English for Non-Native Students - Essay Example

English for Non-native Introduction Many universities enroll who are either non-native speakers of the English language or considered as ESL (English as second language) students. Although native speakers of English do face issues in undergraduate or any other courses of study, the problems faced by non-native speakers within an academic environment based in English are different and need attention from a different direction. The current paper discusses various ideas and suggestions that can recognize several such issues faces by non-native students who study with English as the medium of instruction. It is important to understand that in a common classroom environment, the standards for evaluating students remain the same both for native and non-native speakers and this calls the need for a different approach to teaching on the part of instructors. Generally speaking, non-native speakers present several challenges to themselves, their classmates and even to their instructors, who sometimes find it difficult to cope with various issues that need to be resolved. For example, it is difficult to identify specific areas in which a student may be weak. A non-native speaker may face difficulty in writing or may find it difficult to keep up pace in following a class. Further, non-native speakers are usually foreign nationals, many of whom may not have knowledge of the local culture, customs and practices, leading to problems in following the proper standards in writing assignments and papers (Berman and Cheng, 2003). While native English students can be guided sufficiently through minimal effort and in a satisfactory manner, non-native speakers need more involvement, more attention and often more guidance and commenting in order to guide them along a course. In this context, the role of an instructor in a class comprising non-native English speakers increases towards correcting a lot of information, becoming slow in lectures so that everyone many follow and may yet seem inadequate on the part of the non-native speaker. Difficulties in using the English language The study by Berman and Cheng (2003) has identified that non-native English students found developing their language skills to be more difficult than native English speakers. Moreover, students face more difficulties especially during the first year at University due to a number of reasons. Firstly, the incoming non-native or ESL speaker is most likely a non-local who does not have knowledge of local cultures, practices and accents. As such, such a student is likely to take some time to adapt to a completely new environment on campus. Secondly, lack of command over the language or secondary skills often lowers the confidence of students among their native speaking friends and this is likely to restrict the interest and motivation among student to open up and seek assistance in enhancing their command over the language. The study also revealed differences among the difficulties faced by non-native students in different aspects of the English language. Further, this difference was not only in different language skills, but variations were also observed among students from undergraduate courses and other higher education. In this context, undergraduate students have been found to be more receptive in improving their language skills in a quicker fashion leading them to conclude that undergraduate students hold the greatest potential when it comes to enhancing proficiency in various departments of the English language. A survey of students in Hong Kong by Evans and Green (2007) pointed out several aspects in the degree of variation between a non-native student’s primary language and English. Chinese, which differs immensely from English, was cited as the most prominent reason for the issues students face when studying in an environment based on English. Moreover, a comparison of native speakers of Chinese with students speaking European languages (which resemble closely with many parts of English) such as German were found to be facing several difficulties in proper pronunciation, communication, correct spelling of many English words and the time spent in constructing sentences. Further, even if students, whose first language was Chinese, had attended high school where English was the major language, the influence of their mother tongue had a major impact in shaping their accents, which made it difficult for them to follow native speakers of English from western countries such as the United States and United Kingdom. Although English is considered to be a simpler language than other European languages such as French and Spanish, it has several distinctive features that make it difficult for students from other countries in understanding the basic building blocks of using the language. For instance, the division of a sentence into a subject and a predicate in English is quite different from the construction of a similar sentence in French or among Asian languages such as Hindi. However, students facing difficulties in using English for everyday communication have relied upon monolingual dictionaries that contain compact vocabulary in simple definitions and explanations, helping users understand and remember facts much faster (Flowerdew and Miller, 1996). It must also be emphasized that learning a second language is much more complex than developing an extensive vocabulary and remembering the various sounds within the language. In fact, the study on the Hong Kong students showed that breakdowns in communication occurred frequently not just due to difficulties in understanding pronunciation and syntax, but also due to variations in understanding a different culture. Things understood as right, justified and appropriate in one culture and language are not always seen similarly when translated into a different language although the decomposition of the sentences into individual blocks and words may reveal a basic understanding of the relevant context. This is commonly witnessed in the case of quotes and everyday phrases, which may be understood instantly by local and native students, but may leave non-native students wondering about the meaning of the sentence. Further, breakdowns occur when native and non-native speakers interact due to differences in age, authority, body language and the interest of the persons involved, especially the non-native speaker, in following and understanding the exchange. Students from conservative backgrounds have been found to have very different cultural beliefs while understanding a second language and this difference is also visible depending on the rural or urban background of the non-native student. For instance, the study of teachers from the United Kingdom and Chinese students found that the latter did not believe classroom involvement as an effective way of learning and laid emphasis on lectures. Thus, differences in expectations among students from various nationalities are also a significant factor in shaping their development in an educational environment based on the English language (Rosenthal, 1996). Writing The writings of students are heavily influenced by culture. Universities and educational institutions stress on the need for providing proper and relevant sources along with papers and assignments. The styles used in providing these references or sources of information vary immensely among universities across the world. As such, a non-native student often finds issues when dealing with referencing sources in a system unknown to them previously. Universities consider any incorrect referencing of sources as plagiarism and reject papers that are found to be violating the practices of standard documentation. It has often been found that papers often seen to have blatantly plagiarized are often a result of lack of knowledge of American referencing styles on the part of the student. Moreover, as other’s opinions are given more attention than those of a student, there are often cases where it is felt that students have relied increasingly on other sources instead of developing their individual ideas. It must also be pointed out that students often work together on common projects, leading to the development of identical papers, which may be rejected by teachers who have no prior knowledge of such group work. Students from Asia are allowed to use papers from previous semesters, and there is an need for universities to educate non-native students that such practices are unacceptable within universities that are based on the English language. In fact, proper explanation of various issues and solutions related to plagiarism can help prevent major problems for non-native students at a later stage (Flowerdew and Li, 2007). Conclusion The current paper has discussed extensively about the various issues that non-native students face in universities with English as the medium of instruction. Apart from differences in culture, region, accent and beliefs, the role played by universities and professors plays a crucial role in improving the experience for the non-native student. Non-native students often come from foreign countries and often require time in adapting to a new and different culture. The time required to improve understanding during lectures is dependent on the level of motivation and sincerity with which the student wishes to benefit from the classes. The university plays a significant role equally in encouraging and helping the student understand the differences and make efforts towards benefiting from the experience in a non-native environment. References 1. Berman and Cheng (2003), English academic language skills: Perceived difficulties by undergraduate and graduate students, and their academic achievement. University of Alberta. 2. Evans and Green (2007), Why EAP is necessary: A survey of Hong Kong tertiary students. English Department, Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Kowloon, Hong Kong. 3. Flowerdew and Li (2007), Plagiarism and second language writing in an electronic age. Cambridge University Press. 4. Flowerdew and Miller (1996), Lectures in a Second Language: Notes Towards a Cultural Grammar. American University. 5. Rosenthal (1996), Teaching science to language minority students: theory and practice. Manchester Metropolitan University.   Read More