Narrowing the Gap between EFL and ESL:

The sharp increasing number of international students in the U.S. has warranted more research into the academic literacy development of those students whose first language is not English. A great number of studies have found that how to socialize themselves into the new discourse communities at university remains a challenge for most international students because of language and cultural barriers. The gap between learning the English language in EFL contexts and using the language in ESL contexts also becomes an issue in international students’ academic performance that needs to be addressed. This case study examines how a graduate student from Korea (an EFL country) developed her academic English when pursuing her degree in the U.S. (an ESL context for her). The research demonstrated her strategies of surviving the academic life despite the language limitations and investigated the factors that influenced her language development. Implications for how to support international graduate students in improving linguistic and cross-cultural competences are discussed.

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Increasing Participation of International Students in the Higher Education Classrooms Through Technology-Enhanced Instruction

Optimizing Higher Education Learning Through Activities and Assessments - Advances in Higher Education and Professional Development ◽

10.4018/978-1-7998-4036-7.ch015 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 307-327

Author(s):

Hyunsil Park ◽

Robert A. Filback ◽

Jenifer Crawford

Keyword(s):

Higher Education ◽

International Students ◽

Research University ◽

Active Participation ◽

International Graduate Students ◽

International Graduate ◽

Education Environment ◽

Speakers Of Other Languages ◽

Master Of Arts ◽

The U.S

This research-based chapter explores East Asian international graduate students' challenges in the U.S. higher education environment and identifies how technology-enhanced instructional practices can increase their active participation in the classroom. The classroom-based intervention study was conducted in a Master of Arts program in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) at a research university in the Western U.S. The participants were 56 students in this TESOL program. The three types of technology (Padlet, Plickers, and Poll Everywhere) were selected based on criteria including ease of implementation and positive influences on students' participation and learning in class. The data were collected through a pre- and post-survey and three weeks of classroom observation. The resulting qualitative observational and survey data revealed consequences of the technology enhancements in instruction in terms of changes in students' active participation in class, insights produced into critical cultural understandings, and relationships to learning outcomes.

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University Teaching in Global Times: Perspectives of Italian University Faculty on Teaching International Graduate Students

Journal of Studies in International Education ◽

10.1177/1028315321990749 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 102831532199074

Author(s):

Joellen E. Coryell ◽

Maria Cinque ◽

Monica Fedeli ◽

Angelina Lapina Salazar ◽

Concetta Tino

Keyword(s):

Professional Development ◽

International Students ◽

Graduate Students ◽

English Language ◽

Learning Experience ◽

University Teaching ◽

International Graduate Students ◽

Faculty Perspectives ◽

Domestic Students ◽

International Graduate

Recently, many Italian universities began offering graduate courses or entire programs in English to attract international students, assist domestic students with English language proficiency, and internationalize the learning experience for all. This research investigated Italian faculty’s perspectives on their experiences of teaching international graduate students. The article begins with an overview of European university internationalization and then reviews the literature on faculty perspectives on teaching international students and instructional professional development for internationalization of teaching and learning. Findings include participant demographics and faculty perspectives on teaching international graduate students as compared with domestic students, their current and desired ways of learning how to teach international students, and their recommendations for faculty teaching in international programs/courses with English as the language of instruction. Implications for instructional professional development, communities of instructional practice, and further research are offered.

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Duality of Persistence

Journal of International Students ◽

10.32674/jis.v12i2.3198 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 (2) ◽

Author(s):

Vasundhara Kaul ◽

Linda Renzulli

Keyword(s):

Higher Education ◽

International Students ◽

Graduate Students ◽

Positive Influence ◽

International Graduate Students ◽

International Graduate ◽

Social Belonging ◽

Low Levels ◽

University Level ◽

The U.S

International students have been a growing presence in U.S. higher education institutions for over a decade. However, how feelings of belonging shape their adjustment to these institutions has only recently become a subject of inquiry. In particular, there has been limited examination of how university-level factors interact with feelings of belonging to shape the persistence of international students within the U.S. This research takes a step towards addressing this scholarship gap by examining how social and academic belonging interact with the presence of on-campus co-nationals in engendering aspirations to persist in the U.S. after graduation for international graduate students. We demonstrate the presence of, what we call, an academic enclave effect wherein large communities of co-nationals have a positive influence on the aspirations of international students with initial low levels of social belonging.

