capable of mediating
possible conflicts and interested in the social work invol-
ved in this type of work. As for the teaching process, the
need to adapt materials and focus on a communicative
approach that enables students to use the language in
their daily lives was emphasized. The lack of autonomy
of the students and the need to improve written compre-
hension and expression were highlighted as weaknesses.
It should also be noted that this study is based on the
teachers’ experience, so it would be advisable to expand
it with future research that gathers new data, such as the
students’ experience or the evolution of teaching in re-
cent years.
Keywords:
Spanish; learning; migrants; teachers; second language
instruction.
Fecha de recepción: 02 de febrero de 2024
Teaching Spanish to migrants in Spain:
the teachers’ perspective
La enseñanza de español a migrantes en España:
la perspectiva del profesorado
Elvira Margarita Morales Rodríguez
Universidad de Granada
Martin Sosinski
Universidad de Granada
Contacto:
elviramor@ugr.es
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Migration is a phenomenon inherent to human beings since their existence. Moving from one place
to another became necessary for the survival of the species and this trace of the past is reflected
in current migrations, whose purpose is also survival for social (war, religious or political causes) or
economic reasons. According to UN data, in 2020 there were 281 million international migrants, with
represents 3.6% of the world population and stands as the highest figure in recent decades (McAu-
liffe and Triandafyllidou, 2021).
In Spain, meanwhile, there were 6.8 million migrants in 2020, or 14.6% of the population (McAuliffe
and Triandafyllidou, 2021). This figure continues to grow, with almost half a million migrants arriving
in Spain from other countries in 2022 (INE, 2022). Although this is not always the case, a large part
of migration is caused by the movement of people from developing countries in search of a better
quality of life. The reasons, as mentioned at the beginning, are predominantly social and economic,
so that migrants “are often considered poor and linked to the lack of resources or to the situation
in their country of origin, being exposed to greater stigmatization, rejection and social exclusion”
(Moles-López et al., 2023). The response of the receiving population is key to the integration and
adaptation of migrants, so various agencies at the national level play an important role, providing
basic assistance, care for unaccompanied minors, reception programs, social integration measures,
among other resources.
Except for migrants of Latin American origin, all other migrants do not have Spanish as their mother
tongue. Moreover, in the INE’s Active Population Survey report, corresponding to the first semester
of 2023, it is indicated that 7.3% of migrants over 16 years old have no education or only have in-
complete primary education (Bustamante and Díaz, 2023). These circumstances can be a major dis-
advantage when it comes to integrating into the new society, both socially and occupationally, which
is why teaching Spanish to migrants is an essential measure, as it allows them to develop language
skills as well as cultural competence. In Spain there are several institutions that provides Spanish
lessons to migrants; however, many of teachers work as volunteers and do not always have sufficient
resources and tools to be able to work with a student profile with this particular idiosyncrasy.
This paper aims to review the current situation of teaching Spanish as a foreign language to migrants
from the perspective and concerns of teachers, who play an equally important role in the learning
process as the students themselves. Our objective, therefore, is to reflect on different aspects of
teaching Spanish to migrants based on the teachers’ testimonies, specifically on these three points:
students, teachers and the Spanish classroom. To this end, we have considered the following re-
search questions:
1. What is the profile of the migrant student like?
2. What should a good teacher of Spanish for migrants be like?
3. What are the fundamental aspects that should be worked on in the classroom?
4. What changes should be introduced to improve the teaching of Spanish to migrants?
1. Introduction
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There is a large body of research on migration, focusing on different aspects, such as laws, policies,
perceptions, measures and social situation, among others. Due to the subject of study of this paper,
we have specifically reviewed the literature related to migration from the field of education.
