Low Educated Second Language and Literacy Acquisition

Low Educated Second Language and Literacy Acquisition (LESLLA) is a forum for research into the development of second language acquisition skills by adult immigrants with little or no formal education. Its goal is to share research insights among an international group of linguists, psychologists and educators, ultimately supplying guidance on education policy in countries where immigrants have settled. It is the only group organised specifically to address the needs of vulnerable immigrants, who need to develop speaking and writing skills in a second language.

LESLLA's first three-day workshop was held in August 2005 at the University of Tilburg in the Netherlands. November 2006 saw the second meeting held in Richmond, Virginia, and a third was organised at the University of Newcastle upon Tyne, England, in September 2007. In 2008, the meeting was held at the Karel de Grotehogeschool in Antwerp, Belgium, and 2009's was at Banff, Alberta.

The group's members include Ineke van de Craats (linguistics, Radboud University Nijmegen), Martha Young-Scholten (linguistics, Newcastle upon Tyne), Jeanne J. H. Kurvers (multilingualism, Tilburg), Larry Condelli (managing director, American Institutes for Research) and Nancy Faux (ESOL, Virginia Commonwealth University).