Doctoral Dissertations

Date of Award

5-2009

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy

Major

Education

Major Professor

Patricia Davis-Wiley

Abstract

International students come from various cultural and linguistic backgrounds and encounter problems and challenges (Lee, 1997) when they first arrive at American universities. One of the reported challenges they encounter is speaking and listening skills in academic settings (Ferris & Tagg, 1996; Lee, 1997), which they perceive as being "serious impediments to full class participation" (Lee, 1997, p. 93) as international students. Being unable to clearly and accurately speak English may contribute to their discomfort and frustration in their daily routines and academic performance (Tsen & Newton, 2002). The purpose of the present study was to examine speaking difficulties that Taiwanese graduate students perceive to experience in academic settings. Specifically, the research questions which guided this study were: 1. How comfortable do Taiwanese graduate students feel in academic situations in this study? 2.Of all international students' perceived speaking difficulties, which ones are the most difficult as perceived by Taiwanese graduate students? 3. Which factors have a major impact on international students' speaking performance in academic settings? The participants in this study were the 40 Taiwanese graduate students (TGS) who matriculated at The University of Tennessee during the fall of 2008. Data collected from the subjects, using a survey, were analyzed using descriptive statistics and revealed the following results. The TGS felt more comfortable speaking English to their fellow students and instructors before or after class rather than in class. Leading class discussion, participating in large group discussions, answering questions in class, and giving presentations were in ascending order of difficulty.Cultural factors play a minor role in influencing TGS' willingness to participate in class activities: their general English speaking ability plays a more dominant role in engaging in class activities. Essentially, the findings of the present study indicate that when TGS actively engage in task-oriented activities, they are more likely to interact with their fellow students and instructors, which in turn increases their level of comfort in belonging to and becoming full active participants in academic discourse communities.

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