All people living in Spain have the right to basic education, including migrant minors, as stated in
Organic Law 4/2000, of January 11, on the rights and freedoms of foreigners in Spain and their social
integration. Migrant minors, therefore, must be enrolled in school and can learn Spanish not only in
the regular classroom, but also in specific classrooms, such as the Liaison Classrooms (Aulas de En-
lace) in Madrid or the Temporary Linguistic Adaptation Classrooms in Andalusia (Aulas Temporales
de Adaptación Lingüística - ATAL). On the other hand, adult migrants can learn Spanish in official
institutions, such as Official Language Schools, the Cervantes Institute or Universities such as the
University of Salamanca. In all of them they can obtain official certificates with their level of language
proficiency according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) of
the Council of Europe (Government of Spain. Ministry of Education, Vocational Training and Sports,
n.d.).
Migrant students, both children and adults, present a higher risk of exclusion due to their vulnerabil-
ity. Children have guaranteed access to the educational system but this does not guarantee that they
do not suffer inequalities within the classroom (González-Monteagudo and Zamora-Serrato, 2019).
Adults, on the other hand, cannot always access official institutions to learn Spanish due to lack of
resources. Therefore, it is necessary to highlight the work of volunteer institutions that not only teach
them Spanish, but also provide them with support to facilitate their integration in the host country.
In regards to the literature on the teaching of Spanish as a second language to migrants, there
has been a notable increase in recent years and we can find research about the three dimensions
addressed in our study. Thus, we highlight studies focused on the figure of the migrant students,
specifically about their motivation and resilience (Benallou, 2023; Martin et al., 2022), as well as on
multiculturalism in the classroom and its impact on students (Ceballos Vacas and Trujilo-González,
2021; Valenti, 2004). In terms to the figure of the teacher, we have research about its formation and
the particularities of its profile (Crozet, 2016;Legaz-Torregrosa and Toscano Fuentes, 2022; Kramsch,
2014; Níkleva and García-Viñolo, 2023; Sosinski, 2018). Finally, we highlight several research about
different aspects of the Spanish teaching process: a general perspective about the classroom situa-
tion (Arroyo González and Rodríguez Correa, 2014; Gómez-Pavón Durán, 2019; Kárpava, 2022); the
analysis of teaching materials (González Fernández, 2023; Soliman, 2022); the use of new technol-
ogies before the pandemic (Jiménez Jiménez and Níkleva, 2015) and after it (Morales Rodríguez,
2021); specific aspects of the language which are also studied in the classroom, such as prosody
(Sun and Herrero-Fernández, 2022), sociocultural and sociolinguistic competences (Horno-Cheliz
and Vicente-Molinero, 2020; Primo Doncel, 2020) or literacy (Diambang and Diop, 2023). In terms
of the methodology used in the classroom, there seems to be a fairly strong consensus on the pref-
erence for the communicative approach because of the advantages it offers to immigrant students
(Domingues Cruz and Saracho Árnaiz, 2020; García Cano, 2022).
2. Theoretical framework
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This is a descriptive research with a qualitative data analysis. This type of approach is presented as
the most appropriate for the research, as it has allowed us to inquire more deeply into the object of
study, as well as to analyze the resulting data in detail.
The interview was the technique used for data collection. It included fixed questions but also offered
the possibility of expanding them when the participant needed to specify the information. Thus, we
designed an ad hoc questionnaire of seven questions on three topics of interest for the study:
• The teachers’ view about their students:
1. What is the profile of migrant students like?
2. What your students are like?
3. Do you notice multiculturalism in the classroom? How is it reflected?
• The teachers’ view about themselves:
4. Does the teacher of Spanish for migrant students need specific skills? If so, Which ones?
5. What can the teachers improve on?
• The particularities of the learning process of Spanish with migrant students:
6. What tools do you usually use in the classroom?
7. How would you describe your methodological approach?
The research was carried out with a sample of 20 participants, all of them teachers of Spanish as
a foreign language to migrant students in several organizations located in different Spanish cit-
ies, specifically Granada, Madrid and Gijón. These organizations share a volunteer profile and offer
Spanish classes for all proficiency levels, as well as support for the integration of migrant students
and their families.
Regarding to the participants, we will refer to them with numbers (1-20) to preserve their anonymity.
