Negotiating Academic Discourse in a Second Language
Open Access
- Author:
- Alco, Bonnie
- Graduate Program:
- Applied Linguistics
- Degree:
- Doctor of Philosophy
- Document Type:
- Dissertation
- Date of Defense:
- September 19, 2008
- Committee Members:
- Susan G Strauss, Dissertation Advisor/Co-Advisor
Susan G Strauss, Committee Chair/Co-Chair
Robert William Schrauf, Committee Member
Jacqueline Edmondson, Committee Member
Meredith Christine Doran, Committee Member - Keywords:
- academic discourse
second language acquisition
ESL - Abstract:
- ABSTRACT This dissertation is a case study and analysis of the use of academic discourse by four representative international students who studied in a U.S. university during the 2007-2008 academic year in a study abroad program. More specifically, the research investigates how students for whom English is a second or third language manage to negotiate the challenges of academic English during a study abroad experience at a U.S. university. The study explores the particular challenges that study abroad students in the U.S. specifically, and second language speakers in general, face in the areas of reading, writing, listening, and speaking. The students in the study were enrolled in credited content classes for the duration of their study abroad program without the benefit of an English as a second language (ESL) class that would have assisted them in the process. The students had to address the demands of academic text and all typical academic requirements associated with university coursework. They had to negotiate academic literacy in a language other than their own. The section on reading presents the challenge of drawing meaning from academic written text at the university level and the unexpected hurdles that emerge in the process, such as outside reading materials that do not adhere to textbook organization standards. The second language learners reported problems with both high-frequency and low-frequency vocabulary. They were perplexed by the use of familiar (e.g., informal, conversational) and metaphoric language in textbooks and frequent references to U.S. history and culture in textbooks dealing with subjects other than history and/or culture per se. The section on writing illustrates the demands placed on second language learners in writing for display and writing for learning. Writing a critical review, which entails the ability to draw information from the text, relate it to other sources of information, assume a stance, and develop a persuasive argument, also posed problems for these students. Additionally, incorporating cultural and historical references in written text was an unfamiliar process for them. The section on listening and speaking covers the skills that were required of these ESL students in understanding and using spoken text. They were challenged with the spontaneity of oral/aural discourse. They had to follow the information presented in class lectures. They needed to interact with professors and classmates in the classroom. In addition, they were required to make academic oral presentations in front of a class. The findings of this dissertation illustrate that a TOEFL score is not an adequate indication of guaranteed success in the academic setting of a U.S. university. Second language learners face many unanticipated challenges for which their English as a Foreign Language (EFL) classes in their home institutions did not prepare them. I hope that this dissertation will inspire further studies on the challenges of ESL students in U.S. universities so that we can provide a positive environment for their experience. The success of international educational exchanges derives from positive experiences of students in learning, sharing, and interacting within the cross-cultural academic environment of a U.S. university.