International Graduate Students’ Perspectives on High-Stakes English Tests and the Language Demands of Higher Education

Rajendram, Shakina; Larson, Elizabeth; Sinclair, Jeanne

doi:10.20360/langandlit29428

Cited by 6 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 53 publications

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“…As a result, faculty supporting plurilingual EALs have reported several concerns related to working with plurilingual graduate writers. First is a concern with the efficacy of English language proficiency tests for admission purposes, given that these tests have been shown to offer limited insight into a student's potential for academic success in a graduate program (Rajendram et al, 2019;Trice, 2003). There is a growing sense that these standardized exams mask plurilingual international students' level of preparation for the rigours of graduate-level academic writing, despite their high requisite scores for admission (Eldaba & Isbell, 2018;Ginther & Elder, 2014).…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Let’s Talk About Writing Support for Plurilingual Graduate Students

Gagne,

McIntosh,

Herath

et al. 2024

TESL Canada

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Academic writing is an inseparable aspect of graduate school (Holmes et al., 2018) as students’ academic writing is the primary basis for assessment (Turner, 2011). The high-stakes nature of academic writing is magnified for plurilingual students, whose attendance at English medium universities is growing exponentially (Fenton-Smith & Humphreys, 2017). However, there is a scarcity of research that addresses how faculty support writing as an essential practice for plurilingual graduate students, particularly in English-medium universities where English is implicated in structures of power and privilege. Employing a critical analytic collaborative autoethnography (Anderson, 2006; Kempny, 2022) this research uses polyvocal conversations among seven researcher/practitioners to consider the question of how faculty members perceive and respond to the academic writing needs of plurilingual graduate students. Informed by intersectionality (Crenshaw, 2017; Hankivsky, 2014), these conversations illuminate the ways both educator identities and epistemological turns in education theory impact approaches to writing support for plurilingual graduate writers. Importantly, these discussions are implicated in the socio-political contexts of Canadian and Australian universities where systems of inequality act to marginalise plurilingual writers. These contextualised conversations then aim to problematise and revise existent, dominant deficit discourses and pedagogies of writing support for plurilingual students. Findings illuminate the capacity of educators, who are cognisant of their power and place, to generate alternative practices to support plurilingual graduate writers in service of more asset-orientated and inclusive spaces that take advantage of students’ plurilingual repertoires in English-dominant universities.

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Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Let’s Talk About Writing Support for Plurilingual Graduate Students

Gagne,

McIntosh,

Herath

et al. 2024

TESL Canada

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“…Dearden (2014) highlighted that, in many countries, educational infrastructure and English proficiency at the basic education level pose challenges to EMI implementation. Additionally, the increasing use of English proficiency tests for universities admission policies and the associated costs hinder internationalization (Rajendram et al, 2019). Oglu et al (2019) noted that the low level of foreign language proficiency among students is a barrier to participation in international projects.…”

Section: Dimension 6: Other Areas Of Internationalizationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Internationalization strategies for non-Western higher educational institutions: a systematic literature review and conceptual framework

Avolio,

Benzaquen

2024

IJEM

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PurposeInternationalization has been a paramount objective for higher education institutions (HEIs) for decades. However, the landscape of education underwent significant transformation due to the COVID-19 pandemic, leading to altered contexts, challenges and opportunities for HEI internationalization. This paper aims to critically evaluate the dimensions of internationalization strategies in HEIs and the opportunities within each dimension. Adopting a reflexive approach, the study focused on non-Western HEIs, recognizing the diverse approaches to internationalization within higher education contexts.Design/methodology/approachUsing the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) methodology, this paper covered 74 articles published in Web of Science database from January 2019 to December 2023.FindingsThe study organized dimensions related to internationalization strategies in non-Western HEIs, offering a comprehensive framework comprising six dimensions: students, programs, faculty, research, international ventures and other sources; and nine internationalization facilitators: international partnerships, funding, government education, international policies, technology, internationalization culture, diversity and inclusion, staff competence and attitude, student/faculty engagement, intercultural experience and satisfaction, English as a medium of instruction (EMI), and knowledge transfer mechanisms. Furthermore, the study delineated strategies within each dimension and highlighted prevalent performance indicators utilized by HEIs.Originality/valueThe study’s primary contribution is a conceptual framework designed to assist HEI directors and academics. This framework delves into dimensions, strategies and indicators of internationalization particularly relevant in the post-pandemic era.

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“…As such, leadership should consider additional investment in supporting international travel for faculty research and teaching. Given the struggles of students who are English language learners, universities should develop customized supports that address language barriers in a culturally responsive manner (Rajendram et al, 2019). Finally, we recommend that courses that directly address diversity issues be offered in a face-to-face format only, given that social cues and live moderation facilitate learning.…”

Section: Recommendationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Multicultural teaching competence among undergraduate faculty: a convergent mixed methods study

Puhy

Prakash

Lacson

et al. 2021

JME

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Purpose Increased student diversity in universities across the USA has increased the need for post-secondary educators to develop multicultural teaching competence (MTC). Most studies of MTC focus on educators teaching grades K-12. The purpose of this study is to determine how faculty members rate themselves in terms of MTC, what multicultural knowledge and skills faculty report and how they integrate these skills into their teaching practice and what barriers exist to developing and implementing MTC. The purpose of this study was to examine the factors that impact undergraduate faculty integration of multicultural awareness and attitudes into their teaching practices to enhance student learning. Design/methodology/approach A convergent mixed methods study used survey and interview data from undergraduate faculty. Select items from the MTC Inventory (MTCI) and social justice scales (SJS) were administered. Interviews (N = 7) were transcribed and analyzed using thematic analysis. Quantitative and qualitative data were compared to examine convergence and divergence. Findings Quantitative results revealed undergraduate faculty’s awareness, knowledge and skills as indicated by percent agreement with items from the MTCI and SJS instruments. Qualitative findings included the following four themes: knowledge building, addressing diversity in the classroom, barriers and challenges, and needs and recommendations. Qualitative data corroborated or explained many of the quantitative results and provided insight into these trends and barriers that impact MTC. Originality/value This is the first study of its kind, to our knowledge, that has used a mixed methods research design to examine factors that impact MTCs and associated barriers among a sample of undergraduate faculty across disciplines in one urban university.

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International Graduate Students’ Perspectives on High-Stakes English Tests and the Language Demands of Higher Education

Cited by 6 publications

References 53 publications

Let’s Talk About Writing Support for Plurilingual Graduate Students

Let’s Talk About Writing Support for Plurilingual Graduate Students

Internationalization strategies for non-Western higher educational institutions: a systematic literature review and conceptual framework

Multicultural teaching competence among undergraduate faculty: a convergent mixed methods study

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