The only requirement to participate in the study was to have at least one year of teaching experience
with migrant students. Age and gender were not significant factors, so no specific distribution was
sought. Out of the 20 participants 13 are women and 7 are men, all between the ages of 30 and 60
and with higher education. Their teaching experience, on the other hand, is reflected in Table 1.
Table 1. Years of teaching experience of the informants
Informants Years of teaching experience with migrant students
1 11
2 11
3 2
42
5 2
6 1
7 1
3. Methods
3.1. Techniques
3.2. Participants
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Informants Years of teaching experience with migrant students
8 13
9 3
10 3
11 4
12 2
13 1
14 6
15 20
16 4
17 15
18 4
19 6
20 15
Source: own elaboration
The interviews took place in the years 2021 and 2022. The participants were contacted through tele-
phone calls and e-mails to agree with them the date and time for the interviews. The questionnaire
with the questions was also sent by e-mail so that they could read it before the interview. All inform-
ants participated on a voluntary basis, without financial compensation. Each interview was recorded
through Google Meet under the pertinent authorization, to be later transcribed. Thus, a corpus of
20 interviews was formed with an approximate duration of ten hours (half an hour for each other)
formed.
For the analysis of the data, comments and testimonies related to the object of study were extracted
manually, seeking correlation, as well as coincident and divergent data in order to elaborate a coher-
ent and cohesive discourse that allows reflection based on the testimony of teachers of Spanish as a
foreign language to migrants in Spain. The analysis of the data was inductive, since it was based on a
series of initial questions in order to reach a general conclusion. The information has been classified
around three points of study: migrant students, the figure of the teacher and the teaching process.
Each category in turn generated several subcategories as shown in Table 2.
Table 2. Categories and subcategories of the study
Categories Subcategories
Students The reality in and out of the classroom
The impact of their situation in the learning process
Their attitude towards learning process
Multiculturalism
3.3. Data collection procedure
3.4. Data analysis
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Categories Subcategories
Teachers Skills
Role in the classroom
Teaching process Tools and devices
Methodology
Development of language skills
Source: own elaboration
The results of our study show that students are a recurring theme in the teachers’ concerns. Their mi-
grant status, which for many of them generates a greater situation of vulnerability, produces among
the teachers a deep awareness of the personal and vital circumstances of the students. Thus, inform-
ants 12, 15 and 18 express their knowledge of students outside the classroom:
They are students with very complex family situations... well then... always the first contact… I try to
make them feel very welcome... get to know them one by one... and I try to ask them personally so
that they can tell me about their country, their family... (Informant 12)
Above all, people who do not have a family nucleus and who have emigrated alone, there are many...
above all, men who are here alone and who sometimes share an apartment... but in a rented room
with whom they do not have much contact... or with companions of other nationalities with whom
they do not understand each other very well. And of course, the situation of administrative uncer-
tainty... the situation of a foreign country, the migration situation... and “I don’t know what my future
is going to be like, I don’t know anyone…” Quite distressing. (Informant 15)
They are people who mostly don’t work, they are here... alone, without their families most of them
and... except for the Filipinos who come with their families. But most of them are people who are
here alone. (Informant 18)
Likewise, informants 10, 11 and 19 emphasize how the personal situation of some students has an
impact on the classes, always in a negative way, because they generate impediments to the proper
functioning of learning or, as in the case of informant 19, they directly impede the ability to continue
with the classes:
She was there with her little son and I was giving her the lesson, but if the child started crying or
wanted to eat or whatever, she had to be there. It was an hour and a half of class and she could not
be one hundred percent with me giving the class, because if the child started crying or if or... any-
thing, or was distracted, then yes it was difficult. (Informant 10)
When they find a job and have to travel, they have to miss class or they can’t work at home... or re-
view at home content that has been seen in the classroom. Maybe more than at the family level, bet-
ter at the work level, because when they have had to work they have not always been able to review
well what we have done in the classroom. (Informant 11)
4. Results
4.1. Migrant students
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And other people... the children at home and they can’t attend classes because they have the chil-
dren... or anything else, like “I can’t make ends meet because my husband is out of work or because
I don’t have a job”. (Informant 19)
Despite the frequent adverse circumstances, informants 13, 14 and 18 agree that migrant students
are highly motivated, either because they want to pass a DELE exam or because they are aware of
the need to defend themselves in the language of the country in which they now live:
And of course, these students have a great advantage over the formal education students because
they are so motivated (Informant 13).
