An investigation into pedagogical challenges facing international tertiary‐level students in New Zealand

Johnson, E. Marcia

doi:10.1080/07294360802183796

Cited by 52 publications

(36 citation statements)

References 22 publications

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“…Academic literacy is an issue, however, that spreads beyond a designated group of 'international' students (Green 2007;Johnson 2008) and Larcombe and Malkin (2008) caution against considering that only international students would have academic writing needs and that institutions 'adopt measures that assess the communicative skills of all commencing students' (p 320). How then do academic staff and international students negotiate such practices when academic staff may also have received no training in developing their own academic literacy (O'Farrel 2005).…”

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confidence: 98%

A holistic approach to international students, institutional habitus and academic literacies in an Irish third level institution

Sheridan

2010

High Educ

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This qualitative study examines the interplay between academic staff and international students with regard to developing academic literacies at university. Higher education has traditionally responded to increasing student diversity with the expectation that students will conform to institutional norms or habitus. In this context international students arrive with cultural capital which may not fit such norms, and would benefit from developing their academic literacy, as indeed would home students given an increasingly diverse student body in Irish higher education. Findings reveal a gap between academics expectations and international students' capabilities. Academic staff remained within the remit of the research in contrast to the 22 international students who were interviewed. They did not separate the totality of their campus experience from academic literacy practices. These ranged from uncertainty around writing in another language to a mismatch between diversity management in class and students' own expectations. International students found difficulty to making friends on campus which could benefit their integration into the academic literacy practices of their respective disciplines. Findings point towards a whole institution response to student diversity which transcends traditional disciplinary boundaries.

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confidence: 98%

A holistic approach to international students, institutional habitus and academic literacies in an Irish third level institution

Sheridan

2010

High Educ

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“…Many studies on programme design practice consider policies as a non-negotiable context (e.g., Marcia Johnson 2008), the impact of which remains un-discussed. Those studies have not been included in this review.…”

Section: Literature Review Of Impact Of Policy On Programme Designmentioning

confidence: 99%

On the impact of government policy on programme design in New Zealand post‐compulsory education

Govers

2010

Research in Post-Compulsory Education

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The impact of national education policies on programme design practice in postcompulsory education tends to be marginalised in scholarly literature. This paper reviews and analyses the literature to explore how neo-liberalist discourses introduced in tertiary education and qualifications policies in New Zealand since 1989 continue to influence programme design in polytechnics. Tensions are identified in five areas: autonomy and accountability; the programme design process; student-centred learning; concepts of knowledge; and, cultural diversity. For each area current trends are described, based on the author's analysis of very recent policies. It will be concluded that the opportunities for educators and educational institutions to exercise autonomy in programme design continue to be limited by national policy pressures to meet economic and skills needs. Courage and willingness are required if educators are ever to turn the tide and re-focus education on the development of society beyond the needs of the economy.

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“…Lack of English proficiency is the primary obstacle for nonnative-speaking international students undertaking studies at English-speaking universities (Mori, 2000;Selvadurai, 1998). Even for international students who have participated in years of English study at home, transitioning from study of English to study in English proves challenging (Johnson, 2008). In order to best prepare ELL students to achieve their academic ambitions, identifying which aspects of language proficiency affect academic success and in what ways seems integral to establishing best practices in program structure, curriculum, and test design in both IEPs and universities as a whole.…”

Section: Student Academic Successmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Vocabulary gaps presented some problems for students, but most were more greatly hindered by lack of comprehension at the extended discourse level (Ren et al, 2007). Specifically, students estimated that in their first year of English immersion study, they understood only 20 to 30 percent of lecture content (Johnson, 2008).…”

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confidence: 99%

Language Proficiency and Academic Success

Hornbaker¹

2017

ILI

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In 1988, linguists James P. Lantolf and William Frawley stated that, in the quest to characterize just what exactly is meant by language proficiency, “we are no closer to understanding the concept today than we were 20 years ago” (Lantolf & Frawley, 1988, p. 185). Another quarter century has passed since Lantolf and Frawley’s disheartening declaration, yet the question remains: How do we untangle the construct of proficiency? Although theoretical and empirical efforts over the years have attempted to identify the components of proficiency, anything resembling a consensus has yet to be reached. With more than four decades devoted to delineating this seemingly simple idea, doubt emerges as to whether a single definition indeed exists that can satisfy the factions of professionals in the second language acquisition field. However, recent paths of thought have trod in a promising direction. Researchers are painting a more sophisticated picture of proficiency through the application of measurable linguistic features to traditionally subjective competency descriptions. As this linguistic quantification process continues, we can begin to examine how a deeper, more precise understanding of proficiency can inform the curriculum and assessments that determine student readiness to enter university study. Thus, this paper serves two purposes. First, it reviews historical and contemporary interpretations of proficiency and, in doing so, outlines the measurement strategies in use in the realm of English for academic purposes. Second, it crosses the bridge from English proficiency testing to university academia, analyzing the factors in play in student academic readiness and the role of language proficiency in student success.

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An investigation into pedagogical challenges facing international tertiary‐level students in New Zealand

Cited by 52 publications

References 22 publications

A holistic approach to international students, institutional habitus and academic literacies in an Irish third level institution

A holistic approach to international students, institutional habitus and academic literacies in an Irish third level institution

On the impact of government policy on programme design in New Zealand post‐compulsory education

Language Proficiency and Academic Success

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