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A qualitative case study of how an English language program at a U.S. university prepares Chinese students for U.S. undergraduate programs and communicative competence

10.32469/10355/79474 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

◽

Mingming Wang

Keyword(s):

International Students ◽

English Language ◽

Communicative Competence ◽

Qualitative Case Study ◽

Chinese Students ◽

Full Time ◽

Language Program ◽

Undergraduate Programs ◽

The U.S

[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI AT REQUEST OF AUTHOR.] Chinese students account for about one-third of the international students at U.S. universities from 2013 to the present year 2020; however, many of them, after their arrival, feel it is difficult to fit into U.S. college learning environments. This study focused on how to get Chinese students ready for U.S. undergraduate programs. A qualitative case study method was utilized, and the case was the Intensive Language Program (ILP), a full-time program of an English language center at a Midwestern public university that is designed to support international students. Using theoretical frameworks on college readiness (Conley, 2010a, 2014b) and communicative competence (Canale and Swain, 1980, 1983), I explored how ILP prepared Chinese students for U.S. undergraduate programs in general, and I paid particular attention to how ILP improves Chinese students' communicative competence. My specific research questions were: 1. How do ILP teachers and leaders prepare students for U.S. undergraduate programs? 2. How do Chinese students who have finished the ILP program perceive ILP and how well it has prepared them for U.S. undergraduate programs? 3. How does ILP enhance Chinese students' communicative competence? The findings demonstrated that the ILP program provided valuable and comprehensive support to Chinese students in five overarching components: Think, Know, Act, Go, and Talk. Specifically, ILP added five great values to Chinese students: research, MLA and APA, writing, transition, and presentation. However, as they started their undergraduate program learning, Chinese students also shared two greatest needs: reading and the U.S. History course. The results are significant to the practices of the U.S. English language centers and international schools in China.

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International Graduate Students’ Experiences of English as a Medium of Instruction (EMI) Courses in a Korean University

International Journal of Learning Teaching and Educational Research ◽

10.26803/ijlter.20.9.3 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 20 (9) ◽

pp. 38-51

Author(s):

Yong-Jik Lee ◽

Robert O. Davis ◽

Yue Li

Keyword(s):

International Students ◽

Graduate Students ◽

English Language ◽

Medium Of Instruction ◽

International Graduate Students ◽

Core Element ◽

Course Effectiveness ◽

International Graduate ◽

Positive Attitudes ◽

Study Results

Owing to to the internalization of higher education, many universities in East Asia provide English as a medium of instruction (EMI) courses for international students. However, previous studies may not have strategically explored the perception of EMI courses for graduate programmes. Recognizing the gap in the literature, this study specifically focused on international graduate students' experiences of EMI courses in a Korean university. By implementing a mixed-method design, this study explored English language learnes’ (ELLs) perceptions of EMI courses regarding i) ELLs’ opinions on the effectiveness of EMI courses, ii) ELLs' attitudes towards EMI, and iii) their self-evaluation of English language ability. Data collection consisted of an end of the semester survey (n=70) and focus group interviews (n=9). The study results showed that i) ELLs showed positive attitudes towards EMI courses; ii) they perceived that the faculty's teaching methods are the core element to EMI course effectiveness; iii) their listening and reading skills were enhanced, and iv) ELLs with low English proficiency found EMI courses challenging to follow. Based on these results, several pedagogical implications are discussed regarding how to implement EMI courses effectively for diverse international students in ELT.

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Attracting and Retaining Global Talent: International Graduate Students in the United States

International Higher Education ◽

10.6017/ihe.2018.93.10372 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 2 (93) ◽

pp. 11

Author(s):

Rajika Bhandari

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

Graduate Students ◽

International Student ◽

The United States ◽

Data Sources ◽

Current Status ◽

International Graduate Students ◽

International Graduate ◽

The U.S

In light of current developments in in-bound international student flows to the U.S., this articleuses multiple recent data sources to examine the appeal of the U.S. as a destination forinternational graduate students, as well as the current status of international graduate enrollmentin the U.S.

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A Case Study of International Students’ Social Adjustment, Friendship Development, and Physical Activity

Journal of International Students ◽

10.32674/jis.v8i1.171 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 8 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Shuang Li ◽

Sam Zizzi

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

International Students ◽

Social Adjustment ◽

Physical Activities ◽

Cultural Barriers ◽

Social Aspect ◽

Activity Data ◽

Current Case ◽

Friendship Development

Previous literature has focused on international student’s social transition and monocultural and bicultural ties. Little research has explored international students’ multicultural friendship development and the role that physical activity plays in their social interaction. The current case study explored a group of international students’ friendship development and the social aspect of physical activity. Data from individual interviews (pre and post), and 5 months of participant observations was used to describe two female international students’ experiences. Results suggested international students faced both language and cultural barriers in their social interactions with American students. Engagement in physical activities served as the context where observations of peer-to-peer social behaviors happened. Researchers argued that the multicultural friendship developed and strengthened by engaging in these physical activities. This paper also discussed implications and limitations of the study as well as future recommendations.