I teach DELE A2 classes for nationality… as they want to pass the exam, they send you all the home-
work every week so that you correct the writing... we work on listening, we work on reading, we
work on speaking as well... the motivation at the end depends on the student. If they want to take a
nationality exam... they study a lot... They need Spanish to work, so they study a lot... (Informant 14)
They don’t lose their motivation. They are people who are very, very motivated, very aware that it is
important to study Spanish. I had never worked with people who were so eager to study. There are
people who, regardless of their circumstances, come to class every day, all of them, they never miss.
(Informant 18)
Spanish classes not only serve to learn a new language that allows them to integrate and work, but
also become a meeting place where they can socialize both with the teacher and with their class-
mates and create networks:
It is not so much the fact of giving classes, but being with them, because many times they can be
alone, they can be...like if you go to a different country and you say: “Who are you going to hang out
with?” (Informant 9)
Coming to the class is also like a moment to... get out of my house and socialize a little bit. (Informant
15)
They already need to socialize because they are newcomers. They don’t have networks, friends...
they have nothing. (Informant 19)
They don’t have the same friendship and family networks that people who have been here for years
and years or who were born here and are more integrated… Coming to class is a way to socialize...
much more than for us. (Informant 20)
Regarding the multiculturalism of the students, we find from cultural clashes on the part of the teach-
ers, as in the case of informant 17, to situations of companionship due to the bond that is created
among the students for having a shared experience, as informant 5 relates:
I did have a Nigerian student, to give you an example of shock for me, who I used to name her a lot
to get her to participate, but she did not like me to use her name, and I did not know this, then she
explained it to me: “It is that my culture…” She explained to me the three names she had, and she
asked me to call her by the other one, that the others were very familiar. (Informant 17)
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I think that students also begin to feel a lot of empathy with each other, the moment they find com-
mon points or there are certain things they say: “That’s different, I didn’t know such things” and they
begin to find these spaces that they feel more shared... (Informant 5)
However, multiculturalism in the classroom also generates quarrels among students due to the cre-
ation of groups and distancing among them:
There was racism among them, within the countries, and yes, you notice that there are groups, those
who are from the same country, go to the same floor, more than anything because they are families,
and you notice that when you mix in a class a family or a group, for example, of Afghans, with another
from another country, the one from the other country if it is less numerous, is relegated. (Informant 3)
In view of this, informants 4 and 7 consider that not only cultural differences can cause the creation
of groups among the students, but that it can also have a generational cause or, even, because of
the difference in the levels of knowledge of the language:
They do make groups, for example, I have two students who are... who are in their forties. Those two
men always come together. Those who don’t... those who don’t understand much Spanish are also
on this side... they group together. (Informant 4)
This difference of levels in the classroom is one of the obstacles with which the teachers most agree,
since it makes it difficult to organize the classes, slows down the learning of students at a more ad-
vanced level and significantly harms students at the beginning level, who may feel intimidated:
Another problem we had was the gap between students. Because especially the men, they left
home, they were out in the street, they worked outside, they had more contact with the language.
And there were no resources to divide the groups according to levels... (Informant 6)
There are people who have a very high A1 level and people who have or are considered to have an
A1 level, but who have just graduated from literacy classes... So I have seen people with a lower level
who didn’t want to speak because they were too embarrassed. (Informant 10)
It happens that they don’t understand, they are embarrassed to ask and that everyone sees them.
