An International Graduate Student’s ESL Learning Experience Beyond the Classroom

Abstract

International graduate students are coming in ever-growing numbers to English-speaking countries. Educators have long believed that the successful English-learning experience of these students in their home countries will naturally lead to success in their academic studies and social life abroad. However, this may be not true. Using my English-learning experiences as a basis for research, in this article I explore the role of target-language improvement in adaptation to new environments. Based on a supportive sociocultural theory of second-language acquisition, the article provides recommendations for assisting international graduate students, especially those from East Asia, to enhance their academic performance and quality of life in Canada.

International Graduate Students’ Second Language Acquisition in Their Acculturation: A Research Synthesis

“…Two studies (e.g., Hsieh, 2012;Liu, 2011) were involved in a narrative approach. Several studies focused on three different approaches to qualitative research, including an ecological framework (e.g., Poyrazli & Grahame, 2007), a naturalistic and interpretive approach with the use of Leximancer for content analysis (e.g., Hebbani & Hendrix, 2014), and a phenomenological approach (e.g., Lin & Scherz, 2014;Xue, 2013).…”

“…However, using survey questionnaires wit Likert scales and open-ended items seems prevalent in the studies of SLA in acculturation. Lin & Scherz, 2014;Xue, 2013); Narrative studies (e.g., Kim, 2012, Liu, 2011 Correlational method (Lowinger et al, 2014;Noels et al, 1996;Rubenfeld, et al, 2007) Factor analysis (e.g., Bang & Montgomery, 2013;Sandhu & Asrabadi, 1994;Wadsworth, et al, 2008) Multiple regression analysis (e.g., Dao et al, 2007;Jiang et al, 2009;Kashima & Loh, 2006;Rahman & Rollock, 2004;Reynolds & Constantine, 2007;Wang & Mallinckrodt, 2006 The findings from the reviewed qualitative publications show four possible influences of SLA in acculturation: a distance/contact, language deficiency, language power relations, and the participants' academic and linguistic background.…”

“…The majority of the studies (27 out of 31 studies) were conducted in U.S. universities and colleges. Four publications (e.g., Kormos et al, 2014;Kashima & Loh, 2006;Liu, 2011;Noels, et al, 1996) located their sites in non-U.S. contexts: Australia, Canada and the United Kingdom. Hebbani & Hendrix's (2014) study is also relevant to the U.S., but their research delved into international teaching assistants' perceptions toward American undergraduates by examining qualitative-oriented survey responses.…”

“…Seven studies (i.e., Kim, 2007;Lee, 2009;Liu, 2011;Poyrazli and Grahame, 2007;Xue, 2013;Yan & Berliner, 2013;Yuan, 2011) among 18 qualitative and mixed-methods publications ascribed perceived language deficiency as a debilitative factor of acculturation. Limited English proficiency was regarded as the most critical factor of the participants' acculturation.…”

“…Participants-oriented pedagogical concerns were implied in the five studies (Cheng & Erben, 2012;Kormos et al, 2014;Lam, 1994;Lin & Scherz, 2014;Liu, 2011). The studies indicated that students should make an effort to adjust themselves to the new academic environment.…”