Session Information
31 SES 09, Language Knowledge, Development and Policies in European Countries
Paper Session
Contribution
Globally mobile students are on the rise, increasing from 2 million in 2000 to more than 4 million in 2012 (UNESCO, 2014). This mobile student population accounts for 2 out 10 students in higher education worldwide (UNESCO, 2014). The top five receiving countries are the United States (18%), the United Kingdom (11%), France (7%), Australia (6%), and Germany (5%) (UNESCO, 2014). North America and Western Europe host 57% of the total number of mobile students with Central and Eastern Europe at 10%.
Institutions must ensure that students are prepared with the academic skills to be successful or that they are provided with opportunities to develop these skills. A key issue related to globally mobile students is linguistic ability in the language of instruction. Students who seek education outside their countries have a high likelihood of needing advanced level academic linguistic skills in a language other than their own. For instance, based on the top 25 sending countries, which account for 80% of the globally mobile students in the United States, only about 5% come from countries where English is the home language (Andrade, Evans, & Hartshorn, 2014; Institute of International Education [IIE], 2012b).
Linguistic skill is particularly critical in institutions with large percentages of learners who are not native speakers of the language of instruction. Nations such as Australia, the United Kingdom, France, and Germany, whose total higher education enrollments of globally mobile students consist of 21.4%, 18.6%, 12.3%, and 11.4% respectively, may need to develop different approaches than countries such as the United States and China whose total higher education globally mobile student enrollments are 3.6% and 1% respectively (IIE, 2012a).
Institutional practices for assessing English language skills prior to and following admission vary depending on institutional mission, goals for recruiting globally mobile students, academic rigor, admission criteria, awareness of language acquisition, and assumptions about non-native English-speaking populations. One of the most common assumptions is the belief that individuals admitted to higher education institutions are prepared linguistically for their studies because they have achieved a particular score on a standardized exam. Research on adjustment and accounts of student and faculty experiences demonstrates that this is not the case (Andrade, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010; Andrade & Evans, 2009).
Policies and practices for admitting and supporting linguistically diverse globally mobile students can vary widely. Australia, for example, has adopted good practice principles that govern how these students are supported and encouraged to develop their English language skills, the need for institutions to integrate English language development and its assessment into the curriculum, expectations for student achievement of professional level English language skills upon graduation, and the availability of resources for accomplishing these goals (Australian Universities Quality Agency, 2009). Other nations have no centralized scheme or commitment to assist learners in furthering their English language development once these learners are recruited and admitted.
This study reports on a national survey of higher education institutions in the United States that host the largest numbers of globally mobile students. The objective of the study was to determine current practices for admitting, assessing, supporting, and tracking globally mobile students who speak English as an additional language, and to establish a possible framework to guide institutions. It addresses the following research questions.
- How do institutions determine if non-native English speakers have the academic English language skills needed to be successful?
- What types of academic English language support do institutions require or provide?
- How do institutions track the success of these students? How successful are they?
- What concerns do institutional stakeholders have with how non-native English speakers are admitted, assessed, supported, and tracked?
Method
Expected Outcomes
References
Andrade, M.S. (2006). International students in English-speaking universities: Adjustment factors. Journal of Research in International Education, 5(2), 131–154. Andrade, M. S. (2008). International graduate students: Adjusting to study in the United States. In K. A. Tokuno (Ed.), Graduate students in transition: Assisting students through the first year (pp. 71–88). Columbia, SC: National Resource Center for the First Year Experience & Students in Transition. Andrade, M. S. (2009). The effects of English language proficiency on adjustment to university life. International Multilingual Research Journal, 3(1), 16-34. Andrade, M. S. (2010). Increasing accountability: Faculty perspectives on the English language competence of nonnative English speakers. Journal of Studies in International Education, 14(3), 221-239. Andrade, M. S., Evans, N. W., & Hartshorn, K. J. (2014). Linguistic support for non-native English speakers: Higher education practices in the United States. Journal of Student Affairs Research and Practice, 51(2), 207-221. Andrade, M. S., & Evans, N. W. (Eds.). (2009). International students: Strengthening a critical resource. Westport, CT: ACE/Rowman Littlefield. Arkoudis, S., Baik, C., & Richardson, S. (2012). English language standards in higher education: From entry to exit. Camberwell, Australia: Australian Council for Educational Research. Australian Universities Quality Agency. (2009). Good practice principles for English language proficiency for international students in Australian universities. Report to the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations. Retrieved from http://www.auqa.edu.au/files/otherpublications/good%20practice%20principles%20for%20english%20language%20proficiency%20report.pdf Institute of International Exchange (2012a) Project atlas. Retrieved from http://www.iie.org/Research-and-Publications/Project-Atlas Institute of International Exchange. (2012b). International students: Leading places of origin. Retrieved from http://www.iie.org/Research-and-Publications/Open Doors/Data/International-Students/Leading-Places-of-Origin/2010-12 Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. (2013, July). Education indicators in focus. Retrieved from http://www.oecd.org/edu/skills-beyond-school/EDIF%202013--N%C2%B014%20%28eng%29-Final.pdf UNESCO. (2014). Global flow of tertiary level students. Montreal, Canada: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved from http://www.uis.unesco.org/Education/Pages/international-student-flow-viz.aspx
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