(Informant 18)
The second theme addressed in the teachers’ testimonies was the role of the teacher. The inform-
ants reflected on their role in the classroom, especially taking into account the idiosyncrasy of the
profile of migrant students and the frequent multiculturalism that occurs in the classroom. Inform-
ants 1 and 5 indicated the qualities needed to manage potential culture clashes that may arise with
students. Likewise, informant 1 valued positively that teachers should know something of each stu-
dent’s culture:
We have to avoid culture shock. We have to be open-minded, we have to understand the other. I
think we have to have an open mind, and be able to do that, to have empathy and sympathy for
other people. (Informant 1)
4.2. The teachers
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I would call it like that you have to prevent, you have to be very very intelligent emotionally or cultur-
ally. You as a teacher... when approaching certain topics and certain things that... You have to ask the
students how they feel, if they feel comfortable, stressed or upset... (Informant 5)
But if we really want to achieve an intercultural class where everybody feels comfortable, we have to
know about the culture of the students... (Informant 1)
Along with these qualities, the importance of the teacher as a mediator in the classroom was espe-
cially emphasized, for the resolution of possible conflicts, but also to facilitate the integration of the
students into the language and culture of the new community:
The teacher at the end has to act as a guide, as a mediator, above all to integrate them, because
learning Spanish is not only for them to speak Spanish, it is to integrate them into the Spanish lan-
guage, culture and society. (Informant 6)
Informant 9 stressed the importance of being empathetic, while adding other qualities that a teach-
er must have, such as being respectful, patient and approachable. In fact, he mentioned how years
later he still hears from former students:
Of course, that’s what it is, to flow, because if you let yourself go in class, they will let themselves go
and they will feel comfortable and laugh with you. (Informant 9)
For example, I have had several students come to me saying: “Please help me with the with the cur-
riculum”. It is very nice to hear from them today. Even yesterday a former student sent me a message
saying “Professor, I hope you are well, I got a job”. (informant 9)
As a negative aspect, informants 2 and 5 comment that teachers are sometimes rigid or inflexible
when teaching, either by insisting on a teaching method or by wanting to use English as a bridge
language. The latter can be useful in certain cases where the student knows a little of the language,
however, most of the time migrant students do not know English and start exclusively from their
mother tongue:
I started with the alphabet, which I wouldn’t do today at all, it was a total waste of time. But of course,
you seem to need to mark your teaching position, as if it were any kind of manual, which is useless
in my opinion. (Informant 2)
But these people really don’t care about English at all. And I feel that sometimes you would like to
rely, like in this language that you also consider... that lately... it’s the most universal in quotation
marks, like the most popular or yeah,
I don’t know. And it’s not really the case. And you have to start looking at other ways (Informant 5)
However, the teacher’s knowledge of other languages can also be useful, as in the case of informant 10:
Then, it was useful for me that I knew French and also Russian to talk to them in those two languages
and teach them some words in Spanish. (Informant 10)
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On the other hand, informant 16 emphasizes the importance of human contact in the classroom to
generate an atmosphere of trust and support among students and also with teachers. The difficult
situation that this type of student’s experience on a daily basis is very present, which is also pointed
out by informant 15, who considers that the migrant teacher also has a social work, as well as a train-
ing that is not always valued due to the marginality in which the migrant is socially placed:
I believe that human contact is fundamental. I guess I’m old school in that sense and human con-
tact… I think it’s a fundamental part of teaching. You teach me, I teach you and we both see each
other... it’s something that is really necessary. (Informant 16)
Let’s see, there is this idea that teachers of migrant students are always precarious, voluntary, poorly
trained… well, it is a stereotype because there are many cases... but the idea that people have about
the group, about the students that they are migrants, poor, vulnerable extends to everything that
surrounds them and then it seems that for migrants anything goes. It seems that anyone can teach
Spanish and that is not the case. In addition, we have the dual role of denouncing these situations of
social injustice and also the function of making the population aware of the need for equal opportu-
nities and rights for all people. We have this double social and combative part that must be united.
