CALIFORNIA LUTHERAN UNIVERSITY

“English is the Vehicle to Communicate!” International Graduate Students’

Perceptions of the Connection Between Language Proficiency
and Academic Success

A dissertation submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements

for the degree of Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership

School of Education

by

Roopa Rawjee

May 2010
 UMI Number: 3449104

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 TABLE OF CONTENTS

Vita ..................................................................................................................................... vi
Acknowledgments............................................................................................................. vii
Abstract .............................................................................................................................. ix
Chapter 1: Introduction ........................................................................................................1
Background to the Study..........................................................................................2
Purpose of the Study ................................................................................................4
Research Question ...................................................................................................5
Significance of the Study .........................................................................................5
Limitations ...............................................................................................................6
Delimitations ............................................................................................................6
Definition of Key Terms ..........................................................................................8
Summary ..................................................................................................................9
Chapter 2: Review of the Literature...................................................................................10
Language and Culture ............................................................................................11
TOEFL as a Measure of English Proficiency ........................................................15
Education of Non-native Speakers of English .......................................................16
Comprehensible Input ............................................................................................18
Socio-linguistic Competence .................................................................................19
Learning Strategies ................................................................................................20
Influence of Learning Styles ..................................................................................21
English Language Proficiency in International Students .......................................22
Cultural Factors ......................................................................................................23
Impediments to Academic Success ........................................................................24
Achieving Academic Success ................................................................................27
Limitations of the Research ...................................................................................28
Summary ................................................................................................................29
Chapter 3: Methodology ....................................................................................................31
Research Design.....................................................................................................31
The Site ..................................................................................................................32
The Participants .....................................................................................................32
Participant Profiles ..............................................................................................34
Role of the Researcher ...........................................................................................37
Data Collection ......................................................................................................37
Triangulation of Data .............................................................................................42
Data Analysis .........................................................................................................43

iv
Chapter 4: Findings ............................................................................................................44
Influence of Native Languages and Culture ..........................................................45
Differences in Educational Experiences ................................................................49
Relationships with American Instructors ................................................................51
Experiences with Spoken English..........................................................................55
Experiences with Reading......................................................................................59
Experiences with Written English .........................................................................62
Perception about English Language Proficiency and Academic Success .............71
Chapter 5: Summary, Discussion of Findings, Conclusion, and Recommendations.........76
Background and Setting .........................................................................................76
Methodology ..........................................................................................................77
Discussion of Findings and Conclusions ...............................................................78
Influence of Native Languages and Cultures .....................................................78
Differences in Educational Experiences ............................................................80
Relationships with American Instructors ...........................................................82
Experiences with Spoken English ......................................................................84
Experiences with Reading..................................................................................85
Experiences with Written English .....................................................................86
Perceptions of the Connection between English Proficiency
and Academic Success .......................................................................................89
Recommendations for Site of Study and Educators ............................................. 93
Limitations of this Study and Recommendations for Further Research ................97
Summary ..............................................................................................................100
References ........................................................................................................................102
Appendix A: Preliminary Survey.....................................................................................111
Appendix B: Letter of Informed Consent for Participants...............................................113
Appendix C: Interview Protocol ......................................................................................115
Appendix D: Writing Prompt...........................................................................................117
Appendix E: Sample Exam ..............................................................................................120
Appendix F: Scoring Rubric ............................................................................................122

v
 VITA

Roopa Rawjee earned a Bachelor of Arts in Ancient Indian Culture in 1984 followed by a

Bachelor of Education in 1986 and a Master of Education in 1987 from the University of

Bombay, India. She taught high school English and History in Bombay from 1987 to

1998. She moved to the United States in 1998 to attend California State University,

Northridge (CSUN) as an international student. She graduated with a Master of

Education in Curriculum and Instruction along with a California Teaching Credential in

2002. She started working as a graduate assistant with the office of Student Development

and International Programs at CSUN in her first semester as an international student. She

coordinated Student Panels for an International Curriculum and Education (SPICE) and

the International Student Mentor Program and volunteered her time as an English teacher

for other international students. In 2001, she became a full time Student Services

Professional. Her responsibilities included cross cultural programming and organizing

orientation for international students. She has been a Foreign Student Advisor since 2005.

Her current responsibilities include maintaining student records for the Department of

Homeland Security, providing immigration advice, individual counseling, conducting

group workshops, and collaborating with campus departments to provide services to

international students. She is a part time instructor of English as a Second Language. She

is an educator at heart and believes that all interactions are learning experiences.

vi
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the following individuals:

First to Dr. Karin Duran, who agreed to be the third member of my dissertation

committee so close to the end of my study. Thank you Karin, your generosity and

commitment as an educator will always inspire me to give my best.

Dr. Thomas McCambridge, for chairing my dissertation committee and Dr.

Deborah Erickson, for her numerous and thoughtful contributions to my work over the

years. Dr. James Valadez, for his time, his understanding and willingness to help at every

stage of the doctoral program. Dr. Henri Mondschein for being a wonderful classmate

and colleague, and Linda Nausin, Doctoral Program Coordinator for her calm and

compassionate help at all times.

The family of Fred H. and Esther E. Nusz and California Lutheran University for

awarding me a graduate scholarship in September, 2003. The Sierra Cahuenga District 15

(Postscripts Federated Club) for scholarships awarded to me in May 2004, May 2005,

and June 2006.

Ellen and Tom Small my “American parents” for their unconditional love. Mama

Ellen, you are my true family.

Attorney Nadadur Kumar for his kind and gracious support of my learning

experiences as a foreign student and advisor as well as for easing my path towards

becoming American as I worked on this study.

vii
 Desmond Henry, for his quiet friendship, his patience, and the countless

wonderful meals all of which sustained me as I worked on my dissertation.

My students, colleagues and supervisors at California State University,

Northridge for supporting my educational pursuits. You all helped in your unique ways to

make my lifelong dream come true. Thank you.

viii
 ABSTRACT OF THE DISSERTATION

“English is the Vehicle to Communicate!” International Graduate Students’ Perceptions

of the Connection Between Language Proficiency
and Academic Success
by
Roopa Rawjee

Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership

School of Education
California Lutheran University, 2010
Dr. Thomas R. McCambridge, Chair

This case study was conducted at a large four year institution of higher education located

in southern California. The purpose was to answer the question, “What are international

graduate students’ perceptions of the connection between English language proficiency

and academic success?” The participants were six international graduate students from

Asia. Data were collected through a preliminary survey, individual interviews, a journal

based on the researcher’s reactions to the interviews, and two anonymous readers’

evaluations of the participants’ responses to a writing prompt. Data were triangulated and

member checks validated the information. Seven themes emerged from the data. They

were cultural characteristics, comparison with education in participants’ home countries,

relationships with instructors in the United States, participants’ experiences with spoken

English, reading, and written English, and their perceptions of the connection between

English language proficiency and academic success. The researcher concluded that

ix
although the participants perceived that a positive connection exists between their

proficiency in English and their academic success, their abilities to write in English

needed significant improvement. The researcher proposed recommendations for the site

of the study and educators as well as for future research.

x
 CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION

The numbers of students coming to the United States for the sole purpose of

obtaining a higher education has been increasing in recent years. Foreign students

comprised 2.8 % of the total student population at universities in the United States in

1985-86. That number increased to 3.2 % by 2005-06, 3.3 % in 2006-7 and 3.5 % in

2007-8. International students are welcomed at American educational institutions because

they contribute to their host campuses with their intellectual and cultural diversity as well

as through their expenditures (Institute of International Education, 2009; Wan, Chapman

& Biggs, 1992). After completing their studies, some international students stay in the

United States and contribute to the economy and society, while others return to their

home countries with a high regard for their host country (Lee & Rice, 2007). These

students enter the United States from many different countries. India, China, South

Korea, and Japan were the leading countries of origin in 2005-06 as well as in 2006-07

and 2007-08 (Institute of International Education, 2009). These countries of origin do not

have English as their primary language. Their cultures are significantly different from

American culture in terms of language, values and responses to the environment

(Hofstede, 2001).

International students have been the subject of many research studies. Since they

come from many different countries where the languages and cultures are significantly

different from those of the United States, issues such as their use of English as a second

1
language (Oxford & Shearin, 1994), their native cultures (Quinn, 2001), native

languages (Lucas & Katz, 1994), socio-linguistic competence (Baker, 1990; Krase,

2003), learning

strategies (Anderson, 1991; Griffiths, 2003; Hedgcock & Lefkowitz, 1996) and resulting

academic challenges (Shenoy, 2000) have been studied in different settings and contexts.

Since English is the primary language used to impart education in the United

States, knowledge of English skills in reading, writing and speaking is crucial to foreign

students’ success in academics. They are required to pass the Test of English as a Foreign

Language (TOEFL) in order to be admitted to American universities, but a high score on

this test is not always a strong indicator of their English skills in reading, writing and

speaking, nor is it a reliable indicator of their success at the university (Lo, 2002).

Cultural influences, teaching strategies and learning styles play a vital role in the

educational experience.

Background to the Study

Education at every level in the United States attempts to respond to the language

needs of non-native speakers of English. Bilingual education (Cummins, 1980) has been

a key component of K-12 education for many years. Educators have debated the issue of

providing continuing instruction in students’ native languages while they learn English as

a second language (Cummins, 1980, 1983, 1999). Some educators see value in utilizing

students’ prior knowledge (Chamot & O’Malley, 1996) and acknowledging their native

cultures so as to maximize their learning experiences (Quinn, 2001) while others either

support the use of native languages to supplement English as the primary language of

instruction (Lucas & Katz, 1994) or argue that bilingual education is not a uniform

2
solution for all English language learners (Faltis & Arias, 1993).

Mouw and Xie (1999) found that fluent bilinguals do not necessarily do better in

academics than students who are fluent speakers only in English. It is important that

“along with the development of instructional strategies, comprehensible input may be an

essential environmental ingredient in language acquisition and reading development for

bilingual students” (Neuman & Koskinen, 1992, p. 104-105).

Non-immigrant students who come to the United States for the purpose of higher

education are required to demonstrate fluency in English reading, writing, listening, and

speaking through tests of proficiency such as the International English Language Testing

System (IELTS) and the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL); however,

studies have shown that TOEFL scores are not a reliable predictor of academic

performance or success as measured by grade point average in international students

(Johnson, 1988; Light, Xu, & Mossop, 1987; Lo, 2002) and the TOEFL does not

adequately measure English language skills required by foreign students at educational

institutions where English is the medium of instruction (Vinke & Jochems, 1993). The

Educational Testing Service (ETS) states that the TOEFL computer based test measures

skills in reading, writing and listening and the TOEFL iBT (Internet Based Test)

measures skills in reading, writing, listening and speaking standard English as it is

utilized in North America (Educational Testing Service, 2010). International students

often come from countries such as those in Asia, where standard English is not spoken or

used (Kachru, 1990). It is possible that this is the reason why the TOEFL has also been

accused of being unfair to non native speakers of English (Hamp-Lyons & Davies, 2008).

3
 Purpose of the Study

The purpose of this qualitative study was to answer the question, “What are

international graduate students’ perceptions of the connection between English language

proficiency and academic success?”

I was born and raised in Bombay, India. I moved to the United States as an

international graduate student in 1998. I had been a teacher of high school English and

history for eleven years in Bombay, but when I stepped into American classrooms, I

discovered that my command over the English language did not transfer completely into

the new context. I learned that “American English” was quite different from “Indian

English” (Kachru, 1990). I was also not prepared for the intercultural experiences that

impacted my communication with my classmates and instructors. I was trained to be

respectful of other people, therefore I would allow my classmates to speak first in

discussions. I found myself appearing to be less intelligent and unwilling to participate in

class discussions. I also perceived that my reticence to speak was often interpreted by my

colleagues and instructors as a lack of proficiency in English. I realized that my cultural

ways (Hofstede, 2001) were hampering my educational experiences. I eventually changed

most of my behavior in my classes as well as in my professional settings. Although I

receive compliments about my fluency and proficiency when I speak to individuals or in

public, I am always at a loss for words when I find myself in situations where I feel

intimidated, especially by instructors or supervisors. My inability to speak has nothing to

do with my language skills, yet I can feel or perceive that my knowledge and my

linguistic abilities are being judged. My current work as advisor to international students

as well as instructor of English as a Second Language has revealed innumerable

4
situations where students, advisors and educators have different perceptions of English

language proficiency. I seek a deeper understanding of these perceptions from students’

points of view so that I can become a better student and an empathetic educator.

Research Question

The purpose of this qualitative study was to answer the question, “What are

international graduate students’ perceptions of the connection between English language

proficiency and academic success?”

Specifically, what are international students’ experiences with spoken and written

English? What are international students’ perceptions about the English language? What

specific teaching-learning experiences in international students’ home countries and the

United States are identified by them? What strategies are utilized by international

students to succeed academically? What are international students’ perceptions about

academic success?

Significance of the Study

International students as well as educators share a common belief that students

who are proficient in English will experience academic success in American schools

(Nelson, Nelson & Malone, 2004). This study will provide educators and students with a

deeper understanding of international students’ perceptions of both these important

factors as well as with information about prior and current teaching-learning experiences

and strategies used by some international students to succeed in their academic endeavors

in the United States. The researcher hopes that this study will assist students to enhance

and enrich their academic experiences in the United States. The researcher also hopes that

educators and service providers for international students such as academic advisors,

5
immigration advisors, etc. will use the findings of this study to give international students

appropriate support and advice in order to make their learning experiences more

meaningful.

Limitations

The researcher was aware that international students tend to be reticent and

therefore may hesitate to participate in the study. She was aware of the possibility that

they may not be completely candid when responding to the interview protocol. The

researcher was mindful of the fact that as a result of her role as a foreign student advisor

at the site of the study, she worked closely with the students who would effectively

participate in the study. In addition, she was also aware that her experiences as an English

teacher were likely to lead to possible biases in her observations. The area of greatest

concern with regard to researcher bias was with regard to her assessment of the

participants’ English proficiency. The use of the writing prompt served to provide

objective verification of participants’ English proficiency. The interview protocol was

intended to elicit students’ perceptions about English proficiency and academic success.

Participants would be self reporting their experiences, opinions and thoughts. The

researcher could not control for complete truthfulness from the participants. She

recognized that they may not have intentionally withheld information, but may have

forgotten to answer all questions completely due to the stress of being interviewed.

Delimitations

This study was limited in scope since it was a case study focusing on a small

group of international students at one large four year institution of higher education in

southern California. The researcher does not intend to generalize the findings of this

6
study to other populations. She also did not include the findings of the pilot study in the

final results. The researcher is a foreign student advisor at the site of the study and

provides immigration and related advice to the students she studied. This site was

selected to allow the researcher access to participants and to on campus resources.

The researcher decided to interview six graduate students since she felt that this

would be a manageable number which would yield sufficient and appropriate data for the

study. Her personal experiences as a graduate student in the United States showed her

that the undergraduate classes she took to fulfill the requirements for her teaching

credential did not require advanced writing skills the way her graduate level classes did.

In addition to her personal interest in exploring the experiences of graduate students, she

found that research studies that included both undergraduate and graduate students for the

purpose of understanding their educational experiences, did not discuss any specific

differences between the two levels of education (Poyrazli, Arbona, Bullington & Pisecco,

2001; Yeh & Inose, 2003). The researcher chose to focus on graduate students for this

study since their experiences and perceptions are likely to be very unique and different

from those of undergraduate students possibly due to their age, previous education, travel

or other life experiences. Although the sample was designed to include students from

Asian countries, the researcher did not include any students from India because the

researcher was born and raised in the same country. She intended to minimize researcher

bias by refraining from the inclusion of students from her native country. A qualitative

study was deemed to be the most appropriate for the purpose of eliciting students’

thoughts, views and feelings about their experiences.

7
 Definitions of Key Terms

The following terms have been operationally defined to clarify their meaning and

use in this study.

English Language Proficiency

English language proficiency has been defined as the ability to read, write, speak,

and comprehend spoken and written English. Proficiency and competence will be used

interchangeably for the purpose of this study.

Fluency

Fluency in English or any language has been described as the ability to speak

“very well” in that language (Mouw and Xie, 1999, p. 241).

Academic Success

Academic success will be defined as cumulative grade point average (GPA) on

the traditional four point grading system where zero equals grade F and four equals grade

A (Patkowski, 1991).

Academic Language

Academic language will refer to English utilized in academic settings (Cummins,

2000).

International Students

The term international students will refer to individuals who are nationals of

countries other than the United States, and present in the United States on F-1 or non-

immigrant student visas for the purpose of study (Epstein, 1996). The terms international

and foreign may be used interchangeably when referring to these students.

8
 Summary

This chapter introduced the study, identified the background to the study, purpose

of the study, research questions, significance of the study, limitations, delimitations and

operational definitions for key terms which will be utilized throughout the present study.

The following chapter will present a review of related literature.

9
 CHAPTER 2

REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE

The purpose of this qualitative study was to identify international graduate

students’ perceptions of the connection between English language proficiency and

academic success. A review of the literature in this chapter will first show how language

is acquired and the influence of culture on language acquisition, followed by background

information about the education of non-native speakers of English in the United States

and some stereotypes of foreign students. The need to provide comprehensible input will

then be discussed followed by a review of research that explored issues that influence

international students’ learning experiences such as socio-linguistic competence, English

language proficiency, differences in learning strategies, learning styles, cultural factors,

and some psychological issues that impede academic success for international students.

Finally, limitations and gaps in the literature will be identified and discussed.

International Students in the United States

The United States continued to be the most popular destination for international students

in the academic year 2007-2008 (Institute of International Education, 2009). International

students are consistently attracted to higher education in the United States by the high

quality of the academic programs. These students in turn enrich their host campuses with

their cultural diversity (Rice, Tira, Alton & Krantz, 2003) and global perspective (Nelson

et al., 2004). The Institute of International Education’s Open Doors Report for 2008

states that international students’ contributions to American educational

10
institutions as well as to local communities are so greatly valued that the U.S.

Department of State now provides support for after-school English language classes for

high school students in many countries where additional help is needed, therefore

allowing them to pursue the possibility of an education in the United States. This report

also states that the total enrollment of international students went up by 7% in 2007-2008

with India, China, South Korea and Japan leading the top 20 places of origin for

international students. Business and Management was the most popular field of study

with a total enrollment of 19.6 % followed by 17 % of international students pursuing

Engineering. Graduate students made up 48.8 % of the total international student

population in the United States in 2007-2008 and 61 % of the total international student

population in the United States in 2007-2008 came from Asia (Institute of International

Education, 2009).

