Internationalization trends worldwide have brought more multilingual students into English‐medium university classrooms in the United States and elsewhere. Faculty across the disciplines increasingly have the dual challenge of developing both content and advanced academic language. Ample precedent in P–12 education suggests developing instructors’ knowledge of (a) students as language learners, (b) instructional techniques grounded in second language acquisition theory, and (c) contextual factors necessary for helping instructors implement linguistically responsive instruction (LRI). This study probes the extent to which prior work transfers to the tertiary setting, focusing on participating faculty members’ beliefs about multilingual students, LRI, and context. The authors collected survey data from 197 faculty at a mid‐size comprehensive university in the midwestern United States and analyzed written comments provided by participants. They found that, on the whole, faculty participants displayed deficit views regarding students’ linguistic and academic abilities and questioned the appropriateness and feasibility of several of the LRI techniques. Many rejected the notion that language instruction was within the scope of their responsibilities and expressed a strong preference for support provided outside of class time. The authors discuss the results in terms of the notions of rigor, college readiness, and faculty development in LRI.

The rapid growth of international students at United States universities in recent years (Institute of International Education, 2013) has prompted discussions about how best to serve this population in and out of the classroom. This article reports on faculty cognitions (Borg, 2006) regarding internationalization and the teaching of international students who are emergent multilinguals. Researchers surveyed faculty members on one campus about their beliefs regarding internationalization, techniques for instruction in culturally and linguistically diverse classrooms, and their own efficacy in teaching international students. Results indicate a theory-reality split in beliefs about internationalization and techniques for teaching international students along with relatively low levels of self-efficacy in working with emergent multilinguals. The article discusses implications for faculty-administration collaboration and faculty development in linguistically-responsive instruction.

With increasingly mobile and global populations in universities worldwide, it is important that faculty and students share common expectations for student and instructor behaviors. This study focused on international student and faculty perceptions of student language performance and faculty instructional techniques in one U.S. university with recent growth in the international student population. Using responses from two questionnaires administered to faculty and matriculated international students at the university, the authors found a mismatch between faculty and student perceptions. Faculty rated students’ linguistic performance poorly, whereas students saw their language skills as adequate for the demands of their classes. In terms of instructional supports for international students, both students and faculty reported using or appreciating visuals, but other strategies such as advance provision of instructional materials or invitations to office hours were appreciated by students but less often used by faculty. The authors discuss the results in terms of developing shared expectations between students and faculty and engaging in intentional language acquisition planning at the institutional level.

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