(Informant 15)
The third topic of reflection for the teachers was the most important aspects within the Spanish class-
room and with respect to the learning process, as well as its particularities due to the profile of the
students. Thus, informants 12, 15 and 16 talked about the creation of materials, the use of tools and
the contents of the classes. Informant 12 commented on how traditional tools are combined with
innovative ones. For her part, informant 16 spoke of the use of specific materials for migrants, es-
pecially at initial levels, which led to the creation of her own textbook. This specificity in the material
was also mentioned by informant 15, who emphasized the importance of adapting the contents to
the reality of the student and the need to integrate them into the receiving society.
In general, we use a blackboard, we use a textbook… and then I use my mobile phone to look up
songs if they come up. Maybe I ask them about a person they like, a singer… then I look for songs
and play them. This year we have started to use maps... and then you show them and say: “Where is
your country?” And we look for information... on the Internet about their country... the inhabitants,
the agriculture... so that I can locate them, know exactly where they come from... (Informant 12)
We got together in order to have specific material for the students and we managed to develop a
manual for us. So our material we try to make it a lot... of course, that’s first level, then at a higher
level you need to... transmit other knowledge that is more grammar, for example, the subjunctive
and... then you use maybe a much more neutral material, much more general. But at the beginning
our materials are very specific for migrants. (Informant 16)
Our students have to do what the framework says...the action-oriented approach, especially, this
is important with these students. They are here to make a living, they are here to insert themselves
4.3. The teaching process
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socially and to insert themselves in the labor market, to live and work in Spain. What we do is based
on people’s needs, we work very individually... what does this person need? (Informant 15)
The personalization of content, as well as the creation of specific materials, are the result of the
multicultural nature of the Spanish classroom which, although it can generate more difficulties, is a
positive and enriching aspect:
It’s a space where we all learn. (Informant 8)
Informant 5 points out that not all topics are equally accessible when it comes to addressing them in
the classroom; while informant 2 remarks that interculturality should not be forced but should arise
naturally, through the teaching of the language itself:
I think that topics such as religion, politics... are complicated. (Informant 5)
We have to let the singularities of each one emerge, but always with the excuse of language. Lan-
guage has been very useful to me, at least from language we can exchange something. And if
through that, intercultural anecdotes appear...great. But not to ask: “In your country…this?” That is an
act of arrogance...of which we often sin because we fear the silence of the classroom. (Informant 2)
Informant 2 also mentions the importance of using everyday life situations to teach not only lan-
guage but also culture, something that informants 9, 10 and 11 agree with, as they integrate materi-
als from everyday life. Thus, they work on both lexical and cultural competence:
I like to bring them articles so that they can start soaking up the culture here in Spain. (Informant 9)
They learn vocabulary at the same time they are learning about culture. (Informant 10)
I really like to bring everyday things, a magazine, a newspaper, a shopping list, a recipe, a curricu-
lum… or an application such as a census application. Things that are real and that they need to un-
derstand in order to be able to apply for them. (Informant 11)
As for the methodology applied in the classes, more than half of the informants (4, 7, 11, 12, 13, 14,
15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20) agreed in using the communicative approach. However, this choice seems to
imply less development of written comprehension and expression:
I try to be like very dynamic, trying to be very oral, trying to recreate situations that are lived on a
daily basis, whether it is going to the doctor, shopping, a job interviews... and take advantage of all
this background that they sometimes have already had from their experience or to prepare precisely
those possible situations that they are going to encounter and where they are going to need, pre-
cisely, to put them into practice. (Informant 11)
And then well... the methodology... well, simply communicative, in the sense that what we do is talk
a lot. They need to talk... talk a lot... because they need to learn to express themselves, to learn the
rules of politeness, to know the expressions they have to use for a future job. (Informant 12)
My methodology is based on what is called the communicative approach, that is to say, it starts from
situations of the students’ daily and social life. (Informant 13)
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The basic objective is for the student to be able to communicate, not fluently, but to do the shop-
ping, to go... for example, to the airport... to read... more or less the basic concepts of Spanish at
an A1 level, at an A2 level, and more or less an intermediate B1, B2. And they are real situations
because they need, for example, to go to the doctor... or to register, to shop in supermarkets... the
basic concepts of everyday life. (Informant 14)
I always try to follow a very dynamic approach, an approach of... that they participate a lot, a lot. (In-
formant 16)
So, in the end, I always go for the communicative, so that they can speak... and the emergency Span-
ish... this one they call... that I don’t like very much, but in the end it is useful. Effective in the short
term, isn’t it? So a lot of communication, a lot of speaking, a lot. (Informant 19)
Finally, informants 9 and 15 pointed out some aspects that could be improved and implemented
in the classroom. Informant 15 highlighted the need to achieve greater autonomy in the students;
while informant 9 emphasized the need to develop personalized exams due to the typical uneven-
ness of the groups, which he had already started to do:
Autonomy is a pending subject. (Informant 15)
I do not do generalized exams, but specific exams for each student’s level. (Informant 9)
From the results obtained, we can affirm that teachers have a high degree of awareness of their stu-
dents’ profile. The most repeated themes around the figure of migrant students are their situation
outside the classroom, their motivation and their multicultural profile.