Non-immigrant students who come to the United States for the purpose of higher

education are required to demonstrate fluency in English through standardized tests of

proficiency such as the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). Proficiency in a

second language is “one’s competence or knowledge accumulated through years of study

or use of a language” (Yashima, 2002, p. 62). They are required to do this because

English is not a native language in many foreign countries.

Language and Culture

Language and culture are generally the two distinguishing features of most

countries. Language allows humans to communicate with each other. When a message is

received from the environment, the receiver decodes it or perceives and interprets it based

on his or her experiences which may be individual or shared with the group or culture. A

11
perception can be described as a “subjective description” of a situation (Hofstede, 2001,

p. 48). Messages can be transmitted from one person to another, but the meaning of the

message sent will always be different from the message received because of the

individual and cultural differences between the sender and receiver (Gudykunst & Kim,

1992). “Information is more than words. It is words within a cultural framework

(Hofstede, 2001, p. 452). Gudykunst (1994) states that, “the term culture usually is

reserved for the systems of knowledge used by relatively large numbers of people. The

boundaries between cultures usually coincide with political or national, boundaries

between countries” (p. 38). Culture exerts a significant influence over communication or

the messages that humans send to each other. Our language is an important part of our

culture because it allows us to communicate with each other (Gudykunst & Kim, 1992;

Hofstede, 2001). Language is learned, it influences our thinking and is not “neutral”

(Hofstede, 2001, p. 21). Of all the different ways in which humans communicate with

each other, language is the most “technical” message system (Hall, 1990, p. 28). All

languages are unique and exert a binding effect on the speaker through their sounds. As a

result, the first language learned by a person tends to influence all languages learned

subsequently through his or her accent (Hall, 1990). The sounds of languages are often

very different from each other. Other factors that cause significant differences between

cultures are the importance placed on the individual versus the group and how much

information is presented in verbal communication.

Gudykunst (1994) identifies the concept of individualism-collectivism as a major

factor in understanding the differences and similarities among cultures. Individualistic

cultures, such as that found in the United States, place a strong emphasis on the

12
individuals’ goals whereas the goals, needs and views of the group are considered more

important in collectivistic cultures. Individualistic societies place a strong emphasis on

the development and achievements of the individual, whereas in collectivistic societies it

is important to belong to groups and to consider the well being of the group before

considering one’s own needs or desires. People in individualistic cultures have a strong

sense of individual identity whereas in collectivistic cultures, people owe their loyalty to

their group such as their family and in turn, receive protection from the group. People in

individualistic cultures tend to apply the same universal values to everybody, but people

in collectivistic cultures tend to apply different values to different people depending on

which group they belong to (Gudykunst & Kim, 1992; Hofstede, 2001). Gudykunst

(1994) identifies Asian cultures as being generally collectivistic. Students in collectivistic

cultures tend to speak up only when asked to do so because education in collectivistic

cultures tends to be teacher centered. Conversely, students in individualistic cultures are

expected to speak up in classes and participate in the educational setting (Hofstede,

2001). While cultures determine the value placed upon individuals or groups, they also

tend to have an influence on the nature of communication between members.

Hall (1981) defines another important differentiating cultural concept, namely

high context and low context cultures. High context cultures such as those of China,

Japan and Korea to name a few, require communication to be embedded in the context.

Therefore, much is left unsaid and a lot is interpreted through what is not conveyed

verbally. Low context cultures such as that of the United States on the other hand, require

all communication to be clear and explicit. High context communication is based on

“preprogrammed information that is in the receiver and the setting” (Hall, 1981, p. 101).

13
This information is generally transmitted through the culture. Since much of the

information is already known and understood, it becomes important only to communicate

that which is absolutely essential, so high context messages rely on the receiver to

process them based on implicit information. Low context messages do not expect the

receiver to have any prior knowledge or understanding, so they must include all the

information to be conveyed (Hall, 1981). The way people use languages and how they

communicate depends upon their cultures.

International students come to the United States from different countries where

different cultures and languages prevail. English is now learned, spoken or utilized in

many countries around the world. It has spread from the countries of the “Inner Circle”

such as the United States, the United Kingdom and Canada to countries of the “Outer

Circle” such as India, Pakistan and the Philippines where English is spoken as a second

language, as well as to countries of the “Expanding Circle” (Kachru, 1990, p. 5) such as

China, Japan and Korea where it is learned as a foreign language (Yano, 2001). In

countries where English is used as a second language it tends to become internalized by

the people and takes on some traits of the local culture (Yano, 2001). Consequently,

English in Pakistan can include references to Islamic values (Mahboob, 2009), the

influence of the Chinese language and accent could be noticeably present in “China

English” (He & Li, 2009), or English becomes indigenized in countries like India where

it enjoys the status of associate language (CIA World Factbook, 2010; Jenkins, 2006;

Yano, 2001). Even though many international students may have learned or spoken

English in their native countries, they are likely to speak a variety of the English language

that is different from standard American English (Friginal, 2007; Jenkins, 2006). This is

14
the reason why they are generally required to demonstrate some proof of proficiency in

English when seeking admission to American institutions of higher education.

TOEFL as a Measure of English Proficiency

The TOEFL is a measure of English language proficiency utilized for admissions

purposes at most U.S. institutions of higher education (Nelson et al., 2004; Roemer,

2002; Vasquez, 2003). For example, Executive Order 975 issued by the Chancellor of the

university system that includes the site of this study states that applicants who have not

attended an educational institution where English is the principal language of instruction

must demonstrate competency in English. Since this competency is frequently

documented by scores on the TOEFL, the Executive Order states that undergraduate

students must obtain minimum required scores of 173 on the computer based test and 61

on the TOEFL iBT (Internet Based Test) whereas graduate students must obtain

minimum required scores of 213 on the computer based test and 80 on the TOEFL iBT.

The Executive Order also provides options to establish higher scores or to utilize or not

utilize the various sub scores of the TOEFL based on the curricular needs of campus

specific academic programs (Executive Order 975, 2009). Based on this Executive Order,

different academic departments at the site of the study determine English proficiency

differently for graduate students.

Studies have shown, however, that TOEFL scores are not a reliable predictor of

academic performance or success in international students (Johnson, 1988; Light, Xu, &

Mossop, 1987; Lo, 2002). The TOEFL has been inconclusively accused by some

researchers of being unfair towards some non native speakers of English (Hamp-Lyons &

Davies, 2008). In some cases, the TOEFL does not adequately measure English language

15
skills required by foreign students at educational institutions where English is the

medium of instruction (Vinke & Jochems, 1993) and if TOEFL scores do happen to

predict graduate GPA, they do not predict the completion of a Master’s degree (Nelson et

al., 2004). This study briefly examined the TOEFL scores of the participants, but it

assumed that all participants had met the institution’s English proficiency requirements at

the time of being admitted. The researcher utilized a different test of English to measure

the English proficiency of the participants. The details of the test as well as the reasons

for doing this will be discussed in chapter three.

Much of the scholarly literature on international students has focused on their

experiences as learners of English as a Second Language (ESL) or English as a Foreign

Language (EFL). Other researchers have conducted quantitative studies to identify

different factors that cause stress and anxiety in international students. They used

quantitative tools along with either TOEFL scores or self reported information about

proficiency in English. A lot of attention has been focused on the negative experiences of

international students but the research on their positive experiences is very limited. The

intent of this study was to focus on identifying the positive experiences reported by

international students. It also utilized a different measure of English proficiency in an

attempt to obtain a different, in depth glimpse into the academic experiences of these

students.

Education of Non-native Speakers of English

Education at every level in the United States generally responds to language needs

of non-native speakers of English. International students, who are non-native speakers of

English, are valuable contributors to institutions of higher education because they add a

16
global perspective to American classes (Rice et al., 2003). Literature about non-native

speakers of English reveals that these students have different needs at different stages of

the educational process. Bilingual education has been a key component of K-12

education for many years and educators have debated the issue of providing continuing

instruction in students’ native languages while they learn English as a second language

(Cummins, 1980, 1983, 1999). Some educators see value in utilizing students’ prior

knowledge (Chamot & O’Malley, 1996) and acknowledging their native cultures so as to

maximize their learning experiences (Quinn, 2001) while others support the use of native

languages to supplement English as the primary language of instruction (Lucas & Katz,

1994) or argue that bilingual education is not a uniform solution for all English language

learners (Faltis & Arias, 1993). Schulz (1991) suggests that students will do well in

learning a foreign language if they receive interesting comprehensible input. Krashen

(1995) describes comprehensible input as language that can be understood by the learner.

He says, “We also use context, our knowledge of the world, our extra-linguistic

information to help us understand language directed at us” (p. 21). He identifies

conversation as “an excellent source of comprehensible input” (Krashen, 1992, p. 7).

Mouw and Xie (1999) found that fluent bilinguals do not necessarily perform

better in academics than students who are fluent only in English. It is important that

“along with the development of instructional strategies, comprehensible input may be an

essential environmental ingredient in language acquisition and reading development for

bilingual students” (Neuman & Koskinen, 1992, p. 104-105). Baskin and Shitai (1996)

remind us that millions of Japanese students study English for several years without

actually learning how to communicate in the target language. Asian students are

17
commonly perceived as passive receptacles of knowledge who rely on rote-memorization

but demonstrate high levels of achievement motivation (Kember, 2000). The fact that

memorization is often utilized as a stepping stone to understanding seems to be less

acknowledged (Purdie & Hattie, 1996). These students would benefit from additional

elements that would provide comprehensible input in the teaching-learning experience.

Comprehensible Input

Some studies attempted to enhance the learning experiences of non-native

speakers of English by adding comprehensible input when teaching the language. Oh

(2001) compared simplified input to elaborated or clarified input in the teaching of EFL

to Korean high school students. She found that elaborated input significantly improved

the reading comprehension of high as well as low proficient students. A study of 388 EFL

students at the Chinese Naval academy in Taiwan found that high-intermediate listening

proficient students benefited from speech modification of lectures to a significantly

greater extent than did students who were identified as low-intermediate listening

proficient (Chiang & Dunkel, 1992). Kim’s (2003) research revealed that explicit and

implicit lexical elaboration aided meaning recognition in the vocabulary of a second

language. Avena Tableman (2003) experimented with the use of American Sign

Language (ASL) in the teaching of English to three middle school students of ESL. One

student was taught the same material without the use of the experimental method to see

the differences in the teaching-learning process and results. The students who had been

taught using sign language or gestures were able to remember the material better and

learned ESL with more ease than did the student who did not receive the experimental

method. The results led to the conclusion that including sign language or gestures while

18
teaching ESL will facilitate the learning of the language and thus affect the perceptions of

language competence for English language learners. This mirrors Krashen’s (1992, 1995)

work in elementary and high school settings. Oxford and Shearin (1994) state that the

learning of a second language is a complex process involving motivation. They reviewed

and synthesized several theories of motivation to arrive at significant implications for

teachers. They suggest that in addition to identifying the students’ reasons for studying a

new language, teachers can help to increase student motivation by highlighting the

advantages of learning a target language, meeting psychological needs, minimizing

anxiety, providing extrinsic rewards and encouraging students to develop intrinsic

rewards. They also suggest that contributions from general, industrial, educational and

cognitive developmental psychology will help to better understand the issue.

Comprehensible input is important in the language learning process but so is

“comprehensible output” (Krashen, 2003, p. 59). When we are in the process of learning

and using a new or different language, we not only receive messages in the new

language, but we also attempt to transmit messages in that same language. It is through

the process of trial and error that we learn to speak in correct and acceptable forms of the

language, or produce comprehensible output that can be understood (Krashen, 2003).

Messages that include contextual information are comprehensible, but when they include

successful social interactions along with a shared responsibility for communicating and

understanding, they become interpretable (Kachru, 2008).

Socio-linguistic Competence

The purpose of providing comprehensible input is to aid the production of

comprehensible and interpretable output. Students’ ability to produce acceptable levels of

19
the target language often depends on their knowledge of the components of the language

as well as the target culture. Research shows that proficiency in a language cannot always

be measured by the ability to pass tests. It depends on the ability to use acceptable spoken

or written English (Nelson et al., 2004). Baker (1990) found that teaching of ESL needs

to include a component that teaches socio-linguistic competence. She found that while

students of ESL possess socio-linguistic competence in their native languages, they do

not possess it in the English language. She suggested that instruction in ESL should

include cross cultural values, perceptions of these values and the culture, as well as value

differences between native and American cultures.

Krase (2003) found that the ability to write well in English does not necessarily

mean that an ESL student will speak up in academic settings. He found that students’

abilities to understand situations and cultural issues ensured their successful enculturation

into academic discourse communities. Students’ linguistic, sociolinguistic and cultural

differences play a strong role in their enculturation experiences. The strategies used by

them have an influence on their learning experiences.

Learning Strategies

The research shows that students of ESL employ different strategies to learn the

language (Anderson, 1991; Griffiths, 2003; Hedgcock & Lefkowitz, 1996). Chandler’s

(2003) study looked at error correction strategies and their effect on learning a second

language. She found that students preferred it when teachers directly corrected the errors

in their work because it was quick and produced accurate revisions. Students also felt that

they learned more from self correction. Griffiths (2003) identified language learning

strategies that were frequently used by higher level students of second languages. These

20
strategies were grouped into different categories such as strategies relating to interaction

with others, to vocabulary, to reading, to the tolerance of ambiguity, to language systems,

to the management of feelings, to the management of learning, and to the utilization of

available resources.

Influence of Learning Styles

Some studies demonstrate that learning styles may depend on personal

preferences. Sanaoui (1995) identified two distinct approaches used to learn vocabulary

in ESL by adult learners. One was structured and the other was unstructured. They

differed in four aspects, namely, the extent of engagement in independent study, the

range of self-initiated learning activities, the extent to which lexical items were recorded

and reviewed by learners, and the extent of vocabulary practice outside the classroom.

The study revealed that students who had a structured learning approach were more

successful in retaining new vocabulary than were learners who used an unstructured

approach. The structured approach was found to be more effective than an unstructured

approach for beginning as well as advanced learners. Other studies found that students

may prefer learning that reflects their culture.

Hirose (2003) found that some Japanese students tend to use a deductive style of

organization when writing both Japanese as well as English. They stated their positions

clearly in the initial section of their writing in both languages. This showed that they did

not prefer the inductive writing style that is more commonly associated with the Japanese

culture.

Wintergerst, DeCapua, and Verna (2003) report the results of testing a newly

developed learning styles instrument which was tested on Russian and Asian ESL/EFL

21
students. The results indicate that the students learned English under three modalities:

Project Orientation, Group Activity Orientation, and Individual Activity Orientation. The

students clearly preferred working in groups while working on projects as well as in

groups in general. They did not prefer working individually. The Russian culture was

found to be almost as collectivistic in nature as the Asian cultures. Students from these

cultures, therefore, tended to value the group above self and exhibited humility and

modesty. They were used to teacher-centered classrooms. The influence of the students’

collectivistic cultures was evident in their learning preferences; the study revealed that

students from collectivistic cultures expect classroom environments where teachers lead,

students are expected to participate minimally, and the focus is on visual and auditory

learning. The research demonstrated that culture plays an important role in the teaching-

learning process; culture influences the acquisition and use of language. This influence

can sometimes be a source of anxiety among students.

English Language Proficiency in International Students

International students who are in the United States pursuing higher education tend to

have and express concerns about their pronunciation, vocabulary, and understanding

(Capraro, 2002; Kim, 2003). Foreign accented speech (Weil, 2003) may impede

communication and the learning experience. Capraro’s (2002) study found that second

language learners experience significant inhibition and self consciousness particularly

with regard to pronunciation. Instrumental motivation helped them to improve their

spoken English and reflection made a positive difference to their learning of the

language. International students on F-1 visas are generally motivated to do well in

academic pursuits when compared to other students because it is a requirement of their

22
visa status (Epstein, 1996).

Makino’s (1992) study revealed that Japanese students, who were proficient in

academic discussion and academic writing, were independent, able to take initiative and

were self starters who were most likely to succeed in academic areas while studying in

the United States. They experienced a high level of comfort with speaking and writing in

English which made it easier for them to do well in their American classes. Students’

efforts to learn and adapt to their new learning environment assists them in doing well in

academics.

Cultural Factors

Some of the research on international students identified culture as an important

factor in the learning experience. Since international students tend to be involved in a

continuous process of adaptation to the host culture (Gudykunst & Kim, 1992), it would

help if their classmates were also involved in the process of learning about cultures. Chen

(2003) stressed the importance of social interactions in the classroom as well as at the

university. Mitchell (1995) conducted a learning exercise in his qualitative sociology

class where he required his students to work with international student volunteers and

learn fieldwork skills. The sociology students were instructed to seek information from

the international students in the same way that they might explore any ethnographic

setting. An important result of the exercise was that North American students learned

about cultural differences and cultural sensitivity through dialogue and communication

with students from different cultures. This facilitated the acculturation process for both

groups of students. Comprehensible input for international students who are enrolled in a

graduate program in social work, for example, may take the form of a modified

23
curriculum that offers international students courses in development oriented practice,

enhances student learning through field work, appoints faculty advisors for international

students, and also offers students opportunities to socialize on professional and personal

levels (Rai, 2002). This more holistic approach to the teaching of a specific subject area

would more likely have an identifiable and attributable effect on the academic success of

international students.

Other studies have shown that open mindedness towards other cultures helps

students to face fewer acculturation problems (Citron, 1995). Yashima (2002) found that

the more internationally oriented an individual was, the more willing he or she was to

communicate in English and therefore, more successful in academics. Li and Gasser’s

(2005) quantitative study of 117 Asian international students indicated that Asian

students who reported having cross cultural contact with their American hosts also

reported successful socio cultural adjustment. Acculturation is important for international

students who have unique needs and specific academic and social problems resulting

from their diverse backgrounds (Feizi, 1990). It is likely to assist them to adapt

comfortably to their host culture.

Cultural influences however, can also present challenges for international

students. Razfar (2003) identified cultural differences in the power relationships

experienced by teachers as well as students of ESL. She found that a power relationship

definitely exists between the teacher and the student. This influences the teaching-

learning concept and can be positive or negative, but certainly not neutral.

Impediments to Academic Success

A significant number of studies have attempted to identify and understand the

24
problems faced by international students in the United States. Some of these quantitative

studies identified self reported English language proficiency as one of the factors that

caused stress and anxiety among international students. Shenoy (2000) found that Asian

students report experiencing college stress as much as American students do, but they

exhibit stress differently than do American students. For example, Chinese students

showed more somatic or bodily symptoms as well as depression in relation to stress while

Indian students showed more depression symptoms than somatic symptoms and in

comparison, American students did not show more symptoms of depression in relation to

stress.

