Abstract
International students encounter language-related problems in their academic studies. Specific problem areas have been identified and possible underlying causes have been explored. The present study investigates the impact of two variables-length of study and academic disciplines-in relation to the problems. The findings from a survey and interview of 40 Chinese students at 8 Australian universities reveal that though listening and speaking pose a lot of difficulties for the majority of the informants, the difficulties are confined to the first 2 years, and they do not seem to affect the academic study of those informants in linguistically less demanding courses. Reading does not seem to be a problem area but writing does, across academic disciplines, defying the 2-year mark. These findings call for a more balanced and nuanced understanding of the language difficulties experienced by international students.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 371-388 |
Journal | Journal of Studies in International Education |
Volume | 14 |
Issue number | 4 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 2010 |