Coinciding with González-Monteagudo and Zamora-Serrato (2019), teachers consider that their stu-
dents are in a situation of risk and exclusion due to their vulnerability within the system, as many
arrive alone and without resources to a new country and have to adapt to a new society, culture and
language. Their goal is therefore not only to teach them Spanish but also to make them feel wel-
come and understood. Likewise, the reality of migrant students outside the classroom is detrimental
to the learning process and, in some cases, prevents the student from continuing to attend classes.
However, teachers also emphasize the motivation of their students. They consider that, despite start-
ing from a disadvantaged situation (Martin et al., 2022), the need to find a job and socialize increases
their interest in learning the language, which becomes a key element in integrating into the host
society. Furthermore, Spanish classes are a meeting place where students can create new bonds
and find a temporary refuge.
Student multiculturalism and how this is reflected in the classroom is a recurring theme among
teachers. They point out negative aspects such as cultural clashes between teacher and student or
among the students themselves, as well as the creation of groups among students, which leads to
distancing and, in the worst cases, confrontations. The teachers’ role as mediators in the classroom
is essential in these situations, as they must resolve conflicts and create an appropriate environment
5. Discussion
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[ 39 ]
for the correct development of learning (Ceballos Vacas and Trujillo-González, 2021;Valenti, 2004).
However, multiculturalism also entails positive aspects such as the creation of bonds between stu-
dents due to their shared experience as migrants, as well as the enrichment of learning about new
realities beyond one’s own culture.
In terms of the figure of the teacher, the most discussed topics were the skills needed to perform
their work and the importance of their role in the classroom.
The teachers agreed that in order to carry out this type of work, specific qualities are needed, such
as being open-minded, empathetic, emotionally intelligent, patient, approachable and respectful. In
addition, due to the multicultural nature of the classroom, it is advisable for teachers to learn about
their students’ cultures beforehand. Knowing other languages, especially those spoken by the stu-
dents, is also useful; however, teachers tend to settle for using only English as a bridge language,
which often does not work because the students do not know this language.
They highlighted the social work of the teachers and the importance of their role as mediators in the
classroom, which is already mentioned in research such as Kramsch (2014), who sees the teacher as
an intercultural mediator, and Crozet (2016), who considers him an agent of social transformation.
Thus, the teachers must avoid conflicts and facilitate the integration of students into the language
and culture of the new community. To this end, it is essential to develop skills such as listening, being
a problem solver and knowing how to adapt the methodology and materials to the particular needs
of the students.
In relation to the learning process, the conversation revolved around three main themes: the use of
tools and devices, the methodologies employed, and the development of language skills.
Teachers agree that they tend to combine the use of traditional tools, such as the blackboard, the
textbook or maps, with innovative tools, such as the cell phone, especially after the covid-19 pan-
demic (Morales Rodríguez, 2021). Likewise, and coinciding with García Cano (2022), teachers see
the need to personalize content, adapting existing materials and creating new ones to meet the
multicultural profile of the students. In fact, in one association they have created their own textbook
for initial levels. However, they also point out that interculturality should not be forced, but should be
worked on in a natural way, without forcing the cultural topics to be dealt with in class.