C. Chen (1999) and T. Chen (2003) identified second language anxiety, academic

adjustment, educational performance, and socio-cultural factors as common stressors for

international students. International graduate students often get opportunities to serve as

teaching assistants. Their greatest challenge is their ability to communicate fluently in

English with other students (Crittenden, 1994; Plakans, 1999). Wilton and Constantine’s

(2003) study of Asian and Latin American freshman students at a predominantly white

university in the northeastern United States found that a greater length of stay in the

United States was associated with lower levels of distress in adjusting to American

cultural norms.

International students who report higher English proficiency also report lower

psychological adjustment strain (Poyrazli, 2003; Poyrazli & Kavanaugh, 2006). In

another quantitative study of 141 undergraduate and graduate international students,

Poyrazli, Kavanaugh, Baker and Al-Timimi (2004) found that higher levels of English

proficiency and social support resulted in reports of lower levels of acculturative stress in

25
international students. Married international students tend to report lower levels of stress

(Poyrazli & Kavanaugh, 2006). Sumer, Poyrazli and Grahame (2008) measured

depression and anxiety among 440 international students. Their results indicated that

students who reported lower levels of social support, also reported higher levels of

anxiety and depression. Yet another quantitative study of 79 Turkish graduate and

undergraduate students’ adjustment issues revealed that younger students and students

with government scholarships reported fewer adjustment problems, and so did students

with higher English proficiency (Poyrazli et al., 2001). Yeh and Inose (2003) examined

the self reported English fluency as a predictor of acculturative stress in 372 international

undergraduate and graduate students at a large urban university in the northeastern part of

the United States. They found that higher frequency of language use, higher self reported

English fluency, and greater comfort with speaking English led to lower levels of

acculturative stress in international students.

Tomich, McWhirter, and Darcy (2003) investigated whether and to what degree

personality related to international students’ adaptation to life in the United States. They

found that cultural differences accounted for most of the difficulties experienced by the

Asian students in their study; however, this influence could be mitigated by an open and

resilient personality. Wimberley, McCloud, and Flinn (1992) studied 121 Indonesian

students who pursued graduate degrees in the United States between 1969 and 1983.

They found that undergraduate GPA and TOEFL scores were positively related to

graduate GPA. They also found that presence of the students’ family in the United States

positively influenced graduate GPA as well as completion of degree pursued.

The literature revealed two qualitative studies that had explored similar issues

26
among international students. Lee and Rice’s (2007) qualitative study of 24 international

students found that international students can perceive their academic experiences to be

negative and discriminatory. They reported that professors who communicate frustration

or impatience with non-native speakers of English or students with foreign accents can

have a negative influence on these students’ self confidence. Poyrazli and Grahame

(2007) interviewed 15 students in focus groups with the intent to identify some barriers to

adjustment among international students. Their study revealed that multiple barriers such

as communication differences, lack of institutional support with regard to housing,

assistance with transport, and employment on campus served to impede their

participation in their academic programs. In proportion to the attention paid to

international students’ problems and possible reasons for them, not enough information

exists about what actually helps them to succeed in their academic pursuits.

Achieving Academic Success

Academic success is an important goal for international students. It could be

perceived as a combination of language proficiency, learning strategies, and certain

individual characteristics (Stoynoff, 1997). There is not much research documenting the

academic success of international students. Tseng and Newton (2002) interviewed two

international students, one undergraduate and the other a graduate student with a view to

understanding how they achieved well-being as international students in the United

States. The researchers identified eight strategies employed by these international

students for adjusting to study abroad life. Language problems were an important issue

concerning the students and becoming proficient in the English language was one of the

eight strategies used by them to attain well being and academic success. In a recent study,

27
Stephenson (2004) used TOEFL scores along with the verbal percentiles of the Graduate

Record Exam (GRE) and the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) to predict

the academic success of foreign graduate students. Her study found no statistically

significant relationship between TOEFL mean scores and graduate GPA, total number of

semesters to complete the degree, total number of credits completed by graduation or the

likelihood of graduating, or between verbal percentiles on the GRE and GMAT and

foreign students’ academic performance. Wan’s (2001) qualitative study of two Chinese

students at a major American university identified differences in language, culture and

social and political systems as being influential in their experiences of living and

studying in the United States. Stoynoff (1997) believed that the majority of international

students are able to succeed in university whether they experience problems with

language proficiency or not. The main issue according to him, was not whether they

could succeed, but how successful they could be and at what cost to themselves.

Limitations of the Research

English language proficiency was a topic of significant interest for researchers in

the eighties and nineties. There is very little current research on this topic. Bilingual

education has been a source of debate at the K-12 level, but higher education in the

United States is imparted in English. International students are for the most part, non-

native speakers of English. They are required to demonstrate proficiency in English as

well as socio-linguistic competence while in the process of obtaining their degrees in the

United States. The TOEFL was the most frequently used measure of English proficiency

in the studies examined. Some studies required participants to self report their fluency or

competence in English.

28
 Several studies have examined the strategies employed by these students to

succeed in American higher education along with the influence of their learning styles,

cultural factors and reported problems with adjustment. The research on international

students’ academic success is limited (Stoynoff, 1997). The research revealed one

qualitative study of graduate international students’ experiences in an American

university (Wan, 2001).

Light et al. (1987) recommended a study of students’ perceptions of their own

success but a review of the literature indicated that evidently this has not yet been done.

The research also reveals the need to utilize a different measure of English proficiency.

The present study will add to the body of research by obtaining an in depth, descriptive

report of the researcher’s understanding, through the experiences of non-native English

speaking international graduate students, their perceptions of the connection between

English language proficiency and academic success.

Summary

The review of the literature discussed the relationship between language and

culture. It reviewed the factors that have influenced the education of non-native speakers

of English in the United States, some stereotypes of foreign students, the need to provide

comprehensible input, issues of socio-linguistic competence, English language

proficiency, differences in learning strategies, learning styles, cultural factors, and finally

some psychological issues that negatively impact academic success for international

students. Several researchers have looked at the relationship between culture and the

learning of the English language. They have looked at some of the problems encountered

by students or at strategies used by them to improve their learning experiences. There is

29
not, however, much current, qualitative research that discusses the connection between

English proficiency and the academic success of international students. This study

addresses both English language proficiency and academic success from the perspective

of the students.

The following chapter will discuss the research methodology, the site of the study,

the participants and the methods employed to obtain data for the study.

30
 CHAPTER 3

METHODOLOGY

Chapter three presents the qualitative methodology that was utilized to answer the

research question presented in the first chapter. The purpose of this qualitative study was

to answer the following question: What are international graduate students’ perceptions

of the connection between English language proficiency and academic success?

Research Design

This study was qualitative in nature. The case study method was employed for

this research. Merriam (1998) defines the case study as an intense description and

analysis of a specific group or context. The researcher preferred the case study method

because she wanted to learn directly from her participants’ experiences. She wanted to

obtain detailed information that can only be derived from an intense description

generated from individual interviews that added a comfort level and prompted the

participants to reveal their perceptions. The researcher for this dissertation works directly

with international students and hears the personal stories, problems, and issues that

impact their education in the United States. She is an empathetic individual who thrives

on personal contact with the people she works with. She preferred to learn from

communication with the participants rather than through a quantitative analysis of data.

She believed that she would be able to collect richer data through direct communication

with her participants rather than from a quantitative study or the reduction of information

to numerical values. She was interested in “insight, discovery, and interpretation rather

31
than hypothesis testing” (Merriam, 1998, p. 28-29).

The researcher selected this particular topic for research because it was an issue

she dealt with on a daily basis. She encountered many international students who had a

high GPA but poor communication skills in English. Conversely, she also worked with

students who spoke English fluently, but who did not achieve high grades in their classes.

It was “intrinsically interesting” for the researcher to achieve as full an understanding of

the students’ perceptions of the roles of English language proficiency and academic

success as possible (Merriam, 1998, p. 28). She believed that a “thick description” of the

participants’ thoughts, views and insights would serve to present the reader with her

understanding of this specific case (Merriam, 1998, p. 29). The researcher wanted to

understand human nature and behavior through human interaction rather than through a

quantitative study. She therefore selected the case study method.

The Site

The researcher conducted her study at a large, four year institution of higher education

located in southern California. This institution is recognized for the diversity of its

student body. At the time of the study, the researcher was employed as a foreign student

advisor at this institution. In the year 2008, the university had a total enrollment of 36,208

students of which 2,426 were full time graduate students. This number consisted of 34 %

males and 66 % females. International students accounted for 5 % of the total student

population at this university (College Portrait, 2009).

The Participants

The participants for this study were selected based on criteria identified by the

researcher (Merriam, 1998). Six international graduate students were selected to

32
participate in this study via purposeful sampling. The researcher was interested in

learning about the experiences of graduate students because of her own experiences with

the use of the English language during the course of her graduate studies at the site of the

study. She was required to take undergraduate classes to meet her teaching credential

requirements in addition to graduate level classes for her master’s degree program. Her

experiences with both levels of classes showed her that graduate level classes require

stronger writing skills. She therefore decided to focus this study on the experiences of

graduate students. The researcher decided on six participants because she felt that this

number would yield sufficient, manageable data for her study. She planned to include

graduate students of either gender who had been studying in a master’s degree program at

the site for no more than two semesters, had come to the university directly from their

home countries and had not obtained an undergraduate degree from the United States.

The researcher wanted to select one student each from an Asian country, preferably

China, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, South Korea, Taiwan and Thailand. This was because

Asia sent the largest number of international students to the United States in 2007-08 and

2008-09 (Institute of International Education, 2009). As indicated by an internal

document from the international programs office at the site, Asians comprised the largest

number of international students at the site of the study in 2007-08 and 2008-09. The

researcher had observed that in addition to being largely represented, students from these

countries tended to struggle the most with the English language as evidenced by personal

interactions and email communications. She was therefore interested in including

students from these countries in her study. She wanted to understand the reasons for their

struggles and identify ways to improve their educational experiences. The six students

33
who eventually responded to the researcher’s request to participate in this research study

were from Bhutan, China, Pakistan, the Philippines, South Korea, and Thailand. All

participants’ identities were kept anonymous by giving them pseudonyms.

Participant Profiles

Miss Bhutan was a 31 year old female from Thimphu. Bhutan is a small country

located between India and China. Her native language was Bhutanese. Miss Bhutan was

one of seven children and had an undergraduate degree in Electrical Engineering from

India. All of her family members lived in Bhutan with the exception of one younger sister

who was currently attending dental school in India. Miss Bhutan started her master’s

program in Engineering Management in the spring semester of 2009. At the time of the

study her GPA was 3.10 and she had passed the UDWPE (Upper Division Writing

Proficiency Exam) with a score of nine at the first attempt. Her IELTS (International

English Language Testing System) score was eight and she reported that she sometimes

spoke English in her home country. She was not required to submit any other test scores

for admissions purposes since her GPA at the time of applying to this institution was 3.4.

It was greater than the required GPA which was 3.0. Miss Bhutan was on academic

probation in her first semester, but had succeeded in increasing her GPA to 3.10 by the

end of the fall 2009 semester.

Miss China was a 26 year old female from Yantai, China who had started her

master’s program in College Counseling and Student Services in the summer of 2009.

Her native language was Chinese. Her undergraduate major in China was Business

English. She was required to submit proof of proficiency in English when applying to this

institution. Her TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) score was 102. She did

34
not have to submit any other requirements in addition to her transcripts when applying to

this institution since her GPA was higher than 3.5. She was her parents’ only child and

rarely spoke English in her home country. Her parents lived and worked in China. At the

time of the study her GPA was 3.73 and she had passed the UDWPE with a score of nine

at the first attempt.

Miss Korea was a 26 year old female from Seoul, South Korea. She had started

her master’s program in Communication Studies in the spring semester of 2009. She had

two younger brothers and her parents operated an after school educational institution in

Seoul. Their native language was Korean. Miss Korea stated that she never spoke English

in her home country but had obtained a bachelor’s degree in English literature from a

women's university in Seoul. She was required to submit proof of English proficiency

when applying to this institution. Her TOEFL score was 237. She had taken some classes

in English as a second language (ESL) at a local community college prior to commencing

her graduate studies at the site of the study. At the time of the study her GPA was 3.74

and she had passed the UDWPE with a score of 10 at the first attempt.

Mr. Pakistan was a 29 year old male from Lahore, Pakistan. He had started his

master’s degree program in Engineering Management in the spring semester of 2009. He

had one younger sister who was studying computer science in Pakistan where she lived

with their parents. Their native language was Urdu but he reported that he always spoke

English in his home country. He had obtained a bachelor’s degree in Chemical

Engineering followed by a diploma in management from the United Kingdom. He

reported having taken some ESL classes before starting his undergraduate program in the

United Kingdom. Since his undergraduate education was in English, he was not required

35
to submit any proof of proficiency in English at the time of applying to this institution. At

the time of the study his GPA was 3.14 and he had passed the UDWPE at the first

attempt with a score of eight.

Miss Philippines was a 25 year old female from Pasay City in the Philippines. She

had started her master’s degree program in Nutrition and Dietetics in the spring semester

of 2009. She was an only child. Her father had passed away and her mother worked in

Norway. Their native language was Filipino but she reported that she always spoke

English in her home country. She had earned a bachelor’s degree in Nutrition from the

Philippines. Since her education was in English, she was not required to submit anything

other than her transcripts at the time of applying to this institution. At the time of the

study her GPA was 3.33 and she had passed the UDWPE with a score of nine at the first

attempt.

Mr. Thailand was a 25 year old male from Bangkok, Thailand who had started his

master’s program in Engineering Management in the fall semester of 2009. He had a

Bachelors degree in Industrial Engineering from Thailand. He had a 10 year old brother

who lived in Thailand with their parents. He rarely spoke English in his home country

and his native language was Thai. He had taken some ESL classes in Alabama prior to

commencing his graduate studies at the site of the study. He was required to submit proof

of English proficiency when applying to this institution. His TOEFL iBT (Internet Based

Test) score was 89. He was also required to submit GRE scores at the time of applying to

this institution. At the time of the study his GPA was 3.80 and he had passed the UDWPE

with a score of eight at the first attempt.

36
 Role of the Researcher

The researcher graduated from this institution as an international student and at

the time of the study, was employed as a foreign student advisor there. She was also a

part time instructor of ESL at the university’s Intensive English Program. In addition to it

being convenient for her to conduct her research at this site, she wanted to gain a deeper

understanding of the dynamics involved in the academic experiences of international

students at this particular site. Since she worked with this student population on a daily

basis, she not only wanted to understand how these non-native speakers of English

perceived the connection between the English language and academic success but also to

eventually apply her learning to modify her own advising practices to better serve their

needs. The researcher had a personal as well as a professional interest in conducting the

study at this site.

Data Collection

The researcher collected data for this study through a preliminary survey for the

purpose of gathering demographic information, individual interviews, a journal based on

her reactions to the interviews, and a review of the participants’ responses to a writing

prompt.

The researcher obtained permission to communicate with international students

for the purpose of conducting this study from the Institutional Review Board at California

Lutheran University and from the Human Subjects Committee at the site of the study.

The researcher initially placed hard copies of a preliminary survey (Appendix A)

in the lobby of the international programs office at the site of the study. The survey

required the students to self report information about themselves. This survey was

37
utilized solely for the purpose of collecting demographic information and selecting the

participants for the study based on the selection criteria. The student assistants who

provide student services at the international programs office at the site of the study were

requested to encourage students who walked in for assistance to complete the survey as

they waited for service. This was done to elicit a random sample since the students who

walked in for assistance were not predetermined, nor were all of their identities known to

the researcher in advance. The survey was administered to a simple random sample

(Creswell, 2005) of 124 students. No coercion was utilized when making the request. The

researcher refrained from requesting any of the students directly or from applying any

pressure on them to respond to the survey.

Based on the students’ responses to the preliminary survey, the researcher was

able to identify just one student to participate in this study. An email was then sent out to

all the international graduate students who had been enrolled at the site of the study

during the spring and fall semesters of 2009. The preliminary survey was sent as an

attachment. The first five students, who responded favorably to the email request, and

met the selection criteria, were included in this study. This enabled the researcher to

obtain a purposeful sample (Creswell, 2005). No coercion was utilized when making this

request. A letter of informed consent (Appendix B) was signed by the participants. Their

identities were kept anonymous by giving them pseudonyms and all data were stored

securely at the researcher’s residence. Each participant was given a fifty dollar gift card

to a local department store in return for his or her participation.

Each of the six participants was interviewed individually. An interview protocol

was utilized (Appendix C) during the interviews. The researcher included “descriptive,”

38
“structural,” as well as “contrast” questions (Spradley, 1979, p. 60). A verbatim record of

the interviews was obtained by utilizing a tape recorder (Spradley, 1979). The researcher

had to use probes when interviewing each participant. Probes are “questions or

commands that follow up something already asked. It is virtually impossible to specify

these ahead of time because they are dependent on how the participant answers the lead

question” (Merriam, 1998, p. 80). The probes assisted the researcher with providing

clarifications to some questions and obtaining follow up details to certain responses. She

also realized that the participants had strong accents. She frequently repeated the

participants’ words to ensure that she had heard them correctly. The researcher then

transcribed the interviews. The average length of the interviews was 59 minutes followed

by 75 minutes for each participant to respond to the writing prompt. The researcher

identified some follow up questions as she transcribed the interviews. She communicated

with all the participants after the interviews to elicit their thoughts and feelings about the

UDWPE that they had taken as a part of their university requirements as well as the

writing prompt for this study.

The researcher took notes during the interviews which were later utilized to write

a journal. The researcher kept a dated journal which served to record her feelings,

impressions, and reactions to the information received from the participants during the

interviews. She recorded her own intuitive reactions to the participants’ responses, their

accents, reactions to the questions, their non-verbal communication, and to the

information they provided during the interviews. She agreed with Spradley (1998) who

states that, “making an introspective record of field work enables a person to take into

39
account personal biases and feelings, to understand their influence on the research” (p.

76).

Prior to conducting this research study, the researcher conducted a pilot study on

two graduate international students during the fall 2007 semester. This was done to refine

the preliminary survey and the interview protocol. Each participant was given a twenty

dollar gift card to a local department store in return for his or her participation. This pilot

study was conducted in order to test the clarity of the preliminary survey and the

interview questions, to ensure that the questions had been arranged in an appropriate

order, and to help the researcher improve her interviewing technique (Merriam, 1998).