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Pronunciation Of The English Voiceless Postalveolar Affricate /tʃ/ In Yemeni EFL Learners’ Production

ASIAN TEFL Journal of Language Teaching and Applied Linguistics ◽

10.21462/asiantefl.v3i2.59 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 3 (2) ◽

Author(s):

Najah Ahmad Khamis ◽

Rohaiza Jupri

Keyword(s):

English Language ◽

First Language ◽

Final Word ◽

Sound System ◽

Postgraduate Students ◽

Efl Learners ◽

Case Study Design ◽

The Difference ◽

Quantitative Case Study

<p>Achieving a near-native speaker’s pronunciation is so essential for EFL learners. However, many factors contribute to the challenges faced by EFL learners, mainly due to the difference in the sound system of English Language and that of their first language. For this reason, Arab learners of English Language may mispronounce some English sounds. This paper analyzed one of the few problematic sounds to the Arab Yemeni EFL learners - the pronunciation of the English voiceless postalveolar affricate /ʧ/. The study which has a quantitative case study design uses four Yemeni EFL postgraduate students as its participants. The participants’ pronunciations of /tʃ/ sound in the initial, middle and final word-positions were analyzed using Praat phonetic software. The findings of the study showed that Yemeni EFL learners have difficulties in producing the /tʃ/ sound, especially in the initial and final positions, and deaffrication of /tʃ/ occurred in the pronunciation of the four participants. The current study is expected to be of value, particularly for EFL learners, teachers, as well as material writers.</p><p> </p>

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Reading in Mandarin and English: Using Reading Miscue Inventory and Retrospective Miscue Analysis with Adult English Language Learners

10.32469/10355/45865 ◽

2014 ◽

Author(s):

◽

Yang Wang

Keyword(s):

Second Language ◽

Reading Strategies ◽

English Language ◽

Native Language ◽

First Language ◽

Case Analysis ◽

Reading Process ◽

Instructional Tool ◽

Evaluation Tool

[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI AT AUTHOR'S REQUEST.] This qualitative case study explored five college ELLs' reading processes in their native Mandarin language and the English language. The purpose of this case study is 1) to discover the reading process of five native-Mandarin-speaking adult ELLs at a large Midwestern university; 2) to learn their perceptions of reading; and 3) to learn about their strategy use in reading the selected materials in both Mandarin and English. I met with each participant individually. In the beginning I did the reading interests inventory and the Burke Reading Interview in Mandarin and in English to learn about their beliefs in the two languages. I surveyed their reading metacognition in both languages. Then I selected four pieces of texts (two in Mandarin and two in English) for RMI and RMA with each reader. At the end, I did post-interviews and post-surveys. Through the study, I kept a double entry journal. Then I conducted within-case analysis and cross-case analysis. This study found 1) by the end the participants believed reading was to know the meaning in both languages and helping them to examine their reading in their first language makes them more successful in their second language; 2) the readers used all linguistic and pragmatic language cueing systems to construct meaning in both languages, and they relied more on linguistic cueing systems in English; 3) they used all natural reading strategies and other similar strategies in both languages, and applied unique strategies to construct meaning in English; 4) the RMA sessions helped the participants build their confidence and revalue their reading, especially in English; 5) the participants became more metacognitive through the RMA sessions, and highly proficient readers may not be the most metacognitive ones. This study suggests RMI is an effective reading evaluation tool for the reading process of the first language as well as the second language. Reading teachers and ELL teachers could use RMI to understand their students' reading process and re-evaluate their students' reading comprehension. This study also suggests RMA is an effective instructional tool. The RMA sessions could build the students' confidence, focus more on meaning, and uncover their reading strategies, as well as their strengths and weaknesses. ELLs need to read actively and closely for meaning; use their successful native language reading strategies and unique strategies in their English reading; experience aesthetic reading for pleasure and read various genres and different topics; and read aloud as long as it is meaningful. ELL teachers need to help the learners establish their belief about reading; use RMI as an evaluation tool; use RMA as an instructional tool and help readers embrace their good reading strategies; encourage them to use their successful native language reading strategies and unique English language reading strategies; and encourage readers to read widely outside of classroom.

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