Higher Education Student Support Program Expansion: A Decade of Progress and Success for English as an Additional Language (EAL) and International Students

Abstract

One method to support English as an additional language (EAL) students in higher education is through the development of an extracurricular support program catered to the specific academic and psychosocial needs of post-secondary EAL students within an individual faculty. In 2009, the Mount Royal University (MRU) EAL Nursing Student Support Program (NSSP) was created to support the EAL student population within MRU's Bachelor of Nursing (BN) faculty. Following over a decade of support program success documented in a series of scholarly publications, this study aims to capture the longitudinal impact of EAL NSSP on the continued success of its alumni within the academic, professional, and personal domains. A hermeneutic approach to phenomenology was used to measure the perceived impact of the student support measures on their professional and personal development. Participant interviews revealed six themes: (a) skills and knowledge obtained from membership in the support program, (b) continued engagement in professional development and leadership opportunities following support program involvement, (c) accomplishments attained following support program membership, (d) future goals, (e) eagerness to help future generations of EAL students, and (f) the need for continued EAL student support. The findings from this study demonstrate the importance of EAL student support in higher education, showcasing the profound, long-term impact that an effective and intentional EAL student support program design can have.