As for the methodology applied in the classes, more than half of the informants agreed to use the
communicative approach, linked to orality, dynamism, participation and work on concrete situations
of the students’ daily life (Domingues Cruz and Saracho Árnaiz, 2020). In this way, they recommend
using real materials, such as newspapers or cooking recipes, with which to work on language and
culture. The use of this type of materials within a communicative approach allows the development
of linguistic competences, such as lexical competence, as well as cultural competences. It also pro-
motes oral skills. However, it was pointed out that written skills, especially written expression, are less
developed.
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[ 40 ]
Finally, some aspects that could be improved in the learning process were pointed out, such as the
need to achieve greater autonomy in the students or the development of personalized tests due to
the differences in the level of the students, which has already begun to be implemented.
The aim of this paper is to review the current situation of teaching Spanish as a foreign language
to migrants from the perspective of teachers. For this purpose, we have compiled the teachers’
testimonies, specifically around three points: the students, the teachers and the teaching process.
Moreover, all research questions have been answered. Thus, the teachers agreed that migrant stu-
dents are usually in a situation of vulnerability, as they often experience difficult situations that have
a negative impact on their learning. However, they are also considered a highly motivated student
profile, aware of the importance of learning the language of the host country in order to integrate
and work. Teaching in the Spanish classroom is not only about language, but also about culture,
even becoming a space for socializing and creating bonds. However, on certain occasions there are
distances between students due to cultural, generational or level differences. The latter makes the
teacher’s work particularly difficult because the teacher has to work with very different levels at the
same time, to the detriment of both advanced and beginners. The teachers, however, recognize this
situation and try to take measures to make learning as optimal as possible, such as the development
of personalized tests, adapted to the level of each student.
Likewise, the teachers valued the figure of the teacher, especially in the context of working with mi-
grant students. They consider that a good teacher must have open-mindedness, empathy, emotion-
al intelligence, respect, patience and understanding. It was emphasized that their role is not only to
teach the language, but also to mediate in possible conflicts, integrate students and carry out social
work for the migrant community. In addition, the convenience of knowing other languages, having
knowledge of the students’ cultures and knowing how to adapt to the situation and to each student
was emphasized.
In relation to Spanish lessons, the teachers highlighted the use of traditional and innovative tools, as
well as the personalization, specification and adaptation of materials and content, especially at the
initial levels, where students urgently need to know how to perform specific tasks such as shopping
or looking for a job. For this reason, the approach used is mainly communicative, seeking to work on
oral skills through dynamic and participative activities in which students learn to solve everyday sit-
uations, thus integrating cultural competence. The development of this competence is also worked
on through the lexicon of everyday texts. In this way, the Spanish as a foreign language classroom
becomes a space for teaching language and culture, both parts inseparable from each other, since
a sufficient development of communicative competence will allow the social and cultural integra-
tion of the migrant, while cultural knowledge will result in a greater development of communicative
competence. Finally, some changes to improve learning were mentioned, specifically the need to
generate greater autonomy among students, the development of personalized tests, and paying
more attention to comprehension and written expression.
With this paper we intend to extend the literature on the teaching of Spanish to migrants and to
provide new data on the situation in the classroom from the teachers’ perspective. This, however,
6. Conclusions
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[ 41 ]
is a limitation since we have only worked with the teachers’ testimonies and from a qualitative data
analysis. Therefore, it would be advisable for future research to expand the corpus to include the
students’ point of view and carry out research with quantitative data analysis.
We also hope that our research can provide useful information for possible practical applications in
the Spanish classroom for migrants, such as providing greater support for the situation of students
outside the classroom, training new teachers and developing new materials with which to work from
the reality of migrant students and their multiculturalism, as well as looking for ways to work on writ-
ten skills within the communicative approaches followed in the classroom.
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