ERIC Number: EJ923964
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2011
Pages: 15
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0950-0782
EISSN: N/A
"I Felt that I Do Live in the UK Now": International Students' Self-Reports of Their English Language Speaking Experiences on a Pre-Sessional Programme
Copland, Fiona; Garton, Sue
Language and Education, v25 n3 p241-255 2011
This article focuses on the English language experiences of a group of pre-sessional students, an under-represented group in the literature on language and education. In particular, it investigates the opportunities that such students have to use English outside the classroom, shown to be a key factor in student satisfaction with their study abroad experience. Drawing on data from questionnaires, interviews and on-line diaries, we show that students have a variety of opportunities to use English; however, these opportunities may require students to engage in complex negotiations right from the beginning of their sojourn in the UK. Micro-analysis of the data shows that agency is a key construct in understanding students' representations of their English encounters as they begin their lives in the UK. The article concludes with some suggestions as to how pre-sessional courses may develop students' linguistic and socio-cultural skills in order that they may interact successfully in English outside the classroom. (Contains 1 figure, 1 table, and 1 note.)
Descriptors: Student Attitudes, Diaries, English (Second Language), Second Language Learning, Study Abroad, Foreign Students, Language Usage, Questionnaires, Interviews, Internet, Foreign Countries, Student Adjustment, Summer Programs, College Students, School Orientation
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: United Kingdom
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A