The researcher wanted to ascertain that the questions would elicit rich, descriptive data

which would reveal the participants’ experiences with the use of the English language

both in class, as well as outside of it. A letter of informed consent was signed by the

participants. The responses to the preliminary survey and the interview questions were

utilized to modify and improve the instruments by eliminating questions that did not yield

helpful information, rephrasing some questions and adding new ones that were expected

to be more effective in eliciting rich data. The researcher scrutinized the transcript of the

pilot interviews to see if probes were judiciously and effectively utilized. The results of

the pilot study have not been included in the final study. No deception was used and

participants were not harmed in any manner at any time during the pilot study.

Participants were identified by pseudonyms and all data collected for this study have

been kept confidential and stored in a locked cabinet at the residence of the researcher.

The researcher wanted to utilize a test of English proficiency to measure the

participants skills with the language that was different from the standardized tests used

40
for admissions purposes. In addition to using a different test, she wanted to use one that

required students to demonstrate writing skills similar to those that graduate students

must use consistently in their academic programs. She selected the Upper Division

Writing Proficiency Exam (UDWPE) (2007) for this reason and purpose. All students at

the site of this study are required to take and pass the UDWPE in order to graduate from

the university. Undergraduate students are expected to demonstrate writing proficiency

after completing 56 semester units and graduate students are expected to do the same

during their first semester. The UDWPE was selected by the Board of Trustees of this

university system based on the recommendations of the Graduate Writing Assessment

Requirement Review (GWAR). This exam requires students to read a short text of no

more than one page about a current topic and write an essay in which they must either

agree or disagree with the author and provide supporting arguments. It tests students’

abilities to compose an essay in English that demonstrates reading comprehension, the

ability to analyze and synthesize, and the appropriate use of English writing skills. The

researcher provided a writing prompt (Appendix D) based on a sample exam (Appendix

E) to the participants. An article from a local newspaper was randomly selected for the

writing prompt. The scoring rubric that is utilized to assess the UDWPE (Appendix F)

was used to evaluate the writing prompts. Each essay is read and scored by at least two

faculty members. Each reader scores the essay on a scale of one to six where a score of

one means that the essay is incompetent, a score of two means that the essay is

inadequate, a score of three means that the essay is inadequate but demonstrates some

positive attributes, a score of four is given to an essay that is considered to be adequate, a

score of five indicates that the essay is strong and the highest possible individual score of

41
six is given to a superior essay. A passing score on the UDWPE is a total score of eight.

The highest possible score is 12.

The purpose of utilizing the writing prompt was to obtain an objective evaluation

of the participants’ English writing skills through a test of English language proficiency

that was different from the TOEFL or other standardized tests used for admissions

purposes. This writing prompt was evaluated for English proficiency by two anonymous

readers. The first anonymous reader was the chair of the Pan African Studies Department

at the site of the study. This individual had served on the advisory board for the UDWPE

in the past and was currently a reader for the exam. The second anonymous reader was

the academic director of the Intensive English Program at the site of the study. Both

readers had more than 10 years of experience each in the field of linguistics and were

currently serving as faculty at the site of the study. The readers were each offered a fifty

dollar gift card to a local department store in return for their assistance.

Triangulation of Data

The researcher utilized multiple sources of data to establish validity (Merriam,

1998). She scrutinized the anonymous readers’ objective assessments of the participants’

responses to the writing prompt to corroborate her own observations of their skills with

spoken English. She also triangulated the data obtained from the preliminary survey, the

participants’ unofficial transcripts, the interviews, her journal entries, and the results of

the participants’ responses to the writing prompt to identify and analyze the participants’

perceptions of English language proficiency and academic success. The researcher

implemented “member checks” by requesting the participants to review her analysis of

the data and provide feedback regarding the findings to the researcher (Merriam, 1998).

42
 Data Analysis

Data gathered from the interviews were transcribed by the researcher. She also

transcribed her journal responses to each interview. She read the data several times to

understand it. The comments of the readers who scored the writing prompts and the

researcher’s journal were also utilized to support the information derived from the

interviews. Data were coded with the help of Qualrus, a qualitative software analysis

program. Data were initially coded for predominant or recurring themes and then

analyzed in detail through focused coding. Each case was first analyzed separately and

then a “cross-case analysis” (Cresswell, 2005) was conducted to identify common themes

as well as differences among the six students being studied. The researcher utilized the

inductive method to interpret and understand the findings. The researcher was satisfied

that the rich descriptions gathered during the interviews, the writing prompt, the

researcher’s journal entries, and a review of the transcripts of the participants would serve

to provide sufficient evidence for the present study.

Chapter three presented the research methodology that was utilized for this

qualitative study. Chapter four will discuss the findings that emerged from the data.

43
 CHAPTER 4

FINDINGS

Chapter four presents the findings from the data. The purpose of this qualitative

study was to answer the question, “What are international graduate students’ perceptions

of the connection between English language proficiency and academic success?”

The study was conducted at a large four year institution of higher education

located in southern California. The participants in this study were six international

graduate students from Asia who were all pursuing master’s degrees at the site of the

study. They included a female from Bhutan who was studying Engineering Management,

a female from China who was studying College Counseling and Student Services, a

female from South Korea who was studying Communication Studies, a male from

Pakistan who was studying Engineering Management, a female from the Philippines who

was studying Nutrition and Dietetics, and a male from Thailand who was studying

Engineering Management. All participants’ identities were kept anonymous by giving

them pseudonyms.

The researcher utilized the data obtained from the participants’ responses to the

interview questions, the participants’ scores on the writing prompt and the evaluations of

the two anonymous readers as well as the researcher’s intuitive journal responses to the

interviews to find answers to the research question presented in the first chapter.

Verbatim quotes from the participants’ responses to the interview questions have been

44
presented in this chapter.

The following seven themes emerged from the analysis of the data: Cultural

characteristics, comparison with education in participants’ home countries, relationships

with instructors in the United States, participants’ experiences with spoken English,

participants’ experiences with reading English, participants’ experiences with written

English, and their perceptions of the connection between English language proficiency

and academic success.

Influence of Native Languages and Cultures

The first obvious and consistent cultural trait in each participant was his or her

accent. Hall (2001) stated that an individual’s accent is influenced by his or her native

language. The participants responded comfortably and easily to all the interview

questions. As they spoke, their individual accents became clear to the researcher. They

also discussed the use of their native languages. Language is an important part of our

cultures and influences our thoughts (Gudykunst and Kim, 1992; Hofstede, 2001). Miss

Bhutan said that she had very few Bhutanese friends or relatives in the United States. She

spoke her native language Bhutanese with her Bhutanese roommate and with her family

members when she spoke to them on the phone. She sometimes got comments about her

accent. She said that “(people) says that I look like a Chinese but I have an accent of an

Indian! I get that a lot. All the Bhutanese they get that a lot, that you have an Indian

accent.”

Miss China preferred to use her native language when she returned home after a

long day at school because “it’s comfortable but when I come back to my desk and I

began studying, then at the same time my boyfriend is speaking Chinese with me, I feel

45
little bit guilty.” She liked speaking in Chinese because it helped her to relax and be

natural when she was no longer in her classes and was not required to speak English. She

commented on the difference between speaking English in her home country and in the

United States. She had learned English in China but, “before when I was in China,

English is just a class. I speak English to pass a exam. Yeah, it’s not like a language, so

now, its like I’m having exam everyday so which is very tough for me.” In China her

English classes had focused more on reading and writing than on speaking. As a result,

she had limited experience with speaking and often needed more time to think before she

could speak in English. She described English as a barrier and said that she sometimes

felt “slower” and “stupid” in her American classes. She also said that she still did not

know how to joke in English, “but I’m not a … boring person in Chinese so a lot of fun

when I speak in Chinese, yeah we can make fun each other, like, very comfortable and

fun.” Hofstede (2001) explains that humor is culture specific and jokes are the most

difficult to translate from one language to another. Miss China said that sometimes when

she spoke or wrote in English it was really “Chinglish.” She explained Chinglish as

“what I am talking now ... English and Chinese is totally different language … totally

different system and sometimes the order of sentence is different (He & Li, 2009; Yano,

2001). So when I speak English maybe it’s … weird for native speakers.” She also said

that her pronunciation and accent were an integral part of “Chinglish.” She felt that, “it is

part of my personality … it make me special, so I am proud of that I am a Chinese so I

can speak in Chinglish as long as other people can understand me.”

Miss Philippines discussed a similar use of her native language. She spoke her

native language Filipino with family members on the phone, or with friends or when she

46
and her friends did not want people to understand what they were saying, they would use

their native language. She said that she often spoke in “Taglish” which is a combination

of English, Tagalog, and Filipino because, “even when I was in the Philippines, it’s hard

to express myself in pure Filipino so … you know, we tend to use Taglish.” Miss

Philippines observed that in addition to her own accent, “the pronunciation or the accent,

is, you know is the distinction, sometime if you can’t see the person and they are

speaking, you can tell from what country the person is from by their accent.” Mr.

Thailand said that he preferred not to use his native language because he needed to

practice his spoken English, but “when I spoke English to Thai student … then that’s

weird. Because respect to each other.” He did not want to be disrespectful to them, so he

would speak in Thai to them, but he felt that since they had all come to the United States,

they all needed to make an effort to speak in English.

Mr. Pakistan disapproved of the use of native languages by his professors and

classmates in educational settings. He spoke his native language Urdu with his friends

and roommates in relaxed, personal settings but expressed his preference for speaking

English in class and at work because “here, everybody's own language is English. You

supposed to talk in English. That's for everybody in the class. Some guy talk to you in

your native language doesn't look nice. That's I feel is not correct.”

The second trait that became evident during the interviews was the evidence of the

collective mind set of the Asian cultures (Gudykunst, 1994; Gudykunst & Kim, 1992;

Hofstede, 2001). Miss China expressed that it would not be appropriate for her to use the

services of the Learning Resource Center (LRC) on campus extensively since it was for

everybody and not for her use alone. She also did not expect her professors to help her

47
with her English skills during class time because it was, “not fair for the other students.

They paid for the class too. They need to learn as much as they can of the class, not sit

there, you know, learn English with me.”

Mr. Pakistan spoke at length about his family. They had spent a lot of money to

send him to the United States for his education because he was the only son in the family.

His younger sister was studying computer science in Pakistan. His parents had

encouraged and supported his aspirations to get a higher degree in the United States and

he wanted to succeed for them. He said that he, “work(ed) hard to … fulfill their dreams

and stuff. Because you know there they invest a lot in us, you know so you have to give

them result.” He wanted to do well at school, “so if I am successful, it's gonna be their

success. They put all the stuff in me.” With respect to his classmates, Mr. Pakistan spoke

about working together as a group and not only helping each other but also covering up

for the weaknesses of some classmates. He said that he was very careful when correcting

his classmates or making any suggestions to them.

I'm not gonna say to the other guy, you're doing this wrong. He's feel you know

aggressive and he'll not like it. I usually say that let’s do this, this way, should we

do it this way? It's look nice or no? You need people to feel okay, okay. The

people going to feel bad that I'm going to correct them, so they feel bad.

He also said that reliance on friends and classmates could be harmful to personal growth.

Because when you come to the master level, a false sense come to you. I know

how to do this things. I can figure it out. Some way because you got the good

friend circle, you know four five people okay. If I am not find anyone, I am not

able to get help, I can figure out from that … so take the help from that guy.

48
 Differences in Educational Experiences

The participants were asked to compare teaching learning experiences in their home

countries and the United States. They were able to identify a few similarities and some

major differences based on their personal experiences. Miss Korea commented that

schools in Seoul were highly technologically advanced. She was very surprised to see

that some students still presented large handwritten posters when making classroom

presentations. She said that all students used laptop computers in classes in her home

country and that they had been using “hybrid classes” many years before she came to the

United States. Miss Bhutan had earned her undergraduate degree in India, but

remembered the wooden floors of her classrooms and that there was one portable

projector which took a long time to start running in the single engineering college in

Bhutan a few years ago. She said that since Bhutan was a developing country, many

young people were able to get scholarships from the government to study in countries

such as India and the United States. Miss Philippines said that education in her home

country was “patterned” on the American system (Friginal, 2007) and that her teachers

were all highly educated, but did not have doctoral degrees like her American teachers

did.

One significant difference was class sizes and the second difference was with

regard to classroom participation. Hofstede (2001) points out, that classrooms in

collectivistic cultures are likely to be teacher centered. Mr. Thailand said that during the

freshman and sophomore years of his undergraduate education in industrial engineering

in Thailand, there were five hundred students in each class. Once the students reached

junior level and had selected specific majors, then the class sizes became smaller. He

49
said, “in Thailand small class mean forty people, this mean small class to me. But here

now, seventeen or sometimes six.” Mr. Pakistan said that in his home country, “the

classrooms are overcrowded too much. There are sometimes two hundred people in the

classes. Two hundred people in the class! What you can get out of that class?” He also

said that, “over there they say learn this thing and the exam is going to come from this.

They (students) read the guide and the old book for the whole night, and they go and

write everything in one exam.” He hated the education system in his home country

because, “basically they are not teaching you anything. They just want you to memorize.

It doesn't help to memorize and then go and write everything there.”

Classroom participation was important for Miss China during her undergraduate

program in her home country. She would have about twenty people in her classes, but all

the information was given by the teacher in a lecture format. It was important not to miss

classes or the information given by the teachers because students were called upon one by

one to answer questions in class. She said that, “if you can’t answer it you’re gonna lose

credit. So, too much preparing credit. If we know the question or we can guess the

question and we are just looking the textbook.” It was also important to know all the

information given by the teacher because it was sure to appear on exams. “The teacher

write something on the blackboard, that is the most important thing in your life, definitely

you should have otherwise you won’t pass the exam.” Mr. Thailand reported a similar

experience. He said that, “in Thailand they say, one, two, three four five, done! If you

don’t do exactly what the professor said, then it's all wrong.” He also said that, “(in) the

States we have a lot of discussion group but in Thailand no.” Miss Bhutan remembered

that in her home country, “the teacher just asks the question and then you just have to

50
answer that particular thing you have been given in the notebook.” Mr. Pakistan was glad

that he had not attended university in his home country because if students ask “question

over there in the class, the professor will keep an eye on you! He may … reflect that

thing in your result! He will lower all your marks! It's better not to ask too many

questions over there.”

Relationships with American Instructors

All the participants commented on their relationships and experiences with

American instructors. Razfar’s (2003) study indicated that the relationship between a

student and instructor can be positive or negative, but certainly not neutral. Miss Bhutan

said that most of her instructors did not really know her because she was quiet in her

classes. One professor had expressed an interest in knowing more about her home

country since it was small and not well known. Another professor knew her through her

written work, so he would make an effort to call upon her to answer questions in class, so

“that’s the two subjects where I where the instructor knows me, other than that no.” She

did communicate with her instructors via emails if she had questions or needed assistance

with difficult problems. She said that, “they do respond to all our queries and the

problems we have, and sometimes even they are busy right? So sometimes it takes some

time to get back to us.” Mr. Thailand who is also in the Engineering Management

program said that his relationship with his instructors was, “good. If I have any questions,

I ask them in email or sometime after class. It’s really good. They are very good. They try

to help.”

Mr. Pakistan was studying the same major so he had the same group of instructors.

He reported many positive experiences with his instructors. He said that they were all

51
professionals from the field and were always available and willing to help him with

constructive suggestions. “One of my professor, last semester I was with him in, on the

quality management, he attempted to and he told me hey you can do six sigma green belt

do this … course, you'll get a job.” He explained that “six sigma green belt” was a quality

assurance certification that would enhance his educational qualifications. He felt strongly

about making appointments to meet with them rather than just dropping in on them

unannounced. He said that his friends or classmates often did that, “most of them don't

know the proper way to approach the teacher. Most of the people, they go straightaway

and open, knock the door, and things.” He further said that,

Basically we got this from back home culture. Back home they don't care about

this things. They think everybody is free over there. They just think that this is

fine, this they inherited from there. Not here, it's not right.

He believed that he was using the right way to approach his professors by sending them

emails with his requests for meetings or his questions about difficult problems. He had no

problems getting responses from his instructors or setting up appointments to meet with

them when needed.

Miss Korea reported similar positive experiences with her American instructors.

She said that she had a “pretty good relationship” with them. She said that she used to go

and meet her instructors during their office hours. She appreciated it when her instructors

gave her a lot of comments and suggestions for improvement on her papers. Chandler

(2003) reported a similar finding. Miss Korea then took advantage of office hours to

review the comments with her instructors and understand how she could improve her

written English. It was during such meetings with one of her professors that, “I showed

52
that like I wanna do this, like I don’t know this, so she realized my passion ... even

though I cannot speak that much…. So she this semester she hired me as her RA

(research assistant).” She continued to say that,

I think she when she offered me that position last semester, I was almost like

crying because I was so happy about it, and then she’s gonna be, she’s the chair of

my committee, my thesis committee, and then she asked lots of professors to be

on my committee because she wanna help me out. Because she want me to go to

the PhD program so she’s setting up like lots of those kind of like my background,

I think do think that the office hour was really helpful for me.

Miss Philippines liked her instructors and said that they were helpful and empathetic to

the international student experience. She said that one of her professors,

She gives us like recommendation on what to do, and since now I’m looking for

internships so I can practice my, my, my career, she is even helpful, like yeah,

you should practice since you are here, it will be a chance for you to do that, you

know.

She did wish that her instructors “could just speak slowly sometimes!” She appreciated it

when her instructors brought handouts to class because,

Sometimes … it's hard for us to catch even if it's just one … part of the slide, it's

hard for you to catch all, so handouts. Then speak slowly and clearly, and there

are also professors who are from other countries. They also have problems with

the accent, but for us, I have problems with my accent too, so I don’t really mind.

Miss China had good experiences with her advisor and most of her instructors.

She said that she was close to her advisor and her practicum supervisor and that they

53
would meet for meals. Her advisor had taken her shopping and to local tourist spots as

well; however she reported one bad experience with an instructor that had left an

impression on her. She had turned in a paper for a class assignment to this instructor. She

said that, “when I turn in the paper the instructor was not very satisfied and he marked a

lot of grammar and spelling mistakes ... It’s like he don’t want me to use this word, he

thinks it’s better for me to use another one so I loosed a lot of credits.” She said that this

was not her “first paper in America.” She had turned in other papers before and the other

instructors, “appreciate my opinion my thoughts and they do correct my usage of words

but not like that strict.” So she had revised the paper and turned it in again. “But again it

come back to me with a lot of grammar and the word thing it make me feel like I totally

have no idea how to speak English. And C for paper? It's like impossible for me! I never

got a C!” She felt that he had lowered her grade on the paper because,

He doesn’t agree with my opinion on the paper which make me angry. I mean I’m

sad with grammar thing but I’m angry with the other thing because I don’t think

it’s right for the instructor to lower the grade for the student because he doesn’t

agree with her opinion.

