Addressing the Language and Cultural Problems of Overseas Students in the Context of Mathematics Classes

Abstract

This paper describes a project in which instruction in mathematical language and strategies for adapting to the Australian university environment were integrated into mathematics classes. The classes were part of a program which enables overseas students to meet the entry requirements of Australian business faculties. The project used the action research methodology in which observations of the students' reactions motivated further activities. The outcomes of the project are described using the diary entries made by students, teacher and observer. These show that students developed an awareness of the need to improve their language skills and to make cultural adjustments and made some progress in these directions.

It's a Long Way Home: International Student Adjustment to Living in the United States

“…In particular, we need to learn more about what differentiates well-adjusted international students from those who are homesick (Hammer, 1992). While various studies have documented adjustment difficulties of international students (Archer, Ireland, Amos, Broad, & Currid, 1998;Befus, 1988;Crittenden, Fugita, Bae, Lamug, & Lin, 1992;Dawoud, 1983;Hubbard, 1994;Loomis & Schuler, 1948;Luzzo, Henao, & Wilson, 1996;Oei & Notowidjojo, 1990;Parr, Bradley, & Bingi, 1992;Sandhu & Asrabadi, 1991;Santos, 1959), this study assesses the degree of acculturation among international students especially as predicted by their satisfaction with their social network. This study also compares international students' survey responses regarding adjustment to college to a sample of American students.…”

Managing Australia’s aid‐ and self‐funded international students

“…Despite shortfalls in the quality of our measures, and in the need for planned rather than post hoc studies, our study suggests that it would be naõ Èvely premature to claim that`a ll is well'' with that very important international clientele. While our search of ERIC revealed a combination of general concern on the one hand (Baker, 1993;Edmond, 1995;Kennedy, 1995) and some highly specific interventions on the other (Hubbard, 1994;McLaughlin, 1996), somewhere in between we see scope for applying the specific techniques of managerial psychology to improve the general quality of our service to the international community (Cox, 1995).…”

Reducing learning barriers amongst international students: A longitudinal developmental study

“…As a consequence of this (and projection of comparative intellectual capacity), within the context of a community nuance of high individualism (Hofstede 1991), Australian educational practice has moved toward allowing students greater self responsibility for their learning (Boud & Griffin 1987, Moses & Ramsden 1992, Murray-Harvey 1993. However, there is a great deal of evidence to indicate that some overseas students who study at Australian universities appear to lack skills that are vital for their academic progress (Barker, Child, Gallois, Jones and Callan 1991, Hubbard 1994, Volet & Kee 1993. A major identified problem is language, particularly a poor command of English grammar, and an inappropriate academic writing style (Burns 1991, Financial Review 1995c, Mac Gregor & Moore 1991, Samuelowicz 1987.…”