Student Perceptions of Academic Language Study

Abstract

This article reports on a study done to determine how nonnative English speakers studying in U.S. colleges and universities perceive their language learning experiences and how they use English in academic settings. Open-ended interviews, using a structured set of topics, were conducted with 80 students. Areas investigated included the value of the U.S. language training program, how the program addressed specific skill areas, how outof-class experience contributed to language learning, what teacher qualities were valued, and how English was used in the academic setting. In general, students supported the design of most intensive ESL training, but they raised questions about some skill-area emphasis. A strong desire for more interactive instruction was expressed as well as an appreciation for personality, 'rather than technical, qualities of teachers. Students indicated the importance in academic work of the receptive skills of reading and listening over the productive skills of speaking and writing. Curriculum design in ESL programs for academic preparation has, in general, failed to use the experience of students themselves as a basis for planning and decision making. This article reports on a study that attempted to discover what students believed contributed most to their language learning. The subjects had studied in intensive ESL programs in the United States and were engaged in academic study at the time of the investigation. Student attitude toward teachers and teacher behavior was also studied. Last, the study attempted to determine how these students were using English in their academic work.