DOCUMENT RESUME FL 023 246 ED 386 935 Schweers, C. William, Jr. AUTHOR Academia, English, and the International Student. TITLE PUB DATE [93] 18p.; Document contains broken print. NOTE PUB TYPE Descriptive (141) Reports EDRS PRICE MF01/PC01 Plus Postage. DESCRIPTORS College Instruction; College Second Language Programs; College Students; English (Second Language); *English for Academic Purposei; *Foreign Students; Higher Education; *Language Tests; *Limited English Speaking; Program Descriptions; Specialization; Standardized Tests; *Teaching Assistants; Testing; Test Validity *City University of New York City College; *Columbia IDENTIFIERS- University NY ABSTRACT Issues related to the use of academic English by foreign students in the United States are discussed, and two college programs are presented as examples of English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) preparatory programs available to these students. The programs are the American Language Program at Columbia University (New York) and the ESL Program at City College (New York). Various issues facing program developers and ESL teachers are also discussed: the debate over instruction in general- versus specific-purpose academic English; use of standardized language tests to determine linguistic preparedness for academic study; and the screening and training needs resulting from the increasing use of limited-English-speaking international students as teaching assistants. Finally, the implications for university faculty of students undertaking academic study in a non-native language are also explored. (MSE) *********************************************************************** Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made * from the original document. **********************k************************************************ Academia, English and the International StudSnt by C. William Schweers, Jr. Instructor Enslish Department University of Puerto Rico at BayamOn Bayambn, Puerto Rico 00959-1919. OF EDUCATION U.S. DEPARTMENT Research and tmotovernent Office 0 Educational INFORMATION EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES "PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE THIS CENTER (ERIC) 64is document has been reproduced as MATERIAL HAS BEEN GRANTED BY organization received from the person or originating it. '*C;\\ C'Qrv- been made to 0 Minor changes have "Sr quality. improve reproduction . stateo in this Points of view or opinions represent document do not necessarily policy. official OERI posit,^^ TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATI, AS CENTER (ERIC)." BEST COPY AVAILABLE 2 Academia, English and the International Student C. William Schweers, Jr. Univerisity of Puerto Rico at Bayamon Bayamón, Puerto Rico Abstract After surveying the current state of international study in .general and.the case of. international students studying'in the U.S.A. in particular; this.afticle.focuses on issues related to the use of English for academic purposes by these-numerous non- native speaking.students. The. American Language Program at Columbia University and. the ESL Program at New York's .City College are described to exemplity two.possible types of ESL prepar3tcr7; ,:rrograms availabie tm international students.. Various issues facinr_program developers and teachers of English to speakers'of other languafres are also reviewed. These are the general-purposes versus specific-purposes debate related to preparation in English.for academic purposes, the question of standardized assessment tools like the TOEFL examination used to determine linguistic.preparedness for academic study, and the screening and training needs produced by the increasing use of international teaching assistants whose first language is not English. Finally, the implications tor university faculty of siudents Undertaking academic study in a non-native language are also explored. Academia, English and the International Student As wo approach the end of the twentieth century, student mobility has become an ever increasing worldwide phenomenon. According to UNESCO statistics, in 1987 there were 1,127,387 university students studying away from their home countries. Of these, approximately 40% were studying in Europe and 34% in North America. In the.United States, visa-holding international students make up 3% of the total university enrollment.1 The total international student population in the U.S. for 1990-91 came to 407,529, of which 45% were studying at the graduate level. Apart from some leveling-off in the 1980's, the international student population has grown steadily since 1954-55 when it amounted to only 34,232 or 1.4% of the total U.S. university population at that time.2 Students from Asia represent 56% of the international population. From this region, China contributes the largest number of students, followed by JapP.n, Taiwan, India and Korea. The next most important regions of origin for international students in the U.S. are Europe and Latin America. The most popular field of study for these -students is business and management, with engineering in second place. The Northeast region hosts more foreign students than any other area in the U.S., followed by the Midwest, Southern, and Pacific regions. Schools such as the New Jersey Institute of Technology and MIT have international student populations which amount to 22% of 3 their total enrollment. For the majority of these international studentt, English is 4 2 not their first language, an important linguistic reality the U.S. university community must face. This becomes even more challenging when we add in the uncounted number of resident immigrant, naturalized and Puerto Rican students whose first language is not English and who arrive at the university with limited proficiency. In Cummins' discussion of the language skills necessary for academic success, he distinguishes between basic interpersonal communication skills tB1CS) and cognitive/academic language proficiency (CALP). 4 He goes on to observe that immigrant students can usually master face-to-face communication skills in a matter of twn years, yet it can take them from five to seven years to approach grade-level norms in second language academic skills.5 Performing academic tasks in second language is far more demanding than simply communicating conversationally and requires complex kinds of linguistic knowledge and abilities in order to communicate efficiently in this specialized discourse field. The task is compounded even more when we factor in all the educational-culture knowledge which is also necessary to function successfully in a U.S. educational institution. It has largely fallen to members of the TESOL profession, that is, Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages, to prepare these students linguistically and facilitate their transition into a new learning environment in which Ellglish will be their language of study. As a member of this profession, I have identified several aspects related to this process which 1 3 would like to touch on, however briefly, in this essay. They are: The kinds of programs which exist to prepare ESL 1) learners for academic endeavors, Issues