The sound of silence: A musically enhanced narrative inquiry into the academic acculturation stories of Chinese international students with low spoken English proficiency

Abstract

Situated within an increasing trend of globalization and internationalization, many universities pride themselves on the number of international students they recruit. At Canadian universities, there are more international students from China than any other country. However, Chinese international students tend to demonstrate lower spoken English proficiency than other international student groups. Research has shown that oral English proficiency significantly influences international students’ academic acculturation, however, little research has examined what academic acculturation looks like for Chinese international students with limited spoken English proficiency. This study sought to understand the academic acculturation experiences of Chinese international students with limited spoken English proficiency. We employed a musically enhanced narrative inquiry approach, building on traditional narrative research methods by utilizing sound and music to re-tell participants’ stories. Data were collected through arts-informed interviews with six Chinese international students, and analyzed through both narrative and musical restorying, resulting in the creation of literary and musical narrative representations. The findings contribute to the understanding of international students’ academic acculturation by giving authentic voice to their stories and communicating them through musically enhanced representations. These evocative representations can affect audiences in new ways, engendering resonance and understanding through the unique use of sound and music.