She later said that “I feel like he’s just ignore me on class. For ... the other instructors,

because I’m the only international student in the class they always like to listen to my

perspective. But for him, it’s like he doesn’t have the patience.” When asked if she had

discussed these issues with the instructor, her response was, “I’m not dare to.” Lee and

Rice (2007) reported that such experiences can have a negative effect on international

students.

54
 Experiences with Spoken English

All the participants reported that they were required to participate in their classes

and give presentations in groups. Classroom participation provides students with

opportunities to receive comprehensible input and produce comprehensible output

(Krashen, 1992, 1995, 2003). None of the participants expressed any fears or negative

feelings about these experiences. They did however report individual differences in their

experiences with the use of the spoken language in academic settings.

Miss China said that speaking in classes was comfortable for her because she was

part of a cohort. Individuals from collectivistic cultures are likely to prefer working in

groups (Hofstede, 2001; Wintergerst, DeCapua & Verna, 2003). Her classmates were

very supportive of her and would either assist her with using the right word when

speaking in class, or wait for her to respond or complete a response. She said that, “when

I finally give something useful, they seem to be more happier than me! Like good, good

Miss China! It’s very happy, pleasant experience to like work with together with them, I

really like it.” It was not as comfortable for her when her class was required to work with

students from another class. She said that when “we gonna have group discussion or

projects with they are strangers so … I just feel not very comfortable. I gonna feel

nervous. I’m afraid what if I complete last for the group, I feel guilty.” Miss China felt

that it would be very helpful for her to improve her spoken English if the university

offered an “English Corner” like the one she had experienced at her school in China.

When she was getting her undergraduate degree in China, she was a regular participant at

an “English Corner” where Chinese students met with exchange students from other

countries each week to practice their spoken English.

55
 Miss Bhutan admitted that she did not speak up much in her classes but

presentations were mandatory for her. She said that,

I normally don’t speak up much in the class, but then when I have to do a

presentation I am comfortable using English, but then sometimes since it's not our

mother language, I do get stuck up with the particular words you know when you

try to explain it and you want your points to come across to the audience.

She explained that this problem was because “back home since, I wouldn’t say we are

suppressed, but … we have that instilled in us that we should respect the elders, the

teachers and all that, right?” It was because of her culture (Hofstede, 2001) and her

upbringing that, “even if you feel like, even if you have a doubt, you can’t really speak up

in the … class.” She was self conscious about speaking up in her classes because, “I want

to talk, but it's I feel if I say this out and it's wrong, what would others think, what if it's

wrong, I would get embarrassed.” Capraro (2002) and Kim (2003) found that

international students in the United States tend to express concerns about their speech and

pronunciation. Miss Bhutan was learning to adapt to the American ways of education and

the freedom to speak up in her classes and felt that, “it's kind of nice, to kind of have a

freedom like that. She expressed regret that there were no American students in her

classes because she had hoped to learn more about the American culture and also

improve her spoken English with the help of her classmates. She felt that if the university

offered some sort of “interactive session with the American students … we can learn

about their culture or the way they have been brought up and then we could improve our

English by interacting with them.”

Miss Korea was a communication studies major and had to do many class

56
presentations. She said that she enjoyed them but it was difficult for her when she first

started attending her classes. She said that,

When I didn’t speak English well in the classroom, I think they (classmates)

didn’t care about me that much. Like when I try to speak up slowly, slowly,

they’re like oh whatever, and they’re tell something, and those kind of feeling,

and … during the last semester, I think I just proved myself to lots of people.

She also commented on her classmates’ English skills, “in my classroom, like there are so

many like native speaker of English … I think something most of them they use like

slang and very like, like not formal English, so I feel like what are you talking about?”

Miss Philippines was conscious about her accent as well as the accents of her fellow

students. She was open to learning and improving her English skills but also admitted to

feeling intimidated that people might not understand what she was saying because of her

accent. She acknowledged that, “I really need to shove that shyness away and not be

intimidated by how I speak, because what matters is not my accent, as long as they

understand me. That’s what matters, right?” She was willing to be corrected by her

classmates if she mispronounced a word and gave an example of a situation.

One time when I said a word, (the classmate said) oh you mean this word. I said,

oh isn’t it the same? Should I pronounce it that way? Oh, okay, now I know! I

mean it's my classmates who is correcting me, not some people I don’t know or I

would say why is he correcting me?

Mr. Thailand said that he had no problems understanding native speakers of

English. He said, “For native speaker, I understand them perfectly, because I watch TV

everyday I get used to (it).” However when it came to communicating with people who

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had strong accents, such as his classmates who were mainly Indians, he said that they

“speak real fast.” He went on to elaborate and said that, “It’s very hard! Okay, can you

please slow down and say that again?” For example,

I have difficulty with I mean, Vietnamese accent? It was difficult to understand, I

mean for me. But I can relate, I can understand them because I was there before.

The first time I came here, no-one understand me. I have very thick Thai accent,

oh my God, you say what? You say what? You know, okay, that’s difficult, but

try to understand it, put yourself in their mind, in their position. If you were them,

what would you do?

Mr. Thailand felt that it would help if the university offered more “campus life” and

volunteer opportunities. He thought it would be fun to go and volunteer his time with old

people because they needed someone to walk with them to talk to and complain to and he

could use his interactions with them to improve his spoken English. He was very clear

that it was his responsibility to improve his speaking skills and that while he would

appreciate help from classmates or his instructors, he did not expect it from them because

it was important for him to prepare for the real world.

Mr. Pakistan expressed a similar opinion about the importance of learning to speak

English correctly because his master’s degree was preparing him to work in the real

world. He said that acquiring the knowledge of the subject or major was certainly

important, but equally important was the need to communicate correctly so that the other

person could understand him. He was of the opinion that,

You will learn, but that learning will not be to the learning supposed to be to the

level. You supposed to be good. Then you doing your master degree and you go

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 somewhere for the interview then you not going to handle yourself properly over

there. If someone ask you and you not gonna understand what he's saying. There's

a communication gap that's not properly covered, so that mean, you have not did

the right thing!

He was very aware that “because of this, cultural difference and not being a native

language, I am not as good in conversation as my other friends are…many of my friends

they are from here, brought up here. They … are better than me.” He was also concerned

about his classmates,

Who give the TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) exam when they

came here. It's like people over there read two, three books … learn everything …

go through the exam and pass it. But, but when you came to the real scenario, the

things gonna change.

He continued to say that, “if your English is good, you can conversate anything to the

other people. So I feel that I have to improve.”

Experiences with Reading

Reading and writing are an integral part of language use in the academic setting.

Learning styles and strategies generally depend on personal preferences (Hirose, 2003;

Sanaoui, 1995; Wintergerst, DeCapua & Verna, 2003). All the participants identified the

specific strategies that they used when reading, especially their textbooks. They did not

identify any specific learning experience through which they had learned them or any

reasons for using their preferred strategies. Miss China used two types of electronic

dictionaries: Chinese-English and English-English. Her textbooks were filled with notes

in Chinese. She had experienced difficulties with reading her textbooks when she first

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started attending classes, “so I went home, began to re-read the chapter and tried to pick

up the pieces I have in my notes, which is not very helpful, so I have to learn by myself

by reading the book with my dictionary.” Her advisor had told her that it would be better

for her if she used the English-English dictionary because doing that would help her to

improve her English. She said that she did make an effort to use it, but sometimes, if she

was too tired, or she needed to find some information quickly, she preferred to use her

Chinese-English dictionary because, “graduate school is tough, we have a lot of reading,

and I rarely have time to look up every word in the English-English dictionary which cost

me much more time to finish.” She confessed that she sometimes would read just the first

and last lines of paragraphs in her assigned readings. As a result, she missed the essential

pieces of information in her readings and then had difficulties understanding the

discussions in her classes.

Miss Korea showed the researcher an article that she had been reading. Different

portions of writing had been highlighted with different colors because, “I only use one

color for one concept, so when I change the concept or when the article changed

explaining those concept, I use different highlighter so for me I just do this.” She also

used a pencil to visually break up longer, complicated sentence structures into smaller,

easier to understand segments. She too reported that she sometimes felt the need to refer

to an electronic dictionary, but “now I totally change my strategy, I don’t like any kind of

… Korean translation, I put like English like … very similar, or like very English

meaning over there so I can learn more like English language from that meaning.” She

also liked to summarize her readings in one or two sentences per paragraph so that they

would be easier to understand as well as remember.

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Mr. Thailand said that he preferred to read, “in my own way, I learn I read anything, I

visualize.” He preferred to read his engineering books in this manner because,

It’s easy to remember. This picture in your head, this picture, this picture, this

picture, it’s easy. If you read and this keyword, this keyword, this keyword, it’s

difficult. You have to read again, but I read very slow, but one time only you

visualize and you understand the picture.”

Mr. Pakistan said that when he first started his master’s degree program, he had

experienced some difficulties with reading because he would tend to fall back on his old

habit of memorizing the readings. When his friends had observed him doing that,

“everybody told me why you memorizing? It's no need! He (the professor) gonna give

you the book in the exam! Why you memorizing it?” So he changed his reading strategy

and then, “started focusing on how to get knowledge out of this book.” This too was not

easy. At first he did not know how to read for knowledge, so he would go and talk to his

professors who explained to him that,

You have to go into that scenario. That is someone is generating a formula for

probability, it's … why he generated formula. Because why the need come? First

there's the problem, and then he generate the formula. You use that formula to

solve these ten, fifteen kinds of problems!

He learned to read, highlight important sections in his books, take notes and utilized

additional books for references in order to gain knowledge. He explained that it was not

about rote memorization in the United States but about understanding and applying the

information learned to solve problems. He said that, “(the) teacher, they, they put a very

difficult exam, they give you the book. They say go to the scenario and think about the

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problem, how it’s gonna be solved. I think that's the real education, you know.”

Experiences with Written English

Writing was not easy for the participants either. Miss Korea’s initial attempts at

writing were not at all positive because, “I got the lots of marked down, and then like oh

my God, I don’t wanna study, because writing, I hate writing.” She persisted with her

efforts to learn how to write by memorizing her grammatical errors and avoiding them.

She had attempted to use the services of the LRC on campus, but she had been denied

opportunities to make appointments with the tutors because she had cancelled one

appointment one hour before the actual appointment. She had thought that this was

unfair, but had persisted in her desire to utilize their services and had walked in for

assistance. She had to wait for one hour before someone could assist her. She received a

30 minute session with a tutor who pointed out all her errors and told her to “fix it.” She

also commented that, “they’re pretty slow in correcting those kind of grammatical error,

so I spent like 30 minutes covering only one page. So it's kind of waste of time, so yeah, I

think I used it just once.” One of her professors had finally given her an A on one of her

final papers with comments about the logical order of her ideas and her correct use of the

language. She said that she had been able to improve her writing skills because,

I only use like a hundred of a like almost like hundred like writing like example?

But I wanna sometimes, I wanna write something more like really good, so when

I read the article or some kind of book, or maybe when I watch TV, when I …

read magazine, I found it like really good expression? I wrote, I write down on the

post-it, I put it near my, on my like my desk, so when I’m writing, I’m gonna like

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 oh, that’s the expression, I’m got it about that area so I just can use that

expression.

In response to a follow up question on the UDWPE (Upper Division Writing Proficiency

Exam) that Miss Korea had taken and passed as part of the university’s requirements, she

said that she had not experienced any difficulty when writing the test because it had been

based on a topic that she was familiar with. When asked about her thoughts on her

response to the writing prompt for this study she said that, “it was hard for me. That's

because I am not a citizen here. I did not have any interests about LA governor's tax

policy.”

Miss Korea did not obtain a passing score on the writing prompt. Her total score

was five. The first reader commented that Miss Korea’s essay “manifests confusion about

the topic … (it) lacks focus. The organization is weak and the arguments against the

author’s position are poorly articulated and unconvincing.” The first reader further

commented that that this participant’s essay demonstrated “difficulties with grammar and

mechanics.” However the second reader was of the opinion that “the grammatical

structure of the sentences seems to be above average and she seems to have an

understanding of essay writing and grammatical development.”

Miss Bhutan said that, “I wouldn’t brag it, but I am very comfortable using written

English.” She attributed this to the high quality of education in her home country, the fact

that many of her instructors in Bhutan were Indians who spoke good English and that she

had learned to use the language from an early age. She preferred to write in simple

English because, “I don’t feel it's appropriate to use a big word out of nowhere so that’s

what I look at it sometimes. Most of the times I use simple English.” She also said that

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her instructors did not provide any comments about her writing skills because her major,

Engineering Management was a “very technical field with a very technical background.

Nobody does that.” In response to a follow up question on the UDWPE that she had

taken and passed as part of the university’s requirements, she said that she had not

experienced any difficulty when writing the test because it had been based on a topic that

she was familiar with. She did express that she had found it difficult to respond to the

writing prompt for this study because it was based on an issue that she knew nothing

about.

Miss Bhutan obtained a passing score of eight on the writing prompt. The first

reader commented that Miss Bhutan had adequately organized, developed and generally

supported her ideas with appropriate reasons and examples. Her essay demonstrated

“fairly reasoned arguments although on one occasion the student became overly

dependent on summary to make his point.” The reader had noticed “some lapses in

grammar and mechanics but not enough to detract from meaning.” The second reader

said that Miss Bhutan’s “essay appears to be well thought out with good supporting

evidence.” The reader further commented that the essay indicated that “the student has a

clear understanding of the original article and is able to give examples to support why he

agrees with what the article is saying. The essay exhibits some grammar and usage

problems.”

Miss China had not allowed her single experience with receiving a C on one paper

to deter her from working hard to improve her written English. She said that she went to

the LRC on campus for assistance with her papers. She thought that they were able to

offer her limited help because the writing tutors were experienced in writing skills but not

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in the subject matter of her major. She said that, “they just … tell me what they are

thinking about, and they have not been students in my class so that don’t know the

requirement or appreciate my paper … they want to change so it’s not very helpful for

me.” When asked to reflect on her level of skill in written English, she simply said, “I

work, I’m more confident with my written English but that’s what most of my instructor

told me, someone told me that I can write better than some American student.” In

response to a follow up question on the UDWPE that she had taken and passed as part of

the university’s requirements, she said that it “was easy but I feel like it's not my thing.

It's only designed for American students and didn't consider about international students

who are not familiar with American culture and society.”

Miss China scored seven on the writing prompt. This was not a passing score.

According to the first reader, Miss China had successfully identified some of the main

points of text in the first paragraph, but, had failed to adequately develop them in the

body of the essay. “She relied on anecdotal observations and a succession of

generalizations with little or no effort to tie such reactions to the main focus of the

writing task. There was also evidence of accumulation of errors in grammar, usage and

mechanics.” The second reader made a similar observation to say that “the … thesis

statement indicated that the student did not understand exactly what was being said in the

article.” Instead of using examples from the article the student had used “examples

regarding China, taxes, and government in general to conclude that leadership is an art.”

The second reader also pointed out that “although she does make a number of

grammatical errors, she uses complex sentences, appears to have an above average level

of vocabulary, and an understanding of essay organization.”

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 Miss Philippines admitted that her greatest weakness was related to the use of the

APA (American Psychological Association) writing style. She did not have to use this

writing style in her home country and found it difficult to use in her first classes in the

master’s degree program. She had almost been accused of plagiarism by one of her

instructors because she had not included information about a website in her list of

references in a paper that she had submitted. She had explained to her instructor that she

was unfamiliar with the APA style and, “thank God, she understand.” She was enrolled in

her research methods class at the time of the interviews and reported that, “we promised

each other that we’re gonna work on my APA.” She did not seek any help with writing

her papers. She preferred to write, proof read, and edit her papers without any help, but

felt that “sometimes you can miss a lot of things, you have to read and read again, before

you can catch, what the mistakes are.” She was unaware of the services offered by the

LRC on campus. When the researcher informed her about the help they could provide,

she expressed interest and willingness to go there for assistance with her writing,

“because sometimes what you cannot see, they might see, so that can be helpful.” She

also commented that had she known that the APA style was going to be so important for

her master’s degree program, she would have learned more about it while she was in the

Philippines waiting for her student visa to be approved. In response to a follow up

question on the UDWPE that she had taken and passed as part of the university’s

requirements, she said that she had read the sample tests in preparation for the actual test

but since she did not have any knowledge about the topic, she had to rely entirely on the

reading material which formed the basis of the test.

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 Miss Philippines received a passing score of eight on the writing prompt.

According to the first reader, Miss Philippines had written a “barely adequate essay but

the student demonstrated accurate understanding of the passage.” The reader stated that

the essay was “lacking sustained examples or observations;” however, the reader also

commented, “student demonstrates some control of grammar, usage and mechanics.”

Conversely, the second reader stated that Miss Philippines “clearly states her argument in

her introductory paragraph.” She “could have developed her essay a bit more fully by

adding additional examples.” This reader was of the opinion that “grammar and usage is

quite good even though there are a number of flaws.”

With regard to wring, especially the numerous reports that were an important part of his

major, Mr. Thailand said that, “it depends, if I have to write a report, I tell the summary

first and the details later, but if I write the essay, then introduction, body paragraph and

conclusion, something like that. Get used to pattern.” He also liked the practice of

brainstorming because, “I circle the things, I separate the clusters.” He said that he found

brainstorming more useful than free writing. He was clear about his opinion of free

writing when he said that,

I think it’s like oh my God, that’s a lot! You waste time a lot, oh my God, so

where should I start? This one, or this one, or this one? If you use the cluster, you

get the point. Yeah, this section, this section, this section come after this section.

Mr. Thailand believed in reviewing his work and correcting his errors without seeking

any help from anybody because, “in real life, no-one correct you! Only you and the boss!

You have to correct yourself, okay it's wrong, this is mistake, you learn it, okay next time

don’t do it.” He described a well written paper as “well organized, good vocabulary and

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good transition.” He used the analogy of using a left turn signal while driving to describe

the appropriate use of transitions in his papers. He described the use of the conjunction

“but” as a “hard turn” and said that, “you have to move it smoothly, okay, however,

nevertheless, something like that.” In response to a follow up question on the UDWPE

that he had taken and passed as part of the university’s requirements, Mr. Thailand

described the requirements of the test. He thought that the writing prompt for this study

was “tough though, but it's not too hard if I prepare for it.”

