Preliminary Efficacy Study of a Conversational English Partners Program for Enhancing Psychosocial Life Quality in International Graduate Students

Date

2015

Authors

Popp, Hannah

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Worldwide access.
Access changed 8/3/17.

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Abstract

International students provide educational institutions with a number of benefits culturally, socially, and academically. However, past research demonstrates that international students in the U.S. face a number of psychosocial stressors and issues with psychological and social adjustment. In addition to the pressures placed on them to succeed socially and academically in a foreign culture, many graduate international students are expected to teach various levels of undergraduate classes. Sometimes, their lack of polished American English can result in communication barriers. This empirical study explores (i) the psychosocial stresses that are experienced by bilingual Asian international graduate students as a result of language barriers using a comprehensive self-reporting/self-rating questionnaire, and (ii) the efficacy of a task-based, structuralized English-learning service by assessing the pre- to post-service improvement of psychosocial status and spoken language accuracy.

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Keywords

International students., English as a second language., Psychosocial life quality., Communication barriers., College students., Graduate students., Language barriers., Conversational english partnership program.

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