The academic discourse socialisation challenges and coping strategies of international graduate students entering English-medium universities

Abstract

The internationalisation of higher education and current dominance of academic English has led to a significant growth in the number of international students studying in English medium universities. The University of Reading in the United Kingdom and the University of Auckland in New Zealand are two such universities, and they provide the settings for this study. While research to date has given us insights into the psychological and socio-cultural challenges faced by these students, their academic discourse socialisation difficulties have attracted less research attention. Drawing on data from narrative frames and interviews, this study explored aspects of the academic discourse socialisation of 31 incoming international graduate students from 20 countries. We found many commonalities in students' reports of their previous experience and the difficulties they were facing, including their unfamiliarity with aspects of source-based, critical, and writer-responsible writing, and self-perceived inadequacies regarding their knowledge of discipline-specific academic vocabulary, metadiscourse strategies, and the ability to compose concise, coherent texts. However, students also reported developing independent learning strategies and identifying useful sources of advice and support. Participants' reflections revealed a self-critical appreciation of and sense of responsibility for overcoming their difficulties, and a determination to achieve success in their studies.

An Investigation of the Experiences of Working with Multilingual International Students among Local Students and Faculty Members in Chinese Universities

“…Extensive research has been also conducted on the challenges encountered by international students [29][30][31]. In addition to some common issues, such as living conditions, food differences and financial problems, the primary challenges faced by international students include language barriers, academic integration and socio-cultural adaptation [32][33][34].…”

“…Many studies have discussed how international students respond to these challenges, most of which have focused on stress management strategies and cultural learning [44], discussing aspects such as adequate preparation, social participation, realistic expectations, intrinsic motivation, peer support, cultural awareness and communication skills, and avoidance [2,31,45]. All of these factors influence outcomes for international students.…”

“…As such, these has been less insight into the experiences of local students and university faculty members who are teaching and learning alongside international students. The current literature suggests that peer learning and teaching supervision has been recognized as an effective approach to supporting international students in their academic, social and emotional adjustment while they are pursuing higher education in a foreign context [14][15][16]. International students have also reported bullying and racial discrimination, or unequal power relationships when working with local students and teachers [17,18].…”

Developing an English for Academic Purposes Course for L2 Graduate Students in the Sciences

“…Through an analysis of the L2 graduate writer's journal entries, interviews with instructors, and classroom writing samples, the study revealed how "achieving success at the postsecondary level involves more than control of the English language; it also involves familiarity with the writing conventions of the university culture and disciplinary subcultures in which the second language learner participates" (p. 4). This notion is echoed in a recent study by Wette and Furneaux (2018), who examined international graduate students' challenges and coping strategies in relation to their socialization into academic discourse communities at English-medium universities. Among the challenges that were reported by international graduate students were "their unfamiliarity with aspects of source-based, critical, and writer-responsible writing" (p. 186).…”

English Medium Instruction in Taiwan: From the Perspective of International Students as Thesis Writer

“…L2 writers perceived the quality of their writing as not rich in vocabulary range (Hynninen & Kuteeva, 2017). They also were aware of the importance of familiarizing themselves with distinctive terminology in their field of research (Wette & Furneaux, 2018). Bellows are quotations taken from an interview with students; they reported their concern about being incapable of writing a thesis.…”