Mr. Thailand did not receive a passing score on the writing prompt. His total

score was four. The first reader commented that Mr. Thailand’s essay was “seriously

flawed in the area of development.” It “demonstrated simplistic and general

understanding of the passage … and was marred by numerous errors in grammar, usage

and mechanics that frequently interferes with meaning.” The second reader stated that

“his essay does not have a comprehensible thesis.” This reader went on to say that,

“although, on the surface, it appears that the student has knowledge of essay organization

and use of transitions, etc., a further inspection of the essay indicates that the writer

cannot clearly express the points he is trying to make.”

Mr. Pakistan stated that business reports were an important part of his

Engineering Management program. According to him, “for this master level, your thing

supposed to be near or hundred percent.” He said that it was very important to be able to

write well and communicate clearly in his field, because,

If you do such a silly mistake in the industry, nobody care about you. Lot of

people there in the queue, they can try the next one! To make your position you

have to be, you know, good in these types of things.

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He was aware that his writing skills were not as good as they needed to be for his

master’s degree. He said that poor writing skills would not serve him well in his field

because,

If someone is reading your business plan, and he read the statement and all that,

then what is this man? It's no writing, then no working with the business plan and

grammatical mistake and all that you know, your impression gonna be down. And

then whatever the expectation is going to be down.

Mr. Pakistan said that he preferred to plan his papers by first creating an outline, then

conducting research online and by reading books, and then writing the paper. He

described a well written paper or report as one that was clearly written, expressed ideas in

a logical sequence, used grammatically correct English and sustained the reader’s interest

Many of his written assignments were group projects where each group member was

responsible for one portion of the paper. They each did their portion and then combined

their work to create the final paper. He thought that it was best to read his own work,

identify errors and then correct them himself. He felt that, “If your English is good, you

can conversate anything to the other people.” He was aware of the services offered by the

LRC and had utilized them sometimes, but he felt that they did not help him to improve

his writing skills. He acknowledged that, “they tell you the proper way but that will not

help you improve yourself. That will help you improve your report but not yourself.” So

he preferred to identify his weak areas and work on correcting them so that when he

wrote a report and somebody in his field read it,

If it's a good representable form and it's a good English, then it's going to be

entirely different impression on the person who is reading. It's, he’s gonna think

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 the guy who wrote it is a professional, he’s intelligent, and he know how to

represent himself.

Mr. Pakistan went on to say that his instructors recommended the use of the LRC for

students who needed help with their written English and instead focused on the

curriculum because, “the professor is thinking that I have the curriculum, I have to cover

it in this semester.” He said that, “they think the reports should be in the proper way. But

they don’t tell you anything. They only tell you to go to the LRC.” He disagreed with

this. He thought that since “all the international student like came from third world

country” it would be very useful for international students to have to take a “compulsory”

one unit or a three unit class that would help them to work on their spoken and written

English. He said that since the use of the LRC was optional many students did not use it.

He had often suggested to his friends who demonstrated difficulties with the use of the

English language that it would be worth the expense to take an English class, but, “they

say why I have to spend three unit fee over there and why I have to pay over there, why I

have to go over there? So they don’t care.” But if they were all required to take a class at

the beginning of their academic program and, “if it's part of the curriculum then

everybody can do by themselves. If you’re if you get that skills, I think you’re gonna be

in more better position I think in the industry.” In response to a follow up question on the

UDWPE that he had taken and passed as part of the university’s requirements Mr.

Pakistan said that he was happy to refresh his writing skills after a long time. Taking the

UDWPE as well as responding to the writing prompt for this study reminded him that, “I

was getting out of touch with writing skills and I should work on it.”

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 Mr. Pakistan received a passing score of eight on the writing prompt. According

to the first reader, Mr. Pakistan’s “syntactic variety and rich diction contributes

significantly to the essay’s fluidity.” This reader felt that the “examples are global and

appropriate, giving the essay a certain richness.” However the reader felt that “the student

slighted the task of summarizing the main points of the prompt.” The second reader

observed that “he takes the concepts of government, management, and taxes to discuss

the development of countries.” An area of concern was that “he never addresses the

article. The organization is a bit confusing in terms of his main idea. However, he does

give substantial examples.” The reader acknowledged that the “grammatical structure of

his sentences seems to be quite good, and he uses an extensive vocabulary.”

Perceptions about English Language Proficiency and Academic Success

The participants expressed their perceptions about academic success based on a

comparison of their experiences in their home countries and in the United States. Miss

Bhutan had chosen to pursue a master’s degree in the United States because she was

interested in higher education. She said that, “I feel that academic success should be that

where you get to really understand the subject you are in and really see how that fits into

the working environment.” She said that “academic success is not only cramming up the

things in the books, it is just like it should be like understanding what you are reading it.”

She continued to explain that since her major was a highly technical one,

most of the questions are technical, we really need to understand the meanings of

that questions … and then if you have a good grasping, if you are good English

grasping then that helps a lot, so I felt that my GPA relates to how good I am in

English.

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 Miss China had decided to come to the United States and get a master’s degree

because she liked psychology and counseling. She and her boyfriend decided to come to

southern California because they believed that they would experience less discrimination

and find more work opportunities in this part of the United States. In her opinion,

“sometime the GPA is not very good at indicate how much you have learned on class.” It

was not very difficult for her to obtain a high GPA, but she said that,

Sometimes I got confused what my goal is, like do I here to get a good GPA and

come home? Or do I want to like ignore the GPA whatever I can get as long as I

can learn this thing I want to learn.

Her sadness was visible on her face and in her voice when she said that, “I think my

English skills so far reduced my GPA.” This was because her GPA was based on her

written assignments and since her English grammar and writing were not as good as her

professors expected, she lost credits for her papers which in turn reduced her GPA.

However, she focused on one ultimate goal when she said, “I hope … that when I

graduate, I go to the job interview I can give … a good transcript with a high GPA and …

with my ability with counseling, I can do a good job.”

Miss Korea wanted to get an education beyond her bachelor’s degree in English

literature. She was not interested in mass communication which was the only related

major available in her home country, so she had explored some options in other countries

and decided to come to southern California where she had friends, to work on a master’s

degree in Communication Studies. According to her, “getting a high grade is the only

way I can prove myself to everybody…. So I study everyday, I study, I work so hard,

yeah.”

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She expressed awareness of the fact that she was not a native English speaker,

But I understand the structure I need to use while writing. And then teachers like

those kind of like structures like writing sentence? They like straightforward

sentence, they like really like logical like flow in the writing, so … I’m just

gonna, I just wanna write what they wanted. So I think that’s the way, I think after

I understand those kind of process, those writing issue in English, I think my GPA

is get better.

She elaborated her thoughts about academic success by stating that, “people with

academic success they do know about the theory more than that. So they know the theory

and they’re like here, they know how to apply the theory to reality…. They have a big

vision in the area.”

Mr. Pakistan had given up a successful job with the Shell Corporation in the United

Kingdom to pursue his master’s degree in the United States because he was aware of his

deficiencies in the area of management. He also wanted a higher education that would

enable him to get a higher paying job. He was in the United States to learn and improve

and believed that, “if my English skills are better, I can do more.” He was aware that he

was not as good with conversation as his American born friends were and that his written

reports played an important role in increasing his GPA. He acknowledged that GPA was

important, but, “if you go into the race of GPA, you will lose the knowledge

somewhere.” He believed that “success … is to get knowledge. I think knowledge is the

key to success. If you have knowledge of anything, you can make yourself better.”

Miss Philippines had always wanted to get a higher degree in a different country

where English was spoken. Her two choices had been the United Kingdom and the

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United States. She had visited the United States and liked a few universities in southern

California. She had decided to attend the site of the study because she felt that it was

“more accessible” for her. She felt that if she had better English skills then she would

have a chance to increase her GPA. When asked to elaborate, she said that if her English

skills were better, she would be able to get a higher GPA. As far as academic success was

concerned, she believed that,

You might know everything right now because it's during the semester, but when

the time comes, like you’re on your own and doing you, your job on your own

and without anyone’s help and anyone’s guidance you know, that’s when you will

know what you really know if you really made it good in school.

Mr. Thailand stated that it was important to, “understand better and you can study

better if you have good vocabulary, you can talk and everything, you can get a good

grade.” He affirmed the importance of the English language even though his major was

highly technical when he exclaimed that “it is the vehicle to communicate!” In his

opinion, “if you have 4.0 and have … good GPA no one guarantee you’re going to be a

good worker…. ability to work with each other.”

Chapter four presented the findings that resulted from the data analysis. The data

revealed the following seven themes: Cultural characteristics, comparison with education

in participants’ home countries, relationships with instructors in the United States,

participants’ experiences with spoken English, participants’ experiences with written

English, and their perceptions of the connection between English language proficiency

and academic success. All the participants expressed concerns about their spoken English

and the need to improve their skills in English. Each participant identified a personal

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preference for improving his or her English skills and acknowledged that there was a

connection between their English language proficiency and academic success. Chapter

five will present the discussion and implications based on the findings.

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 CHAPTER 5

SUMMARY, DISCUSSION OF FINDINGS, CONCLUSIONS, AND

RECOMMENDATIONS

The purpose of this qualitative study was to answer the question, “What are

international graduate students’ perceptions of the connection between English language

proficiency and academic success?”

Background and Setting

In 2007-08 international students comprised 3.5% of all students in the United

States (Institute of International Education, 2009). They are welcomed at American

educational institutions because they contribute to their host campuses with their

intellectual and cultural diversity as well as through their expenditures (Institute of

International Education, 2009; Wan, Chapman & Biggs, 1992). The largest numbers of

international students come from Asian countries such as China, Japan and South Korea,

where English is not the primary language. These students are required to demonstrate

proficiency in English when they seek admission to American educational institutions.

Many studies have examined international students’ use of English as a second language

(Oxford & Shearin, 1994), their native cultures (Quinn, 2001), native languages (Lucas &

Katz, 1994), socio-linguistic competence (Baker, 1990: Krase, 2003), learning strategies

(Anderson, 1991: Griffiths, 2003: Hedgcock & Lefkowitz, 1996) and resulting academic

challenges (Shenoy, 2000). This study was conducted in order to identify international

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students’ perceptions of the connection between language proficiency and academic

success.

The study was conducted at a large four year institution of higher education located in

southern California. Six international graduate students from Asia were selected for

participation in this study. They were all pursuing master’s degrees at this institution.

They included a female from Bhutan who was studying Engineering Management, a

female from China who was studying College Counseling and Student Services, a female

from South Korea who was studying Communication Studies, a male from Pakistan who

was studying Engineering Management, a female from the Philippines who was studying

Nutrition and Dietetics, and a male from Thailand who was studying Engineering

Management. All participants’ identities were kept anonymous by giving them

pseudonyms.

Methodology

The researcher collected data for this case study through a preliminary survey

(Appendix A), for the purpose of gathering demographic information, individual

interviews based on an interview protocol (Appendix C), a journal based on her reactions

to the interviews, and a review of the participants’ responses to a writing prompt

(Appendix D), which was modeled on the Upper Division Writing Proficiency Exam

(UDWPE) (2007). This measure of language proficiency was selected because all

students at the site of this study were required to take and pass the UDWPE in order to

graduate from the university. Each of the six participants was interviewed individually. A

verbatim record of the interviews was obtained by utilizing a tape recorder (Spradley,

1979). The researcher transcribed the interviews, read them, and then coded the data with

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the help of Qualrus, a qualitative software analysis program. She also triangulated the

data obtained from the preliminary survey, the participants’ unofficial transcripts, the

interviews, her journal entries, and the results of the participants’ responses to the writing

prompt to identify and analyze the participants’ perceptions of English language

proficiency and academic success.

Discussion of Findings and Conclusions

The researcher analyzed the data to arrive at her conclusions about the

participants’ perceptions of the connection between English language proficiency and

academic success. The following seven themes emerged from the analysis of the data:

cultural characteristics, comparison with education in participants’ home countries,

relationships with instructors in the United States, participants’ experiences with spoken

English, participants’ experiences with reading, participants’ experiences with written

English, and their perceptions of the connection between English language proficiency

and academic success.

Influence of Native Languages and Cultures

An international student will generally demonstrate some influence of his or her home

culture. This influence could be an accent when he or she speaks in English, or a

preference for talking in the native language on some occasions, or a preference for a

certain group such as the family or friends. First, an international student may speak with

an accent. Miss Bhutan was aware of her Indian accent but did not express any problems

related to it. Miss China was conscious about her accent and the fact that she spoke an

indigenized version of her native language (He & Li, 2009). She called it “Chinglish” and

described it as a combination of her accent, her pronunciation of English words and the

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fact that her sentence structure was likely to be incorrect according to American

standards. Miss Philippines used “Taglish” in many situations. She described it as a

combination of Tagalog, Filipino and English, another indigenized version of the English

language (Friginal, 2007; Jenkins, 2006; Yano, 2001). Miss Philippines was able to

identify people’s home countries by their accents. She not only had to work with her own

accent and that of her American classmates and teachers, but with the different accents of

her classmates who came from different countries. She was comfortable with her accent

and pronunciation and said that the most important thing was being understood by others

(Kachru, 2008). This would suggest that an international student has to work with the

influences of different accents during his or her classes. Such a student may need

additional time or help with the use of the English language. Second, an international

student may prefer to speak in his or her native language in relaxed settings with friends

or relatives. Except for Mr. Thailand who made an effort to speak in English even with

his Thai friends, the participants all spoke in their native languages when they were

speaking to people who spoke the same native languages as themselves. Third, an

international student from an Asian culture is likely to feel strong ties to his or her group

such as the family or classmates (Gudykunst, 1994). Mr. Pakistan felt indebted to his

family for sending him to the United States to pursue his master’s degree in engineering

management. He believed that his success was their success. He also felt that he and his

classmates were likely to help each other as a group, to minimize each other’s

weaknesses with respect to class projects and presentations. He believed that this reliance

on the group could also be a liability for a student who chose to use his or her classmates

for assistance with papers or projects instead of working on areas that need attention.

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Miss China did not feel comfortable making too many demands when utilizing the

services of the Learning Resource Center (LRC). She felt that she was not the only one

using this free service so it would be important for her to use it judiciously. She also felt

that it would not be right for her to expect her instructors to correct her English during

class time since that would deprive her classmates of the instructor’s time and attention.

She was considerate and thoughtful of the needs and rights of her classmates who had

paid for the same classes as she had.

The researcher experienced the evidence of high context communications that are

common among Asian cultures (Hall, 1981) when she was interviewing the participants.

Miss Bhutan was educated in the researcher’s home country, India and Mr. Pakistan had

similar cultural origins. High context communication, which is based on shared cultural

experiences, requires that only information which is absolutely essential be transmitted

between people. The researcher was able to understand some of these participants even

before they had spoken because they shared common cultural traits. There were moments

during the interviews when non verbal communication was as much a part of the

communication as dialogue was. The researcher had to make several deliberate attempts

to ask questions or utilize probes in order to obtain clear response from these two

participants even though she understood what they were trying to tell her without actually

stating their thoughts.

Differences in Educational Experiences

This study revealed that the educational experiences of international students are

likely to be different depending on their home countries. These experiences may be

related to the size of their classrooms, acceptable classroom etiquette, the use of

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technology, or the learning tools they may have acquired in their home countries. An

international student may have been used to large classrooms such as those described by

Mr. Thailand and Mr. Pakistan. A student who has been used to a class of two hundred or

five hundred students is likely to need some time to adapt to smaller class sizes and

individual attention.

Depending on the country of origin and past experience, an international student

may not be used to speaking up in the presence of the teacher. Miss Bhutan found it

difficult to speak up in her classes because her culture had trained her to respect her

teachers and not speak in classes in her home country (Hofstede, 2001). As a result, she

found it difficult to speak up in her American classes. It is possible that an international

student may have been used to limited classroom participation and be inclined to respond

only when called upon like Miss China was used to. She was used to having her teachers

call upon students to respond to questions one by one. Mr. Pakistan said that a teacher in

Pakistan could penalize a student by reducing his or her grades if the student had asked

questions in class. Such a student may not be willing to ask questions in class or join in a

collegial discussion for fear of reprisal from the instructor. It would help if the instructor

were to encourage the student to ask questions and join discussions. While some students

may be restrained in classes due to their past educational experiences, other international

students may have been exposed to advanced practices in education such as utilizing

advanced technological tools in their classrooms. Miss Korea was used to power point

presentations and hybrid classes before she came to the United States. On the other hand,

Miss Bhutan said that classrooms in her home country were not highly advanced and still

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had portable projectors. A student’s familiarity or unfamiliarity with technology is likely

to have an impact on the effectiveness of his or her class participation.

An international student may also be inclined to memorize notes or textbooks

without realizing it if he or she comes from a country like Pakistan where students are

rewarded for memorizing material and successfully passing one final exam. Miss China

mentioned how important it was to know all the information that her Chinese teachers

had presented in class or on the blackboard. She said that information presented by the

teacher was sure to appear on exams, so she was used to focusing only on such

information. A student like Miss China is likely to ignore information or materials that

may not be discussed or required in class such as recommended readings. It would serve

international students well if instructors would take into account the fact that international

students’ educational experiences in their home countries could be significantly different

from those in the United States.

Relationships with American Instructors

All students have interactions with their instructors. In addition to individual

differences, an international student’s culture is likely to influence this relationship.

Based on the information provided by the participants, it would be reasonable to infer

that an international student is likely to value his or her relationship with the instructor.

An instructor could have a positive or a negative impact on an international student

(Razfar, 2003). Miss China had a negative experience with one instructor who gave her a

poor grade for one paper. She was not willing to discuss this issue with the instructor she

simply said, “I’m not dare to.” This could be because she came from China which is a

collectivistic culture (Gudykunst, 1994) where teachers are highly respected and

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classrooms are teacher centered (Hofstede, 2001). A student from a collectivistic culture

is likely to respect and even fear the instructor. In such a case, the student may not feel

comfortable discussing a problem openly with the instructor.

Miss Philippines on the other hand, reported a positive experience with her

American instructor. She had almost been accused of plagiarism by an instructor who had

found that she had not cited her sources correctly according to the style manual of the

American Psychological Association (APA); however when Miss Philippines had

explained that she was from a foreign country and not familiar with the APA style of

writing, the instructor had given her the benefit of the doubt and also encouraged her to

improve her writing skills. Mr. Pakistan reported several positive encounters with his

instructors. He felt comfortable visiting his instructors and asking them questions related

to his major during their office hours after he had made an attempt to set up prior

appointments. One of his instructors had recommended that he study for a specific

certification that would enhance his educational qualifications. Miss Korea had made an

effort to go and meet with her instructor during assigned office hours. This had

eventually materialized into a research assistantship for Miss Korea. Conversely, Mr.

