Complaints and Troubles Talk about the English Language Skills of International Students in Australian Universities

Autor/in	Haugh, Michael
Titel	Complaints and Troubles Talk about the English Language Skills of International Students in Australian Universities
Quelle	In: Higher Education Research and Development, 35 (2016) 4, S.727-740 (14 Seiten)Infoseite zur Zeitschrift PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	0729-4360
DOI	10.1080/07294360.2015.1137878
Schlagwörter	Foreign Students; Foreign Countries; Universities; Higher Education; Language Skills; Language Proficiency; Academic Standards; Undergraduate Students; English (Second Language); Second Language Learning; Semi Structured Interviews; Content Analysis; Australia; Brazil; Chile; China; India; Iran; Japan; Russia; South Korea; Taiwan; Thailand + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Ausland; University; Universität; Hochschulbildung; Hochschulsystem; Hochschulwesen; Language skill; Sprachkompetenz; Language skills; English as second language; English; Second Language; Englisch als Zweitsprache; Zweitsprachenerwerb; Inhaltsanalyse; Australien; Brasilien; Indien; Russland; Korea; Republik
Abstract	International students have continued to be the focus of simplistic stereotyping in media discourse where they are frequently identified as one of the forces behind declining academic standards in Australian universities. Their English language skills, in particular, have continued to be the focus of debate both in the mainstream media and in higher education research and policy. It is argued in this paper, however, that such debates do not sufficiently acknowledge the moral and affective complexity of the so-called "English problem" amongst international students in Australian universities. Drawing from an analysis of small group interviews with international students, domestic students and university staff, the beliefs and experiences of various parties about the English language skills of international students are examined. A key finding from this analysis is that the English language skills of international students, and their concomitant interactions with others, can be the object of both complaints and troubles talk. These complaints or troubles can be either ratified or resisted by those participants. The difficulties international students may experience in using English thus have complex moral and affective consequences. The way in which the so-called English problem in Australian universities is generally couched as one of objective, measurable deficiency on the part of international students arguably neglects the moral and affective complexity of the difficulties facing international students. This neglect leads, in turn, to an impoverished understanding of the English language capabilities of international students. (As Provided).
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Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2020/1/01