scholarly journals How Proficient is Proficient Enough?: A Look at Proficiency in ESL for Academic Success

2017 ◽  
Vol 2 ◽  
pp. 4
Author(s):  
Marcellino Berardo
Keyword(s):  
Academic Success ◽  
International Students ◽  
Language Proficiency ◽  
Academic Program ◽  
Class Discussion ◽  
Proficiency Tests ◽  
Academic English ◽  
University Of Kansas ◽  
Literature Reviews ◽  
The University

We teach English to international students for the purpose of academic achievement at the University of Kansas. The assumption is that students cannot be successful in university classes without the ability to use academic English well. This is most obvious at the lower levels. If the student cannot understand any spoken or written English, then s/he cannot take notes, read textbook chapters, write papers, take exams, or participate in class discussion. This assumption also implies that as the student’s English improves, proficiency will become less of a factor in academic success.This essay is intended to help us discuss assumptions associated with language proficiency and academic success and to identify how well students need to be able to use English in order to fulfill the university’s ESL requirement and be successful in their chosen academic program, at least as far as language is concerned. To this end, I begin by characterizing different kinds of proficiency. Then I highlight the literature reviews in this issue, one by Jennifer Hornbaker and one by Parul Sood, that bring up issues related to using proficiency tests as the sole indicators of linguistic readiness for academic success at the university.

scholarly journals How Proficient is Proficient Enough?: A Look at Proficiency in ESL for Academic Success

2017 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
pp. 4-8
Author(s):  
Marcellino Berardo
Keyword(s):  
Academic Success ◽  
International Students ◽  
Language Proficiency ◽  
Academic Program ◽  
Class Discussion ◽  
Proficiency Tests ◽  
Academic English ◽  
University Of Kansas ◽  
Literature Reviews ◽  
The University

We teach English to international students for the purpose of academic achievement at the University of Kansas. The assumption is that students cannot be successful in university classes without the ability to use academic English well. This is most obvious at the lower levels. If the student cannot understand any spoken or written English, then s/he cannot take notes, read textbook chapters, write papers, take exams, or participate in class discussion. This assumption also implies that as the student’s English improves, proficiency will become less of a factor in academic success.This essay is intended to help us discuss assumptions associated with language proficiency and academic success and to identify how well students need to be able to use English in order to fulfill the university’s ESL requirement and be successful in their chosen academic program, at least as far as language is concerned. To this end, I begin by characterizing different kinds of proficiency. Then I highlight the literature reviews in this issue, one by Jennifer Hornbaker and one by Parul Sood, that bring up issues related to using proficiency tests as the sole indicators of linguistic readiness for academic success at the university.

scholarly journals The influence of Organizational Image on Academic Success for International Students

2017 ◽  
Vol 6 (5) ◽  
pp. 56 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rüyam Küçüksüleymanoğlu
Keyword(s):  
Academic Achievement ◽  
Academic Success ◽  
International Students ◽  
Organizational Factors ◽  
General View ◽  
Image Perception ◽  
Organizational Image ◽  
Physical Infrastructure ◽  
Overall Evaluation ◽  
The University

Image as a concept that develops through personal, environmental, cultural, and organizational factors throughout history. Organizational image is the overall evaluation of people’s views regarding an organization or system. The purpose of present study was to determine the relationship between international university students’ academic achievement and perceived organizational image. As this is a descriptive research for it measures the image perceptions of the participants at a single time, quantative research methods were used. The population of the research was 2208 international students at Uludag University in Bursa. Randomly selected  1718 students (%77.8) who provided anonymous responses were the sample of the study. To examine the relation between organizational image and academic achievement, correlation analysis was used. To control the effect of the organizational image on the academic achievement regression analysis was used. Students’ academic achievement was mostly affected by reputation and recognition, provided services and general view and physical infrastucture at moderate level. As the students' image perception towards the university increases, their acdemic success also increase. Perceived organizational image affected students’ academic achievement significantly and explained 16% of the variance of academic achievement. General view &physical infrastructure provided services, reputation and recognition, and extra curricular activities from the sub-dimensions of organizational image perception have a meaningful effect on the academic success of students.  Key findings are discussed and recommendations offered to address issues related to organizational image.

