Differing perspectives of non-native speaker students' linguistic experiences on higher degree courses

We report a small-scale study investigating the perceptions of postgraduate students who are non-native speakers of English and those of academic staff with regard to those students. Previous research has focused only on the former and identified a number of linguistic and cultural challenges these...

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Main Authors: Hennebry, M, Lo, Y, Macaro, E
Format: Journal article
Language:English
Published: 2012
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author Hennebry, M
Lo, Y
Macaro, E
author_facet Hennebry, M
Lo, Y
Macaro, E
author_sort Hennebry, M
collection OXFORD
description We report a small-scale study investigating the perceptions of postgraduate students who are non-native speakers of English and those of academic staff with regard to those students. Previous research has focused only on the former and identified a number of linguistic and cultural challenges these students face in adapting to Anglophone institution environments. A sample of 43 students in one department at a Russell Group university were surveyed and a sub-sample interviewed. Six members of academic staff were interviewed and some observed in their teaching. Findings suggest that, despite the high linguistic admission requirements set by the university, this group of students faced a range of difficulties in all four language skills but particularly in skills needed for oral interaction in seminars. Students and staff provided differing accounts of the source of these difficulties and students expressed a desire for better integration with native speaker students. There were also differing accounts regarding the amount of linguistic support students should receive, particularly with regard to proofreading written work. The study suggests a need for further research of this comparative kind potentially leading to recommendations for additional support for students and staff development. © 2012 Copyright Taylor and Francis Group, LLC.
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spelling oxford-uuid:f9b00706-06e3-47b9-9be8-2f5da6f74fc42022-03-27T12:59:43ZDiffering perspectives of non-native speaker students' linguistic experiences on higher degree coursesJournal articlehttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_dcae04bcuuid:f9b00706-06e3-47b9-9be8-2f5da6f74fc4EnglishSymplectic Elements at Oxford2012Hennebry, MLo, YMacaro, EWe report a small-scale study investigating the perceptions of postgraduate students who are non-native speakers of English and those of academic staff with regard to those students. Previous research has focused only on the former and identified a number of linguistic and cultural challenges these students face in adapting to Anglophone institution environments. A sample of 43 students in one department at a Russell Group university were surveyed and a sub-sample interviewed. Six members of academic staff were interviewed and some observed in their teaching. Findings suggest that, despite the high linguistic admission requirements set by the university, this group of students faced a range of difficulties in all four language skills but particularly in skills needed for oral interaction in seminars. Students and staff provided differing accounts of the source of these difficulties and students expressed a desire for better integration with native speaker students. There were also differing accounts regarding the amount of linguistic support students should receive, particularly with regard to proofreading written work. The study suggests a need for further research of this comparative kind potentially leading to recommendations for additional support for students and staff development. © 2012 Copyright Taylor and Francis Group, LLC.
spellingShingle Hennebry, M
Lo, Y
Macaro, E
Differing perspectives of non-native speaker students' linguistic experiences on higher degree courses
title Differing perspectives of non-native speaker students' linguistic experiences on higher degree courses
title_full Differing perspectives of non-native speaker students' linguistic experiences on higher degree courses
title_fullStr Differing perspectives of non-native speaker students' linguistic experiences on higher degree courses
title_full_unstemmed Differing perspectives of non-native speaker students' linguistic experiences on higher degree courses
title_short Differing perspectives of non-native speaker students' linguistic experiences on higher degree courses
title_sort differing perspectives of non native speaker students linguistic experiences on higher degree courses
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