Finnish courses often focus heavily on grammar at the expense of other aspects of language learning.

A recent study concludes that immigrants learning Finnish are restricted by lessons that are overly bureaucratic and too one-size-fits-all to be of any real benefit.

Finnish language training for immigrants is too heavy on theory and too light on practice, a new study claims. Finnish lessons are desk-bound and grammar-centred, with little emphasis on crucial everyday-conversation skills, according to research carried out by the Finnish Cultural Foundation (FCF) on behalf of the University of Jyväskylä.

The study also claims that immigrants find it difficult to secure training tailored to their own pace of learning. Moreover, language instructors and integration officials treat language training purely as a route to employment, rather than taking a holistic view of different individuals’ language needs.

Peter Mäki, a half-Finnish company director who grew up in Holland, has spent a total of three years learning Finnish in Finland, and agrees with the FCF assessment. “I found the classes time-consuming and impractical. There was little emphasis on the differences between speaking, reading and writing,” he says.

Work-based vocabulary and skills, in addition to flexibility, were nevertheless listed as strengths of the current system, suggesting that the focus on readying most immigrants for employment is considered insufficient rather than misplaced. In terms of flexibility, however, researchers found that teaching is often not intergrated with work experience until late in study programme, with only limited benefits as a consequence.

Sanna Teerenhovi, a Finnish teacher at the University of Helsinki, is well aware of the need to introduce work-related language into the lessons. “Finnish is a language where you have to learn some grammar,” she says, “but it’s not the main point. At least in our courses, I always emphasise the usage itself.

“If students can use Finnish at work at the same time as studying, for example, then naturally they tend to learn faster. On the other hand, it could be that native English speakers, for example, find it hard to practice because people tend to speak English to them,” she adds.

The study concluded that better results could be achieved if attention were paid to working life from the beginning of immigrants’ studies, even if work experience does not come until later.

Warehouse worker Mathieu Vuillrume studied Finnish at the University of Helsinki but learnt his day-to-day language elsewhere. “I learnt practical Finnish primarily at work. The courses were okay for the basics, but I had a lot of problems with vocabulary. I later did a työelämä course for foreigners that lasted three months and actually I learnt more effective language there.”

To secure better results, researchers recommend that language training be accommodated to suit a range of ages and abilities instead of the currently narrow focus on able-bodied immigrants of working age. Teachers should also teach more everyday language use.

“Just because you have a Finnish qualification doesn’t mean that you can use the language day to day,” says Mäki. “I know a lot of Dutch people who all have certificates up to level six, but they still can’t understand letters from KELA.”

The research suggests that the responsibility for improving teaching skills lies with teacher training and language institutes, than with the teachers themselves. It asserts that integration programmes designed for immigrants are in a transitional stage at all levels of government. The roles, responsibilities and resources of various levels of government should be more clearly specified, while inter-departmental co-operation should be more common and thorough.

“There are specific training courses for teaching Finnish to foreigners,” says Teerenhovi, although these courses are not necessarily compulsory.

In order to make teaching more efficient, the integration process should be less bureaucratic, the researchers conclude. Instead, immigrant organisations should be encouraged and assisted to take part in the integration process, by providing such services as peer support.

Matthew Parry – HT
Nick Barlow – HT