In the pre-pandemic environment, the approach towards English as an additional language (EAL) students, studying at higher educational institutions in another country than their own, was generally aimed at enabling students to transform and adapt to the prevailing educational system of the host country. This cohort of students were thus viewed as in deficit in relation to the institutions (Kettle, 2017). However, there were researchers with an opposing view, who expressed that these students possess both capacity and capability to flourish in the new educational environment (Marginson, 2014)
Kettle (2017) highlights the key role of language in students' learning interactions with teachers, classmates, and texts, drawing attention to the profound anxiety and reticence which many EAL students experience when having to interact in their second language. A recent Australia-based study (Kim, 2022), reports on a Personalised English Language Enhancement (PELE) course, which introduces students to autonomously setting measurable goals for their self-chosen language development areas.
Post pandemic, institutions should be prepared when EAL students once again enrol in overseas universities. However, despite decades of research into best practice in teaching and learning, a gap can be identified in our understanding of practical methods and strategies that teachers and EAL students at higher educational institutions can apply to enable these learners to become more confident in English and able to improve their self-efficacy. Taken together, Kettle's (2017) analysis of the issues associated with EAL students' language proficiency, and Kim's (2022) holistic model of support, with its outstanding documented outcomes in enhanced self-efficacy, confidence, sense of belonging, and motivation to study, offer a promising way forward.
The focus of this presentation is to report on a study which looked at the approach, the process, and the impact of the Personalised English Language Enhancement (PELE) course on EAL learners' autonomous development, and the social, linguistic, and academic transformation of the participating EAL students.
The methodology chosen for this study was ethnographic. Observations of the teacher who was teaching the course was undertaken. Data was gathered through observation notes and reflections, and then processed through further reflections and discussions with the teacher. Applying this elaborate process, this co-constructed data provided a high-quality account of the PELE course, which was then analysed for key themes, relating to the research problem areas around the approach, process, and impact.
As this study is not finished before the submission due date, the findings have not yet been established. However, by the time of the symposium, findings will have emerged, and they will thus be included in the presentation.
Kettle, M. (2017). International student engagement in higher education: Transforming practices, pedagogies and participation. Bristol, UK: Multilingual Matters.
Kim, M. (2022). A personalised autonomous model to resolve a prolonged dilemma in international students' English language needs in higher education. Higher Education Development and Research, (forthcoming).
Marginson, S. (2014). Student self-formation in international education. Journal of Studies in International Education, 18(1), 6-22.