which currently concern the developeri of-these 2) programs, Problems with the measurement of a learner's 3) preparedness for academic study, The "problem" concerning international teaching 4) assistants, and The need to assist students who are non-native speakers 5) of English to function effectively in the academic courses they are taking. Programs for Non-Native Speaking Students in Engiish for Academic Purposes The Institute for International Education reports that in 1990-91 15,572 students were enrolled in intensive English programs associated with universities and 19,863 in independent language programs, totaling 35,235 international ESL students. These figures are based on the enrollment records of 392 6 different language programs across the country. One of the primary roles of all such programs is to prepare their students linguistically for pursuing academic studies in institutions of higher education. There is no standardization in the approaches taken by these 4 various programs, so it might be best to simply describe two of them to exemplify some of the iossible kinds of curricula that are available. will cite the examples of Columbia University's I American Language Program (ALP), one of the pioneers in this field, and City College's ESL program, one of the more innovative. The ALP can be characterized by the alliteration: theme, team and academe. All focus on language is carried out within the context-of a chosen theme, courses are team taught, and the goal is preparation in academic English. This is an eight-level program with gradated subdivisions which moves from a concentration on oral English toward the development of academic writing skills. Students study sixteen hours a week and also take two hours of audio laboratory and one hour each of video and reading laboratory. Maximum class size is eighteen. On a weekly basis, the two or three-member teaching team plans multimodal activities working with the various competencies in the context of the current theme. Most learning materials are prepared by the teaching team. Each class's curriculum develops in response to student needs, progress and interests. More advanced students are offered supplementary electives from a changing menu of content- based or skill-based short courses. Field experiences and group activities outside the classroom are also an important part of the curriculum as is attendance at periodic lectures offered for the program by Columbia faculty members. 5 Initial placement is based on an internally developed written examination. Passing from level to level is based on teacher recommendations. Students in the advanced levels can begin to take some courses in certain departments at Columbia. Students may also take a preparatory course for the TOEFL examination, a standardized test usually required of international students for admission to U.S. universiIies. The ALP serves a clientele composed mainly of international students intending ta enter undergraduate or graduate programs somewhere in the U.S. if not at Columbia itself. Currently, the program attracts approximately 300 students per semester, of which about 70% are Asian and most of the rest European. The clientele of City College's ESL program, approximately 800 students per semester, is quite different in that the great majority of these students are permanent residents of the U.S. About a third are Haitian, another third Latin American, and the remaining third Asian, all representative of recent immigration patterns to the U.S. Immigrant students who have been in the U.S. for more than five years and-who don't pass the college's English examination are assigned to a developmental English program offered by the English department. If students needing further English are more recent arrivals, they are directed to the ESL program. This fourteen-hour per week program,.created by Betsy Rorschach and Adele MacCowan, adopts a Whole Language philosophy. It is divided in three semester-long levels: Fluency, Clarity and 6 Correctness. The name of each level identifies the principal communication goal at that stage in the learner's development. The first level, Fluency, is primarily a reading and writing course. Nine hours a week are dedicated to these activities plus one hour of writing tutorial. There are also three hours of oral work with one of laboratory. Duririg the semester, students read four to five books such as Growing Up, The Diary of Ann Frank, Karate Kid, Rebecca, The Godfather, Cr an Agatha Christie mystery. Then they produce a fifty-page piece of writing which may be an autobiography, a mystery or a science fiction story. At this level communicating meaning is primary and grammar is not formally addressed, although group editing of writing is done. The Clarity level follows much the same format, except that students now produce a fifty-page research paper on some aspect of American history, society or culture and make an oral presentation based on their projects. As the level's name suggests, emphasis is now put on achieving optimum clarity in the exposition of ideas and content. The Correctness level is similar, but reading, research and writing are all carried out in the area of anthropology. Now, work on polishing the formal aspects of language and careful editing of written work are highlighted. At each level students keep reading logs, do free writing, meet in groups and collaborate to revise and edit their work. Some sections have on hour a week of computer laboratory or correspond with pen pals through e-mail. Different from the ALP, the ESL courses at City College carry credit and students 7 can take other college courses from the very beginning. Passing to a higher level is based on class perfcrmance and the quality of the student's writing portfolio. To graduate from City College, however, all ESL students must eventually pass skills assessment and proficiency tests in English. 7 Current Debates in Preparatory Programs As in the case of program types, the issues debated by the 410. TESOL ptofession with respect to academic preparation are many and varied.. Once more a specific example might be the best way to transmit the flavor of the debate. One issue of concern to developers of English for academic purposes (EAP) programs is how generic or specific a focus the curriculum should take. Some would argue that programs should be directed at helping learners develop general oral and written communication skills a1on47the lines of Cummins' BICS. They argue that this general communication base must first be strong and include generic principles. For example, in the area of writing this would include basic concepts of inquiry and rhetoric, with' emphasis on writing from sources.° Then, in combination with transferable cognitive academic skills from the first language and culture, the learner will be able to adapt and specialize these generic skills him- or herself once confronted by the specific academic context where it is necessary. In any case, they would argue, it would be more appropriate for actual specialists in the different academic disciplines to introduce their students to the peculiarities of the field's rhetorical style rather than 10