Mitigating U.S. Undergraduates’ Attitudes Toward International Teaching Assistants

Abstract

Intelligibility problems between native speakers (NSs) and nonnative speakers (NNSs) of English are often attributed to some perceived inadequacy of the NNSs. This emphasis on the NNSs’ role in successful communication is highly problematic, given that intelligibility is a negotiated process between speaker and listener. In some cases, NSs have negative attitudes toward NNSs that impair their willingness to communicate with NNSs and to acknowledge proficient NNS speech. Thus, NS attitudes are also important factors in the success of NS–NNS communication. This article demonstrates a brief intervention that reduces negative language attitudes and thus promotes communication between NS undergraduates and NNSs who are international teaching assistants (ITAs). Two studies are reported. In both, undergraduates engaged in cooperative problem‐solving exercises with ITAs. Results show that undergraduates exposed to structured intergroup contact subsequently rated ITAs higher in instructional competence and comprehensibility. Future applications of contact theory promise to improve NSs’ comprehension of nonnative English and to cultivate their global citizenship.

Is linguistic injustice a myth? A response to Hyland (2016)

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Assessing English‐Medium Instruction Lecturer Language Proficiency Across Disciplines

“…Similar concerns about the difficulties of teaching in English exist in relation to ITAs in North America (Kang, Rubin, & Lindemann, 2015). Two major differences, however, exist between EMI lecturers and North American ITAs.…”

Worse for the wear: Effects of raciolinguistic ideologies, gender ideologies, and clothing on ESL pronunciation perception

“…This is expressed in Kang & Rubin's (2009) statement that "listeners often hear what they expect to hear, rather than accurately perceive nonnative student speech" (Kang & Rubin, 2009: 451). Rubin (Kang, 2008, 2012;Kang & Rubin, 2009Kang et al, 2015;Rubin, 2012;Staples et al, 2014) measure a proclivity to engage in reverse linguistic stereotyping by measuring listener language attitudes towards speakers believed to be Euro-American native speakers in contrast to attitudes towards speakers believed to be "foreign" nonnative speakers.…”