Thailand and Miss Bhutan did not expect much from their instructors because they felt

that the instructors were busy. Each participant’s relationship with his or her instructor

was based on his or her experiences with them. If the instructor appeared to be helpful

and approachable, they felt comfortable asking for help, but if the instructor did not

communicate any willingness to help, then the participant did not reach out. This would

suggest that an instructor can assist an international student to overcome his or her

cultural experiences to establish a positive and productive relationship with him or her.

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Experiences with Spoken English

American classes require students to participate actively in discussions and give

regular presentations. Public speaking can be stressful for an international student due to

his or her accent and pronunciation (Capraro, 2002; Kim, 2003). An international student

from a collectivistic culture is likely to enjoy group work and class participation as a part

of a group. It is possible that an international student like Miss China may enjoy and

appreciate being part of a cohort since this would encourage familiarity with classmates

and a strong support network similar to the groups of his or her collectivistic culture

(Hofstede, 2001; Wintergerst, DeCapua & Verna, 2003). Miss China was the only

participant who belonged to a cohort. She appreciated the support of her classmates and

felt responsible for doing well in her classes because her work would impact their grades

collectively.

Class presentations can also be a source of stress for an international student like

Miss Bhutan who may not have been used to speaking up in classes in her native country.

Miss Bhutan sometimes had difficulties finding the right words when making

presentations, or was simply not used to speaking in front of people. Miss Korea also

reported that her classmates had seemed indifferent to her struggles with speaking up in

her classes when she had first started attending her American classes. Miss Philippines

had to make an effort to “shove that shyness away” when speaking up in her classes.

Mr. Thailand was aware that he did not speak English perfectly and that he still had a

strong Thai accent, but he was open to learning and improvement. So was Mr. Pakistan

who expressed an awareness of the need to speak well in English because it was going to

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be required in the real world when he went for a job interview or spoke to his colleagues.

These participants were aware of their shortcomings with regard to their spoken English

and were making efforts to improve and become productive members of their groups.

They indicated that this was important for the group and for their individual development.

Experiences with Reading

The participants were all required to read for their classes. They identified

strategies that they used when reading; however, their strategies were unstructured and

did not seem to be based on any specific reason for use. Miss China used two types of

electronic dictionaries to read her textbooks. One was a Chinese-English dictionary and

the other was English-English. She reported making an effort to use more of the English-

English dictionary because her advisor had suggested that she do so. She did not always

do this because she found it difficult and time consuming. She wrote many notes in

Chinese in her textbooks so that she would understand the materials easily. Miss China

also reported that she sometimes read just the first and last lines of each paragraph in her

reading materials. This had resulted in her missing out on important information.

Mr. Thailand expressed a personal preference for visualizing the information in

his textbooks. Mr. Pakistan had finally stopped unconsciously memorizing his books. He

said that he now liked to read for knowledge. He did make some notes, but he preferred

to focus on achieving an understanding of the material and preparing for open book

exams. Miss Bhutan, Miss China, Miss Korea, and Miss Philippines all mentioned that

they liked to use highlighters and make notes in their textbooks. They seemed to have

discovered individual strategies that seemed to work best for them. This suggests that an

international student may not be making a conscious decision about strategies when

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reading a textbook. It is possible that a student who utilizes unstructured reading

strategies may not be very successful in learning all the information that is presented in

the reading material.

Experiences with Written English

During the interviews, the participants did not express any urgent concerns with

their written English. Each participant was aware of the need to improve, but they each

also believed that it was an individual responsibility to improve his or her writing skills.

Some of the participants sought assistance from the LRC on campus, but for the most

part, they preferred to work independently. They also reported utilizing some general

strategies such as creating outlines and proof reading their own work prior to submitting

it to their instructors.

Three participants achieved a passing score of eight on the writing prompt. They

were Miss Bhutan, Miss Philippines and Mr. Pakistan. Miss Bhutan reported feeling

comfortable using written English because she had learned it in her home country as well

as in India where she had earned her bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering. She had

found it difficult to respond to the writing prompt because it had been based on an issue

that she was unfamiliar with. The readers who scored the writing prompts had

commented that although her essay was well organized, it demonstrated problems with

grammar and mechanics. Mr. Pakistan believed in working independently to improve his

written English. He preferred not to use the services of the LRC because he felt that they

would improve his papers, but not his skills. He acknowledged the importance of good

writing skills because his academic field required a lot of report writing. He was also

aware that his written English was not perfect and that he needed to work hard in this

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area. He had commented that responding to the writing prompt had reminded him of the

need to work on his writing skills. The readers’ comments on his writing prompt

acknowledged his grammar and vocabulary as his strengths but listed a lack of clear

organization and summary as weaknesses. Miss Philippines was aware of her problems

with the APA style of writing that was required for all her written assignments. She had

almost been accused of plagiarism for not citing her sources correctly and expressed

gratefulness to the instructor who had given her the benefit of the doubt when she had

explained that she was from another country and unfamiliar with this writing style. She

had learned English in her home country, but it was not standard American English

(Friginal, 2007). She worked on her own and did not seek any assistance with her written

English. Miss Philippines had relied entirely on the reading material to compose her

response to the writing prompt. The readers’ comments about her writing prompt

indicated that her use of English grammar was adequate but she had been unable to

provide examples to support her written argument. This suggests that an international

student who may feel comfortable with written English or may have learned it in his or

her home country may not necessarily meet the standards of written English in the United

States. An international student who may prefer to work independently may be ignorant

of areas that could use improvement. Such a student may experience frustration or

lowered grades due to unsatisfactory written English. A student who is unaware of the

requirements of specific style manuals such as the APA style that was important for Miss

Philippines could possibly face serious consequences such as lowered grades or a failing

grade in a class if accused of plagiarism.

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 Three participants failed to achieve passing scores on the writing prompt. Miss

China got a score of seven, Miss Korea got a score of five, and Mr. Thailand achieved the

lowest score which was four. Miss China had received a C on one paper even though she

had used the services of the LRC and worked hard to improve her written English for that

particular paper. She had been led to believe by one instructor that her written English

was better than that of her American classmates. She had expressed her lack of awareness

of the topic that formed the basis of the writing prompt. She felt that it had been designed

for Americans and not international students. The readers’ comments on her writing

prompt indicated serious flaws in grammar and ability to develop the essay. The thesis

statement of her essay had indicated that she had not understood the article upon which

the writing prompt was based. As a result, she had used examples from China to support

her arguments. Miss Korea was aware of the problems with her written English. She had

experienced a lot of difficulties when she first started attending her classes in the United

States. She did not allow her challenges to deter her from learning and making efforts to

improve her English skills. She persisted in consulting with the tutors at the LRC even

though they had refused to permit her to make any more appointments after she had

cancelled one appointment one hour before she was supposed to meet with a tutor. She

did feel that they did not provide all the help that she needed because they offered no

more than half hour appointments which were insufficient for all the corrections that she

seemed to need. She had a collection of one hundred expressions on post-it notes on her

desk and used them when she was writing. She said that she had been unable to

understand much of the writing prompt because she was not an American citizen and had

no interest in the topic discussed in the newspaper article which served as the reading

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material for the writing prompt. The readers’ comments on her writing prompt were

mixed. One reader commented that her essay was confused and her grammar was flawed,

but the second reader said that her grammar was above average and that her essay

demonstrated an understanding of essay writing skills. Mr. Thailand said that he knew the

patterns of writing for different purposes such as a report or an essay. He preferred to

correct his errors himself and was firmly convinced about the importance of self

correction. He had found the writing prompt to be “tough.” The readers’ comments on his

writing prompt indicated that he had been unable to write a clear thesis or express his

points clearly and that the problems with his grammar interfered with the meaning of his

writing.

The findings suggest that an international student may feel confident about her or

his writing skills, but an objective reader is likely to point out numerous flaws when

presented with a writing sample. An international student may have demonstrated

adequate proficiency as is required for admission to a graduate program at an American

university, but as demonstrated by the results of the writing prompts, the student may not

meet the standards of acceptable writing patterns at the graduate level. Such a student is

likely to need assistance with writing skills whether he or she believes that assistance is

required or not.

Perceptions of the Connection between English Proficiency and Academic Success

The participants in this study had very clear opinions about academic success.

They were also able to make a clear connection between their proficiency in English with

their individual academic success. Each participant in this study had chosen to leave the

familiarity and comfort of his or her respective home country and culture to pursue the

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individualistic (Hofstede, 2001) goal of a master’s degree at an American university. Mr.

Pakistan was the only participant who identified a larger salary as the reason for his

decision to get a higher education. He also understood the importance of being proficient

in English in his classes as well as in his field of work. Miss Bhutan was very matter of

fact about being interested in a higher degree. She did not have to elaborate further on

this topic since the researcher understood the implicit message as a result of their shared

culture. Higher education is considered highly desirable in India, and since Miss Bhutan

shared this culture with the researcher, the message did not require any more elaboration

(Hofstede, 2001). Miss China was interested in learning more in the field of psychology

and counseling, so she had decided to pursue a master’s degree in the United States. Miss

Korea was also interested in higher education, but had been unable to find a suitable

major in her home country. She had explored her options and found Communication

Studies to be related to her English major, so she had decided to get a master’s degree in

this field. Miss Philippines simply stated that she had wanted to get a master’s degree in

her field of Nutrition, but Mr. Thailand had chosen to get his master’s degree because he

wanted to advance professionally. He had decided to come to the United States to get

more knowledge in his field as well as to learn English, which he believed was important

for him to move up in his career.

Each participant was able to make the connection between the desire to succeed

academically and his or her proficiency in English. Miss Bhutan thought that academic

success meant understanding the material in her books rather than “cramming” for

exams. She acknowledged that her major, Engineering Management was highly

technical, but she felt that a good grasp of the English language was likely to help her to

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get a good GPA. She saw a positive connection between her language proficiency and

academic success. Miss China was the only participant to express a negative connection

between her language skills and her academic success. She did believe that academic

success went beyond GPA. For her, success was a combination of a good GPA and the

ability to perform well at a job interview and at her job when she would get one.

However, she was aware of the deficiencies in her English skills and their adverse effects

on her written assignments. She was concerned that her English skills were bringing

down her GPA. In a follow up conversation with the researcher after she had reviewed

her interview transcript for the “member check,” (Merriam, 1998, p. 204) Miss China

expressed embarrassment at her English skills and said that she had now become even

more aware of the urgent need to improve them. Miss Korea felt the need to keep up her

grades since she believed that they were her only evidence to show how hard she was

working. She believed that she now understood the structure of written English and

attributed her higher GPA to her improved ability to write in English and meet her

instructors’ expectations with regard to written work. However she believed that

academic success was more than a good GPA. For her, a person who was successful in

academics was one with a “big vision in the area.” Mr. Pakistan mentioned several times

that English skills were vital to his success both in the academic arena, as well as in his

area of work. He emphasized the importance of spoken and written English with regard

to his work. According to him, it was more important to get knowledge than to get into

the “race of GPA.” Miss Philippines felt that her English skills did not detract from her

GPA, but if they were better, her GPA could be higher. She too felt that academic success

was the ability to work independently and apply the knowledge she had learned in school.

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Finally, Mr. Thailand affirmed the importance of the English language even though his

major was highly technical when he exclaimed that “it is the vehicle to communicate!”

For him, academic success was a combination of a good GPA and the ability to work

well with other people.

All the participants expressed their awareness of the importance of having good

English skills. They seemed to feel that spoken English was as important as written

English because they were required to utilize their language abilities in different settings

such as individual communications, group presentations in their classes, communications

with their instructors and written assignments. Their perceptions of the connection

between English language proficiency and academic success were based on their past

academic experiences in their home countries and their present educational experiences at

the site of the study. Individual cultures were an important influence on all of these

experiences and so were individual preferences such as learning strategies. The

participants were all clear about the need to succeed academically, but none of them

mentioned a specific reason that motivated them to do so, such as the requirements for

their student visa (Epstein, 1996). Except for Miss China’s distress over receiving a C on

one paper, none of the participants reported any negative experiences or feelings related

to their use of the language. Based on the findings of this case study, the researcher

concluded that although the participants perceived that a positive connection exists

between their proficiency in English and their academic success, their abilities to write in

English needed significant improvement.

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 Recommendations for Site of Study and Educators

The participants of this study indicated a preference for learning from their peers.

They did not expect their instructors to teach them more than the curriculum of their

specific subject areas, but they were open to receiving help from classmates and

American students. Miss Philippines was open to error correction by her friends and

classmates and Miss Bhutan was interested in learning from American students. This

suggests that an international student is likely to benefit if the institution would organize

and implement a volunteer mentor program. It could include international students and

American student mentors who could assist international students with opportunities for

conversations to improve communication skills. Miss China suggested that a weekly

“English Corner” which involved conversation sessions with American students could

help international students to learn standard English, not “international English” which is

common in their communications with other international students. Conversation sessions

are likely to provide students with non-threatening opportunities to receive

comprehensible input and produce comprehensible output (Krashen, 1992, 1995, 2003).

An international student from a collectivistic culture is also likely to benefit from

belonging to a cohort for the duration of the academic program. This would assist the

international student with peer support as well as the familiar comfort of belonging to a

consistent group of classmates.

The institution already has a Learning Resource Center (LRC), but as Miss China

and Miss Korea experienced, the help is limited and the tutors are not necessarily aware

of the specific needs of different students’ assignments. The institution could offer

writing support by recruiting international students with strong English skills to help

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those international students who need help with writing. They can be based in the

international programs office of the institution for easy access to international students.

Rewards such as priority registration or a stipend or tuition waiver based on the

availability of funds could be offered to the tutors. Alternatively, or in addition to

recruiting international students, American graduate students who may be pursuing

master’s degrees in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) or

working on a teaching credential with an emphasis on English as a Second Language

(ESL) could either be required to enroll in a one unit class that required them to tutor

international students or be offered rewards such as those mentioned above to provide

assistance and writing support to international students.

Based on Mr. Pakistan’s recommendation, the site of the study could create a

mandatory one unit class which would have to be completed by international students in

their first semester at the university. This class could include the understanding and

learning of English speaking and writing skills as well as intercultural communication

skills. Students could be assisted with learning skills that may be specific to their majors

such as the APA writing style for Nutrition and Dietetics, report writing for Engineering

Management, or other writing requirements that may differ according to academic

majors. Other skills that could be included in such a class may include reading skills,

speed reading, and note-taking skills. A mandatory class such as this one could also offer

proactive help to facilitate adjustment to American education by involving American

student volunteers as guest speakers. They could educate international students about

acceptable classroom etiquette, and engage international students in conversations to

dispel misconceptions or prevent commonly observed errors.

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 The findings of this study suggest that it would be beneficial to an international

student if the institution were to provide students with information about expected writing

skills as soon as they apply to the university. This would provide international students

with opportunities and some time to prepare and work on their English proficiency prior

to their arrival in the United States. Miss Philippines said that if she had known about the

importance of the APA style of writing, she would have learned and practiced it while

she was waiting for her visa in the Philippines. The university website could provide such

information along with available online resources so that potential students could access

this information from their home countries and utilize it prior to their arrival in the United

States.

An international student is likely to miss information about key campus resources

if he or she is not directly informed about them. Miss Philippines had no idea that the

LRC existed on campus. There was a possibility that she could have benefited if the

university had advertised current support services such as the LRC directly and

repeatedly to international students. The institution could offer a list of support services at

orientation, talk to international students in detail about these services through

presentations, and provide this list at the campus website for easy referrals. In addition,

they could, if possible, consider offering simple incentives such as free gifts from the

campus bookstore, or free coupons for lunch or a cup of coffee on campus or to a local

sponsor’s establishment to encourage international students to utilize these services.

Instructors could consider offering bonus points to students who utilize the LRC and

bring verification in the form of a stamp or signature from the tutor who assisted them to

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prove that they consulted with the LRC and attempted to improve their writing prior to

submitting their papers or reports to the instructor.

An international student from an Asian culture may be used to the collectivistic

way of relating to his or her instructors. Such a student may not be willing or comfortable

with meeting individually with the instructors during assigned office hours. Based on

Miss Korea’s experiences with visiting her instructor during office hours, getting to know

her better and impressing her with her passion for learning, it would be interesting for the

institution to consider the possibility of recommending that instructors encourage

international students to visit with them during office hours. Structured meetings could be

set up by instructors to discuss important issues with students such as preparing for

presentations, problems with writing, or improving a paper or report in advance of the

submission deadline. An international student from a collectivistic culture is likely to

respond to a structured requirement for individual meetings more than if he or she were

to have to take the initiative to do this.

The institution could also assist faculty and student services personnel who

provide academic support such as foreign student advisors and academic advisors by

offering them training in intercultural differences and communication. This is likely to

provide improved services to international students. One way to do this could be to create

and offer a courtesy information brochure for campus employees. International students

could be encouraged to contribute to this type of publication with some major interesting

facts about international students and their home country cultures. It could include quotes

from international students about their positive experiences at the campus, major

obstacles encountered, or expectations from their instructors. This brochure could be

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created with help from graduate students and instructors from academic departments such

as Communication Studies and Linguistics. It could list available resources for

international students so that instructors would be able to provide this information to

international students in their classes if and when required. This brochure could be

disseminated via email or campus mail. An in-depth workshop that would elaborate on

this theme could be offered to newly hired faculty and staff or to interested faculty and

staff who are continuing employees of the institution.

Limitations of this Study and Recommendations for Further Research

This was a case study. The researcher does not intend to generalize the findings of

this study to other situations or populations. The participants’ comments about the

writing prompt utilized for this study revealed that it was culturally biased. They seemed

to have had difficulty understanding the context of the article selected for the writing

prompt. Miss China commented that she had no idea what the article was talking about

and had fallen back on her experiences in China to compose her essay. Miss Korea found

the writing prompt difficult because she was not an American citizen and had no interest

in the topic that was discussed in the newspaper article upon which the writing prompt

was based. Miss Bhutan compared the writing prompt for this study to the actual Upper

Division Writing Proficiency Exam (UDWPE) topic and said that she had found it easier

to answer the actual UDWPE because it had been based on a topic that she was familiar

with, but the writing prompt had been based on an issue that she knew nothing about. In

contrast, Miss China criticized both exams and felt that they were both difficult because

they seemed to have been designed for American students and not for international

students who were unfamiliar with the American culture. The participants had felt that

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the writing prompt was difficult and favored American students (Hamp-Lyons & Davies,

2008) because it required them to know the American culture and society which they did

not. This indicates that a student who may have good skills in English, may not respond

successfully to a test of English if it also requires him or her to demonstrate knowledge of

the host culture as a part of the test (Baker, 1990; Nelson et al., 2004).