Assessing the Efficacy of the Test of English as a Foreign Language

1993 ◽  
Vol 73 (1) ◽  
pp. 187-193 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aaron W. Hughey ◽  
Danny Hinson
Keyword(s):  
Academic Success ◽  
International Students ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
Southeastern United States ◽  
Major Area ◽  
Language Background ◽  
Academic Records ◽  
The University ◽  
Time Of Admission ◽  
Academic Potential

American colleges and universities routinely use the Test of English as a Foreign Language to assess international students' potential for academic success. This is unfortunate given current disagreement regarding its validity as a predictive measure. The present study examined the academic records of 168 international students enrolled at a private, four-year institution in the southeastern United States. Each student was profiled by gender, general language background, major area of study, score on the test at the time of admission to the university, and GPA at the time of departure from the university. Analysis indicated that the test's value as a vehicle for assessing academic potential is problematic. Recommendations are presented for use within current limitations, and possible lines of enquiry are suggested.

scholarly journals Un percorso di letteratura italiana per studenti cinesi in mobilità internazionale

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Valeria Caruso ◽  
Anna De Meo
Keyword(s):  
International Students ◽  
Language Proficiency ◽  
Strong Correlation ◽  
Chinese Students ◽  
Literary Texts ◽  
Teaching Literature ◽  
Comprehension Skills ◽  
Letteratura Italiana ◽  
The University

The paper discusses different issues concerning teaching literature to foreign international students. Referring to a didactic experience carried out at the University of Naples “L’Orientale” with a of a group of Chinese students, the authors focus on the role played by literature in developing reading and comprehension skills. Following Coseriu’s text theory, literature learning is presented as an exercise in interpretation aimed at decoding the addresser’s intentions. Data collected from the analysis of the students’ written productions prove a strong correlation among language proficiency and text skills, which include metatextual abilities by which students can decode the expressive values that make up the sense of literary texts.

scholarly journals Challenges of Foreign Students’ Cultural Adjustment to Indonesian Culture and Impacts on Their Academic Achievements

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
MB Wahyuningsih
Keyword(s):  
Academic Success ◽  
Social Relations ◽  
Foreign Students ◽  
Cultural Adjustment ◽  
Academic Program ◽  
Teachers College ◽  
Academic Achievements ◽  
Food Education ◽  
Group Interviews ◽  
The University

As an English course to prepare for International Teachers College at the University of Pelita Harapan, the English Pathway Program (EPP) caters students coming from various countries, such as China, India, Nepal, East Timor, and Kenya. These students stay in a campus dorm and meet daily in the same class for a year before entering their academic program. This paper attempts to synthesize and analyse challenges of foreign students’ cultural and academic adjustments in the first year of their stay in Indonesia, particularly at Karawaci, Tangerang. It is a qualitative study with the data taken from focused group interviews, questionnaires, observations, and documents. The subjects of the study are twenty two students. The setting of time was the academic year of 2017/2018. The results of the study indicate that foreign students undergo a few challenges in order to be adjusted among others are language, weather, food, education system, social relations, and way of thinking. The results on their academic achievements indicate that they are on the average grades. It implies that the university hosting international students need to provide a conducive atmosphere, service and environment for these students to adjust well in order to contribute to their academic success.   Keywords: cultural, adjustment, academic, and achievement.

scholarly journals Exploring the Relationship Among International Students' English Self-efficacy, Using English to Learn Self-efficacy, and Academic Self-efficacy

2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Chih-hsuan Wang ◽  
Jamie Harrison ◽  
Victoria Cardullo ◽  
Xi Lin
Keyword(s):  
Academic Success ◽  
International Students ◽  
Language Proficiency ◽  
Self Efficacy ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
English Language ◽  
The United States ◽  
English Language Proficiency ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Academic Self Efficacy

One of the major challenges for international students to pursue academic goals in the United States is English language proficiency, which often negatively affects academic success. Even students with confidence in their English language proficiency encounter challenges using English in class. Previous research indicates self-efficacy positively predicts English language proficiency and academic achievement. Therefore, the current study hypothesized a model using self-efficacy in using English to learn as a mediator between English and academic self-efficacy. The structural equation modeling results indicate English self-efficacy indirectly influenced international students’ academic self-efficacy through their using English to learn self-efficacy. Findings suggest using English and using English to learn self-efficacy are two distinct constructs. These results warrant academic English support for non-native English speaking international students.    

