Difficulty that International Students Encounter
Assignment One
Use the information from the Leslie and Smith (2004) survey to account for the difficulty that new international students in universities in English speaking countries encounter in their pursuit of academic success. Refer also to Andrade (2006) to support some of the points you make.
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As the world population grows, society is getting more competitive. Studying
abroad, especially in English-speaking countries, is now common for non-native English speakers to seek for better opportunities. Not only getting chances to live in a new environment, it also extend knowledge and develop various skills ready to compete with others when they are back to their home countries. However, stepping out of a comfort zone and living in a completely new place is not simple. Some people may find it hard to adjust themselves to new environment, while some people may find it easy. As survey data taken from Leslie and Smith (2004) shows, there are several factors causing difficulties that international students may confront in which they are correlated with one another.
They can be divided into 2 main categories: cultural differences and educational systems
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The difficulty that overseas student often face with when they first arrive their new
places is cultural differences. This can be in terms of language issue and adaptation to new environment in which they have positive relationship. Poor English proficiency can result in failure to adjustment. According to the study of Andrade (2006, P.3), international students are concerned with their English proficiency as it can affect them socially and academically. In terms of social adjustment, they find it difficult to make new friends as there is language barrier between domestic and international students. As said by respondent 12 from the survey of Leslie and Smith (2004), he found it frustrating when he had no idea what happened. Moreover, failure to social adjustment can lead to homesickness since
Use the information from the Leslie and Smith (2004) survey to account for the difficulty that new international students in universities in English speaking countries encounter in their pursuit of academic success. Refer also to Andrade (2006) to support some of the points you make.
!
As the world population grows, society is getting more competitive. Studying
abroad, especially in English-speaking countries, is now common for non-native English speakers to seek for better opportunities. Not only getting chances to live in a new environment, it also extend knowledge and develop various skills ready to compete with others when they are back to their home countries. However, stepping out of a comfort zone and living in a completely new place is not simple. Some people may find it hard to adjust themselves to new environment, while some people may find it easy. As survey data taken from Leslie and Smith (2004) shows, there are several factors causing difficulties that international students may confront in which they are correlated with one another.
They can be divided into 2 main categories: cultural differences and educational systems
!
The difficulty that overseas student often face with when they first arrive their new
places is cultural differences. This can be in terms of language issue and adaptation to new environment in which they have positive relationship. Poor English proficiency can result in failure to adjustment. According to the study of Andrade (2006, P.3), international students are concerned with their English proficiency as it can affect them socially and academically. In terms of social adjustment, they find it difficult to make new friends as there is language barrier between domestic and international students. As said by respondent 12 from the survey of Leslie and Smith (2004), he found it frustrating when he had no idea what happened. Moreover, failure to social adjustment can lead to homesickness since
References: Andrade, M.S. (2006). International students in English-speaking universities: Adjustment ! factors. Journal of Research in International Education, 5, 131-154 Leslie, A., & Smith, A. M. (2004). Academic Synergy: Cultural influences on individual ! learning and teaching style. In Pulverness, A. (2004) IATEFL 2003 Brighton ! Conference Selections. Canterbury: IATEFL.