The Effect of English Proficiency and Ethnicity on Academic Performance and Progress

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/263712936_

In order to compare the relative contributions of ethnicity and English proficiency, this study used
students who had not been chosen through interviews or any other method of determining language
proficiency. These results both agree with and disagree with those of other recent studies. Speaking a
second language has been linked to a higher chance of failure (Woolf, McManus, Potts, & Dacre, 2013).
Mann et al. (2010) discovered a relationship between language spoken at home and citizenship, with
international students who speak a different language at home being disproportionately
disadvantageous. They interpreted this relationship to be a result of acculturation and linguistic
proficiency.

Predictive variables were demographics (gender, ethnicity, citizenship), pre-entry academic grades in
CY1 and if they had failed the CY1 English screening test. Students were allowed to list various racial
groups. Students who listed "Chinese," "Korean," any of several "Other South East Asian" ethnicities
(such as Vietnamese, Japanese), "Other Asian" (such as Indian, Sri Lankan), and "Other Asian" (such as
any other non-European and non-Maori ethnicity), were divided into these five categories using dummy
codes. To prevent placing undue emphasis on any particular ethnicity category, results for ethnic
groupings are given in an anonymous random order (Ethnicities A-E). During the first common year, 48
pupils (16%) were found to have poor English skills. The majority of the recognized students were not
from the area. The rate of poor English has increased along with the proxy measure of acculturation,
with citizens having the lowest rate at 16% (n=17), NZ Permanent Residents having the highest rate at
24% (n=19), and overseas students having the highest rate at 57% (n=12).

This work convincingly demonstrates that, even in the presence of reliable ethnicity indicators and a
proxy for acculturation, language ability still contributes to part of the observed underperformance.
Even in the presence of remedial programs aimed at improving language skills, this disadvantage
persists and worsens over time. When language proficiency is taken into account, pupils of non-local
ancestries suffer an additional and significant disadvantage that may be difficult to overcome.

PREFERENCES

Green, James A. University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand Address for correspondence: Dr James
Green, School of Pharmacy, University of Otago, P.O. Box 56, Dunedin 9056, New Zealand

Woolf, K., McManus, I. C., Potts, H. W. W., & Dacre, J. (2013). The mediators of minority ethnic
underperformance in final medical school examinations. British Journal of Educational Psychology, 83,
135-159. doi: 10.1111/j.2044-8279.2011.02060.x

Mann, C., Canny, B., Lindley, J., & Rajan, R. (2010). The influence of language family on academic
performance in Year 1 and 2 MBBS students. Medical Education, 44, 786-794. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-
2923.2010.03711.x
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/
263712936_The_effect_of_English_proficiency_and_ethnicity_on_academic_performance_and_progres
s

THE ROLE OF GENDER ON ESL LEARNERS’ PERCEPTION IN ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNING: A

SYSTEMATIC REVIEW

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/357567195_

Gender disparities have received greater attention recently than ever before. Stereotypical gender roles
are being broken down as the globe develops and becomes more sophisticated. However, in the context
of language learning, gender is still a viable aspect of language learning and how it is affected by it, for
example because of societal or cultural norms (Ellili-Cherif, 2017; McCaughan, 2009) or even because of
the biological differences between men and women (Qian, 2015). According to the American
Psychological Association's definition of gender from 2012, a person's views, feelings, and behaviors in
society that are related to their biological sex include psychological, behavioral, social, and cultural
characteristics of being male or female. The use of the terms "male" or "female" is sex, which is
sometimes misunderstood for gender (American Psychological Association, 2015). Thus, a person's
perspective of gender may be influenced by sociocultural norms that influence their attitudes,
behaviors, or beliefs (Cislaghi & Heise, 2020).

The findings of this systematic literature review are discussed in this part in order to address the
research question. The researchers discovered after reading numerous studies and journals that gender
does, in general, have a substantial impact on how ESL learners see learning the English language. As a
result of their confidence levels and gender prejudice, particularly in societies where women are
traditionally more submissive, it was determined that generally speaking, female ESL learners had more
negative perceptions and motivations than male ESL learners. However, compared to male students,
female students were more receptive to various ESL instructional modalities.

Because the educational system must create equal opportunity for all students, ESL teachers and
educators should consider the learning style, attitudes, and proclivities of their students with regard to
their gender. As a result, it will enable academics, instructors, and administrators to develop better
English language curricula and syllabuses that may take into account students' characteristics and
encourage them to study the language in a secure and encouraging setting regardless of their gender.
According to Ahmed (2015), it is the duty of policymakers and educational planners to provide practical
and learner-sensitive curricula, teaching materials, and methodologies to fulfill the requirements of their
students. As a result, it will enable academics, instructors, and administrators to develop better English
language curricula and syllabuses that may take into account students' characteristics and encourage
them to study the language in a secure and encouraging setting regardless of their gender. According to
Ahmed (2015), it is the duty of policymakers and educational planners to provide practical and learner-
sensitive curricula, teaching materials, and methodologies to satisfy the requirements of their students..

REFERENCES

Partibaraaj Nagasundram1 , Suyansah Swanto2* , Megawati Soekarno3 , Wardatul Akmam Din4

Qian, W. (2015). A study of the influence of gender differences on English learning of senior high school
students. Higher Education of Social Science, 8(6), 66-69.

Ellili-Cherif, M. (2017). Female Arab Students' Perceptions of Social Networks as an English Language
Learning Environment. Educational Research Quarterly, 40(4), 61.

American Psychological Association. (2012). Guidelines for Psychological Practice with Lesbian, Gay, and
Bisexual Clients. American Psychologist, 67(1), 10–42. doi: 10.1037/a0024659.

American Psychological Association. (2015). APA dictionary of psychology (2nd ed.). Washington, DC:
Author.

Cislaghi, B., & Heise, L. (2020). Gender norms and social norms: differences, similarities and why they
matter in prevention science. Sociology of health & illness, 42(2), 407–422.
https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-9566.13008.

Sabra, S. (2018). Gender differences in young learners’ English skills in Swedish schools: A study of
perceived and actual gender differences in skills, attitude towards and interest in the English language
(Dissertation). Retrieved from http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:hig:diva-26705

Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. (2010). PISA 2009 results: Overcoming social
background: Equity in learning opportunities and outcomes (Volume II). Paris: OECD Publishing.

Ahmed, S. (2015). Attitudes towards English Language Learning among EFL Learners at UMSKAL. Journal
of education and practice, 6(18), 6-16.

(PDF) THE ROLE OF GENDER ON ESL LEARNERS’ PERCEPTION IN ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNING: A
SYSTEMATIC REVIEW (researchgate.net)