Developing CEFR-related language proficiency tests: A focus on the role of piloting

2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 333-352
Author(s):  
Caroline Shackleton
Keyword(s):  
Language Proficiency ◽  
Development Process ◽  
Test Development ◽  
Difficulty Level ◽  
Proficiency Tests ◽  
Cut Scores ◽  
Test Items ◽  
Test Specifications ◽  
Listening Proficiency ◽  
The University

Abstract Most language proficiency exams in Europe are presently developed so that reported scores can be related to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR; (Council of Europe. 2001. Common European framework of reference for languages: learning, teaching, assessment. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.). Before any CEFR linking process can take place, such tests should be shown to be both valid and reliable, as “if an exam is not valid or reliable, it is meaningless to link it to the CEFR [and] a test that is not reliable cannot, by definition, be valid” (Alderson, Charles J. 2012. Principles and practice in language testing: compliance or conflict? Presentation at TEA SIG Conference: Innsbruck. http://tea.iatefl.org/inns.html (accessed May 2017).). In the test development process, tasks developed based on test specifications must therefore be piloted in order to check that test items perform as predicted. The present article focuses on the statistical analysis of test trial data provided by the piloting of three B1 listening tasks carried out at the University of Granada’s Modern Language Center (CLM). Here, results from a detailed Rasch analysis of the data showed the test to be consistently measuring a unidimensional construct of listening ability. In order to confirm that the test contains items at the correct difficulty level, teacher judgements of candidates’ listening proficiency were also collected. The test was found to separate A2 and B1 candidates well; used in conjunction with the establishment of appropriate cut scores, the reported score can be considered an accurate representation of CEFR B1 listening proficiency. The study demonstrates how Rasch measurement can be used as part of the test development process in order to make improvements to test tasks and hence create more reliable tests

scholarly journals Japanese Language as an Organizational Barrier for International Students to Access to University Services: A Case of Aoyama Gakuin University

2016 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
pp. 956-966
Author(s):  
Hiroyoshi Hiratsuka
Keyword(s):  
International Students ◽  
Language Proficiency ◽  
Japanese Language ◽  
Case Study Methodology ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Study Methodology ◽  
University Services ◽  
The University ◽  
Participatory Observation

In 2011, Aoyama Gakuin University (AGU) started a government-funded degree program (taught in English) to accept international students with limited or no Japanese language proficiency. However, the students faced obstacles in accessing all of the university resources provided. In this article, I investigated Japanese language as an organizational barrier for students accessing to campus resources. I utilized the case study methodology through participatory observation on campus and face-to-face interviews.

Conversational Language Proficiency among International Students at the University Level

1996 ◽  
Vol 113-114 ◽  
pp. 245-262
Author(s):  
Christy Y. Lao ◽  
Stephen D. Krashen ◽  
Barry C. Gribbons ◽  
Janice Schafrik-Arenault ◽  
William B. Michael
Keyword(s):  
International Students ◽  
Language Proficiency ◽  
Academic Language ◽  
World Language ◽  
Common Assumption ◽  
Limited English Speaking ◽  
The Status ◽  
Conversational Language ◽  
English Speaking ◽  
The University

Abstract A common assumption is that international students in English-speaking countries have well-developed competence in academic language, but have deficiencies in conversational language. This assumption is in contrast to the situation among limited English speaking children (CUMMINS, 1989). If true, this lack of conversational language is a problem; even if international students do not plan to reside in an English-speaking country after their studies are complete, the status of English today as a world language means that professionals in many fields need to be able to interact with colleagues on an informal basis.

Multilingual International Students From the Perspective of Faculty

2022 ◽  
pp. 1307-1323
Author(s):  
Vander Tavares
Keyword(s):  
Academic Success ◽  
International Students ◽  
Language Proficiency ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Research Literature ◽  
Academic Community ◽  
Intellectual Diversity ◽  
Internationalisation Of Higher Education ◽  
Support Students ◽  
Large Research

This chapter explores the experiences and perceptions of 14 faculty members toward multilingual international students at River University—a large, research-focused university in Ontario. Data was collected through an online survey and analysed thematically. Responses were categorised under three broad categories with respect to faculty's (1) perceptions of multilingual international students' contributions to River's academic community, (2) challenges surrounding faculty's interactions with multilingual international students, and (3) strategies developed and implemented to support students' academic success. Overall, findings were consistent with those in the current research literature, in which language proficiency was identified by faculty as a major concern, and multilingual international students were considered important for the enhancement of cultural and intellectual diversity, and for the internationalisation of higher education.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document