Can an intercultural rhetoric intervention improve academic performance? An exploratory study using Korean (EFL) students

Abstract

English is increasingly being considered the world's lingua franca for education and international business due to globalization. Therefore, enhancing the language ability of non-native (English) students is becoming an increasingly important issue in international higher education institutions. In this study, we adopt a quasi-experiment design approach and conduct empirical tests using two Korean student samples to demonstrate whether an intercultural rhetoric intervention can be combined with a traditional approach in a (business/accounting) EFL classroom to enhance student experience. Our results demonstrate that an English (rhetoric) teaching intervention incorporated into a traditional lecture can enhance the academic performance of Korean undergraduate business students that receive business/accounting content in English. The results suggest English language interventions based on rhetoric can enhance student experience in an EFL environment. The results also suggest that teaching business content without incorporating language training can have a detrimental effect on academic performance. This study therefore makes numerous contributions to policymaking in international classrooms or environments where students have not yet developed sufficient English skills to appreciate discipline specific knowledge.