The Impact International Students Have on ESL Program - Research Paper Example

Download file to see previous pages The research highlights that cultural, social, and academic difficulties and challenges that international ESL students have to undergo have resulted in changes in ESL programs. Previous research carried out in the same direction highlighted that international students have an influence on ESL programs as the increasing needs and complexities have forced universities to understand the perception and requirements of the students so that ESL programs can be developed accordingly.

To understand the perception of students and the impact it has on the ESL programs a survey was carried out over 377 international students it was identified that 58% were Chinese which was followed by 8% Malay and 5% each Japanese & Indonesian. It is seen that ESL students expect to receive high grades in the English language despite not having English as their native language. This has made universities bring the required changes through which education was imparted by choosing new and developed ways which help to ensure that ESL students can understand English better and thereby improve their overall grades in English.

This shows the gap which exists between the expectations of ESL students and how the current pedagogy is being developed. This thereby has impacted the ESL programs as universities are forced to make the required changes so that education can be imparted based on the needs and expectations of international students.
An increase in the number of international students has seen a corresponding change and demand for increased academic support so that proper support services can be provided to ESL students.

The impact has been so strong that it has brought widespread changes in the ESL programs and requires further development based on the needs and preferences of international students. The growth in international students studying at the University of Melbourne is very high and consists of over 20% of the total enrollment (Rowley, 2002). The overall effect has been such that it has made more and more students demand different changes, which has thereby impacted the ESL programs and forced the university to undergo the required changes. This has resulted in the integration of ESL programs with studying habits and modifying the traditional way through which learning was provided. ...Download file to see next pages Read More