Future research could include an in-depth study of the UDWPE. A qualitative

study of this exam across the 23 campuses within this university system could be

conducted to see how each test is created and how each campus measures English

proficiency. A comparison of the performances of international students and American

students on this test is likely to show whether or not the tests on each campus are

sensitive to cultural issues. A qualitative study of the success or failure rate of

international students at the site of the study on the UDWPE may help to identify

successful or unsuccessful preparation strategies.

The current study could be replicated on another campus within the university

system that included the site of the study or to study undergraduate students to see how

they describe their experiences with English language proficiency and academic success.

It could be modified to include questions about social networks and personal

relationships to find how these impact international students’ English language

proficiency and academic success. A longitudinal study of the same students as in this

study is likely to show if their perceptions about the connection between English

language proficiency and academic success have undergone any changes at the end of

their fourth semester at this institution and one year after graduation. A qualitative study

of international graduate students who are engaged in on or off campus employment

98
could possibly explore the influence of work experiences on student perceptions of the

connection between English language proficiency and academic success. Another

possibility could be a qualitative study of international students’ perceptions which would

attempt to find out whether international students who speak with accents experience

different treatment or discrimination from faculty and staff. A qualitative study could also

be conducted to assess the effectiveness of on-campus services like the tutoring services

and the “English Corner” that were suggested earlier in this study.

Future research could also include a qualitative study of the linguistic traits or

common errors in English of graduate students by continent of origin as well as country

of origin. For example, most of the participants in this study exhibited difficulties with

writing a clear thesis statement for their writing prompts. It would be interesting to know

whether students from other continents experience the same or other problems. The

information derived from such a study could possibly assist faculty with predicting,

understanding and assessing the writing skills of international students. Such a study is

likely to yield information about language differences that could be utilized to better

assist international students to achieve a smoother transition to writing in standard

American English.

It would be valuable to conduct a quantitative study to identify the relationship

between UDWPE scores and GPA of all international students at the site of the study.

The numerical data could be examined closely to see if there are differences or significant

trends between majors and home countries.

A deeper understanding of this issue could be achieved by conducting a

comparative study of faculty perceptions of international students in their classrooms. It

99
would be interesting to compare the perceptions of instructors who were born and raised

in countries other than the United States with those of American instructors to identify

similarities or differences in their perceptions of international students.

Summary

This case study was conducted at a large four year institution of higher education

located in southern California. Six international graduate students from Asia were

selected for participation in this study. The purpose of this qualitative study was to

answer the question, “What are international graduate students’ perceptions of the

connection between English language proficiency and academic success?” Data were

collected through a preliminary survey for the purpose of gathering demographic

information, individual interviews, a journal based on the researcher’s reactions to the

interviews and a review of the participants’ responses to a writing prompt. The researcher

transcribed the interviews, read them, and then coded the data with the help of Qualrus, a

qualitative software analysis program. Seven themes emerged from the analysis of the

data. They were cultural characteristics, comparison with education in participants’ home

countries, relationships with instructors in the United States, participants’ experiences

with spoken English, participants’ experiences with reading, participants’ experiences

with written English, and their perceptions of the connection between English language

proficiency and academic success. The researcher concluded that although the

participants perceived that a positive connection exists between their proficiency in

English and their academic success, their abilities to write in English needed significant

improvement. Recommendations were made for the site of the study and educators.

100
Limitations of the research study were identified and recommendations for future

research were presented.

101
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 Appendix A

Preliminary Survey

This survey will be used for a research study by a doctoral student. The study

aims to find international graduate students’ perceptions of the connection between

English language proficiency and academic success. Your answers will be kept

confidential and will not be discussed with your instructors. Your name will not be

revealed in the study or in subsequent publications. Thank you for your time.

1. I am (circle one) Male Female

2. I am currently pursuing a (circle one)

Bachelor’sMaster’sSecond Bachelor’s degree at CSUN.

3. My major is _______________________________________________

4. I first arrived as a (F-1 visa) student in the U.S. on ___(mm) ___(dd) _____(year).

5. I transferred to CSUN from another U.S. school (circle one) YesNo.

6. I started attending CSUN in ____________ (semester) ______________ (year).

7. I plan to graduate in _____________ (semester) ______________ (year).

8. My total Grade Point Average (GPA) is ___________________.

9. I have taken and passed the Upper Division Written Proficiency Exam (UDWPE).

(circle one) Yes No If you answered no, please go to question 11.

9. My score on the UDWPE was ____________.

10. I passed this exam at the 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th (circle one) attempt.

11. I speak English in my home country (circle one).

Alwayssometimes rarelynever

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12. If you would like to participate further in this research study, please provide the

following information:

Your Name: ___________________________________________

Phone number:___________________ Email address:________________________

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 Appendix B

Letter of Informed Consent for Participants

Dear international student:

You are requested to participate in a research study being conducted by a doctoral

student at California Lutheran University. The research involves a case study of
international graduate students’ perceptions of the connection between English language
proficiency and academic success. The study will attempt to answer one research
question. What are international graduate students’ perceptions of the connection
between English language proficiency and academic success?
If you choose to participate in this study, you will be asked to participate in a
survey and interviews. You will also be asked to respond to a sample Upper Division
Writing Proficiency Exam. Your response to the exam will be used for the purpose of the
study. You will not receive a score on it. The researcher will not modify, correct or
criticize your work. Your time commitment will be kept to a minimum as the researcher
wishes to respect the busy schedules of international students. You will receive a fifty
dollar gift card to a local department store in return for your participation.
You will be identified by a pseudonym. Your real name will not be revealed at
any time. All data will be kept confidential and will be secured in a locked cabinet in the
residence of the researcher. She will be available to answer questions of the participants
at any time, and should you wish to decline from further participating in this research
project for any reason, you may request to remove yourself from further study by written
notification to the researcher.
Your signature below will indicate your interest in participating in this project.
Thank you for your willingness to be part of this doctoral research.
Sincerely,

Roopa Rawjee
Foreign Student Advisor
International and Exchange Student Center, CSUN
18111 Nordhoff Street
Northridge, CA 91330-8445

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(818) 677-3053

Yes, I agree to participate in this study. I am over 18 years of age.

Signature:Date:______________________

Please print name:

_______________________________________________________________

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 Appendix C

Interview Protocol

Date of interview:

Time:

Place:

Pseudonym of student present:

Setting/Room number:

Description of setting:

1. Please tell me about yourself.

2. Please tell me why you came to this university.

3. Why did you select your major?

4. Please describe your experiences with using spoken English in your classes.

5. Please describe your experiences with using written English in your classes.

6. In what situations do you prefer to use your native language?

7. Describe three major differences between teaching-learning in your home country

and in the United States.

8. Describe three major similarities between teaching-learning in your home country

and in the United States.

9. What strategies do you use to read text books?

10. What strategies do you use to write in English?

11. How would you describe a paper that has been well written in English?

12. How do you feel about your English speaking classmates’ English skills?

13. How could they help you with your English skills?

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14. How do you feel about group projects or assignments?

15. Describe your relationship with your instructors.

16. How could your instructors help you to write better in English?

17. How could your instructors help you in the classroom setting with your English

skills?

18. How could this institution help you with your English skills?

19. What has helped you to succeed in getting a high GPA?

20. What is the connection between your English skills and your GPA?

21. What in your opinion is academic success?

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 Appendix D
Writing Prompt

A sensible city budget: The mayor has a good grip on L.A.'s purse strings, and he's
started balancing the books. (Los Angeles Times Editorial, April 20, 2007)

A year ago, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa came up with a plan to hike trash
collection fees; then he promised to use the added income to make sure Los Angeles
expanded its police force. Because the trash money couldn't actually be earmarked for
cops, it's hard to say whether any particular dollar hired any particular new officer. But
this much is clear — the mayor exceeded his goal for hiring new officers and began a
program to slash a lingering structural deficit. Both moves are good ones.
One of the more prosaic, but in the end more important, hallmarks of
Villaraigosa's tenure has been his emergence as a careful guardian of the city's budget.
Homeowners should not begrudge him the fees they now must pay for garbage pickup
that formerly was free. It wasn't really free, of course, but rather was subsidized by
taxpaying business owners and residential renters who didn't get the benefit of free
service. The new income helped pay down part of a year-to-year deficit of $295 million
— solid evidence of Villaraigosa's fiscal prudence.
He's not out of the woods. Help in recent years came from a soaring real estate
market that produced higher-than-expected property tax revenue. The Los Angeles
market hasn't cooled to the same extent as the rest of the nation, but there is an
unmistakable drop-off in sales, and Villaraigosa may not have the same windfall he
enjoyed last year.
It's a good thing, then, that instead of using the financial good times to go on a
spending spree, the mayor has steeped himself in conservative financial planning. He has
put paying down the deficit at the top of his budget agenda and plans to erase another
$138 million this year.
He could go further. His budget doesn't realistically account for raises that city
workers will demand in new contracts, due to be negotiated this year. The low figures
he's floating now may be a tactical shot across the bow to workers, warning them to keep
their expectations low, and that's a good thing. But he knows he will be paying workers
larger raises than the small increases his budget suggests, so some of his other figures
must be taken with a grain of salt. Boosting the city reserve fund to $187 million is a
good move — but only if the money actually ends up there.
There are other contingencies that are not accounted for, such as a possible loss of
$270 million in cellphone excise taxes because of a lawsuit challenging those taxes.
That's a staggering sum, and that money would have to come from somewhere. But the
mayor has assembled a solid team and demonstrated a refreshing maturity in budgeting
for the city's needs. And as for what that means, in the most basic terms, Los Angeles
today has 231 more police officers in uniform than it did a year ago.

Writing Task:
• Briefly identify the main points the author of this text makes.

117
 • Using this article and your own observations for support, explain why you do or
why do not agree with the author.

Note: If you quote from the reading selection, use no more than a short phrase or
sentence, and make sure you explain how this phrase or sentence supports your
statements.
See next page for instructions.

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 UPPER DIVISION WRITING PROFICIENCY EXAMINATION

Name: ____________________________________________________ Date:_______________________

Last First M.I.

Student I.D.#__________________________________ Major:_________________________________

Please check:

CSUN has my permission to use this essay

without name, for instructional purposes Yes □ No □ English is my native language Yes □ No □

INSTRUCTIONS:

You will have 75 minutes to plan and write an essay on the topic assigned. You will probably
find it best to spend a little time considering the topic and organizing your thoughts before you
begin writing. DO NOT WRITE ON A TOPIC OTHER THAN THE ONE SPECIFIED. An
essay on a topic of your choice will not be accepted.

You are to write your essay in this examination booklet; you will receive no other paper on which
to write. Please write neatly and legibly. To be certain that you have enough space on the answer
sheet for your entire essay, do not skip lines or leave wide margins. You may use the inside cover
of this booklet for your notes.

You should write a coherent, unified essay with well-developed paragraphs. Explore ideas rather
than repeat them. Move logically from point to point. Remember that how well you write is much
more important than how much you write, but do not slight the topic. Leave enough time to
proofread so that you can catch errors, such as subject-verb agreement, wrong spelling, sentence
fragments, etc. that occur in first drafts.

THE CRITERIA for evaluation of your essay will include

1. a demonstration of analytic skills,

2. use of relevant evidence to support your argument
3. effective organization
4. use of standard English grammar, diction and mechanics.

Note: If you quote from the reading selection, use no more than a short phrase or sentence,
and make sure you explain how this supports your own statements.

DO NOT WRITE BELOW THIS LINE

1st Reader______________ Score

Test Score 2nd Reader______________ Score

3rd Reader______________ Score

119
 Appendix E
Sample Exam

The Debate Over Cosmetic Surgery (Adapted from “It’s all in the Mix: A Plastic Surgery
Reality Show” by Caryn James in the New York Times)

“Extreme Makeover” is the reality show that transforms average people through plastic
surgery-mutilation as entertainment. The producers received thousands of applicants and
chose three people whose makeovers will be charted on T.V. As a T.V. show, the ratings
were low, however, as a cultural event, it was fascinating. One of the women who was
about to be transformed said, “This is the last night that I’m going to look like me.” The
hint of self-loathing and the lack of self-esteem seem both ordinary and disturbing.
We’re not talking about people with terrible disfigurements, but people with fat pouches,
broken noses, or weak chins. The “Extreme Makeover’s” team includes a dentist and a
hairstylist who promote their own methods and products. You might fear for the so-called
winners of the makeover, putting themselves in the hands of such shameless self-
promoters, but everything turns out all right.
The show minimizes the blood and pain of surgery, although in one post-operation scene,
the people are shown as being groggy, their heads covered in bandages and bruises. Six
weeks later, the patients are revealed as “new” people. The dream of sudden glamour
may be universal, but most makeovers are like the ever-popular segments on “Oprah”
that involve nothing more permanent than new hair, clothes, and make-up.
This television show promotes perfection, suggesting that men and women need to be
flawless to be beautiful. “Extreme Makeover” takes this concept to a creepy low,
illustrating how television is shifting our idea of what cosmetic revisions seem normal.
Cosmetic surgery is thus glorified, and creates the effect that without perfection the
individual is substandard.

Writing Task:
• Briefly identify the main points the author of this text makes.
• Using this article and your own observations for support, explain why you do or
why do not agree with the author.

Note: If you quote from the reading selection, use no more than a short phrase or
sentence, and make sure you explain how this phrase or sentence supports your
statements.

UPPER DIVISION WRITING PROFICIENCY EXAMINATION

120
Name: ____________________________________________________ Date:_______________________
Last First M.I.

Student I.D.#__________________________________ Major:_________________________________

Please check:

CSUN has my permission to use this essay

without name, for instructional purposes Yes □ No □ English is my native language Yes □ No □

INSTRUCTIONS:

You will have 75 minutes to plan and write an essay on the topic assigned. You will probably
find it best to spend a little time considering the topic and organizing your thoughts before you
begin writing. DO NOT WRITE ON A TOPIC OTHER THAN THE ONE SPECIFIED. An
essay on a topic of your choice will not be accepted.

You are to write your essay in this examination booklet; you will receive no other paper on which
to write. Please write neatly and legibly. To be certain that you have enough space on the answer
sheet for your entire essay, do not skip lines or leave wide margins. You may use the inside cover
of this booklet for your notes.

You should write a coherent, unified essay with well-developed paragraphs. Explore ideas rather
than repeat them. Move logically from point to point. Remember that how well you write is much
more important than how much you write, but do not slight the topic. Leave enough time to
proofread so that you can catch errors, such as subject-verb agreement, wrong spelling, sentence
fragments, etc. that occur in first drafts.

THE CRITERIA for evaluation of your essay will include

5. a demonstration of analytic skills,

6. use of relevant evidence to support your argument
7. effective organization
8. use of standard English grammar, diction and mechanics.

Note: If you quote from the reading selection, use no more than a short phrase or sentence,
and make sure you explain how this supports your own statements.

DO NOT WRITE BELOW THIS LINE

1st Reader______________ Score

Test Score 2nd Reader______________ Score

3rd Reader______________ Score

121
 Appendix F
Scoring rubric

WPE Test Scores

Each essay is read and evaluated by at least two faculty members in a carefully planned
and supervised reading. Each reader scores an essay on a scale of 1 to 6, and the two
scores are combined. 12 is the highest possible total score. A score of 8 or above is
passing. (See sample scoring guide and sample essays below.)

• 6 — Superior
• 5 — Strong
• 4 — Adequate

• 3 — Inadequate college writing

• 2 — Seriously inadequate
• 1 — Incompetent
• 0 — Off topic or no response

"6" — A superior paper addresses the topic in a complex way and executes its plan
convincingly and skillfully.
Purpose: Shows a sophisticated sense of its own purpose throughout, along with
sophisticated organization.
Critical Thinking and Logic: Supports its own ideas and addresses opposing ideas,
revealing occasional inadequacies in arguments or details of opposing viewpoints.
Development: Shows extensive development both in terms of abstractions and details;
often offers cogent or imaginative sources of information that go beyond those presented
in text.
Style: Has variety and sophistication in both sentence structure and diction.
Usage and Grammar: Exhibits superiority in written English, though it need not be
flawless.

"5" — A strong paper addresses the topic in a meaningful way and executes a solid plan.
Purpose: Shows a clearly identifiable purpose with good organization.
Topic: Addresses the topic by competent employment of many issues raised in the
reading passage.
Critical Thinking and Logic: Supports its own ideas and reveals awareness of opposing
ideas.
Development: Shows full development
Style: Has effective use of sentence structures and vocabulary.
Usage and Grammar: Exhibits a command of written English, though there may be flaws.

"4" — An adequate paper takes a satisfactory approach.

Purpose: Shows a clearly identifiable purpose and adequate organization.
Topic: Has engaged the primary issues raised by the reading passage.
Critical Thinking and Logic: Supports its own ideas, but may not present awareness of

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opposing ideas.
Development: Offers appropriate and reasonable support, though less specifically.
Style: Has adequate use of sentence structures and vocabulary.
Usage and Grammar: Exhibits control of written English. Flaws do not detract from essay
content.

"3" — An inadequate paper fails to develop or address the issue in a satisfactory way,
but demonstrates developing skills. It will have one or more of the following attributes:
Purpose: Shows some focus but occasionally wavers in its sense of purpose; often shows
problems in organization.
Topic: Addresses some issues of the reading passage, but some significant aspects may
be slighted or ignored.
Critical Thinking and Logic: Reveals contradictions or flaws in logic.
Development: Has underdeveloped portions or merely echoes and uncritically
paraphrases elements of the reading.
Style: Has sentences that are difficult to read or seem confused.
Usage and Grammar: Exhibits wavering control of written English. Flaws detract from
the essay content.

"2" — A seriously inadequate paper will reveal serious and repeated problems, including
confusion as to the task or uncertainty as to the plan. It will have one or more of the
following attributes:
Purpose: Shows very little sense of focus.
Topic: Addresses the reading only marginally or randomly.
Critical Thinking and Logic: Shows very little analysis of materials or is often illogical.
Development: Is significantly underdeveloped; often avoids expansion or explanation of
ideas throughout the essay.
Style: Has sentences that pose significant difficulties for readers; frequently misuses
vocabulary.
Usage and Grammar: Exhibits persistent problems in grammar and mechanics.

"1" — An incompetent paper will fail to communicate. It will have one or more of the
following attributes:
Purpose: Shows no sense of purpose or direction; often incoherent.
Topic: Does not address the reading or exhibits little understanding of the writing task.
Critical Thinking and Logic: Reveals chaotic or nonexistent analysis of materials and
serious problems in logic.
Development: Is radically underdeveloped. Essays in this category make little attempt at
offering evidence or argument.
Style: Has very few sentences that are coherent or clear.
Usage and Grammar: Exhibits pervasive errors that regularly prevent understanding.

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