Nonnative Speaker Challenges in American Colleges

Presenters: Leigh Anne Shaw, Serena Chu-Mraz, Garry Nicol

Faculty Flex Day Presentation, January 20, 2015

The goal of this presentation◦ To better understand factors in NNSs’ struggles with English in

our classes◦ To learn strategies that can be employed right now in our

classes to provide support to NNS students No magic bullets◦ There is no “single fix” that helps NNSs achieve greater skill in

English With exception of cited material…◦ All ideas herein are those of the presenters

Goals and Disclaimers

Alphabet Soup◦ NNS – Nonnative Speaker

ESL – English as a Second Language (U.S.)EFL – English as a Foreign Language (outside U.S.)ESOL – Skyline College’s ESL departmentEL – English Learner (high school designation)L1/L2 – 1st language/2nd language

Who is an ESOL student?◦ Skyline College population: +/- 10,000◦ Percentage speaking a language other than English: 70%◦ # of students in ESOL program: +/- 550

Terminology

Resident, middle-aged◦ Assets: intellectual capital and maturity, work experience, life

experience, community connections◦ Challenges: inflexibility of learning, limited

patience/receptiveness to learning, occasional residency issues, work schedule often impacts studies, tendency to prefer being “under the radar”

Resident, US-high school educated ◦ Assets: acculturated, positive affect, flexible learner◦ Challenges: ingrained linguistic habits (ear-learner), lack of

foundation in 1st language affects dev. of 2nd language, lack of awareness/gravity towards language perfection

NNSs at Skyline College

International Students◦ Assets: financial resources, support from family, usually highly

motivated, eager to bring non-U.S. perspectives to the classroom

◦ Challenges: homesickness, visa issues, homestay issues, acculturation issues, “short-term” view of cultural experience, tension between time needed to become English proficient and time allotted for study

NNSs at Skyline College

Discuss: what does SLA entail?◦ Grammar: Form, Function, Phonology*◦ Acquisition of vocabulary◦ Language morphology and word families

(success/succeed/succeeds/succeeded/successful)◦ Register and situational appropriateness (e.g. academic

language vs. language for work interaction)◦ Emotions, insinuations, attitudes, expressions◦ Culture, history, pop-culture influences, slang, applied

theoretical lenses (e.g. feminism)◦ Affect and identity as a speaker of the language

Second Language Acquisition

*Larsen-Freeman 2000

Cultural differences affecting learners

Resources: Iowa State University 2005Pistillo 2003Hall 1959

Cultural differences affecting learnersThe U.S. Almost every other culture

low-context (relies on explicit information)

monochronic (time is measured, takes priority over all)

linear-thinking focus on exact words, exact meaning,

ambiguity not tolerated (“say what you mean”)

litigious and rigid blunt, direct, self-advocating Communication begins with central point,

then explains it explicitly

high-context (relies on implied information)

polychronic (time is fluid, secondary to human concerns)

nonlinear-thinking focus on emotional content and imagery;

ambiguity preferred (“don’t dumb it down for me”)

negotiating, flexible polite, indirect, face-saving Communication may state central point

at the end, or perhaps never at all

Resources: Iowa State University 2005Pistillo 2003Hall 1959

Asian cultures◦ Belief that only good authors are

published

Cultural conflicts in Communication

*Source: Lee and Lee 2009

Potential Conflicts w/U.S. College◦ Reticence to analyze sources

◦ Fatalistic views and determinism ◦ Individualism and Cause/Effect

◦ Confucianist thinking seeks compromise

◦ Western thinking seeks debate

◦ Writing politely “dances around” the topic, leaving much up to reader interpretation.

◦ Western readers expect a strong claim and a thorough defense, leaving nothing to interpretation

◦ Quotable authors are already well-known; using their words as your own only heightens your own ideas

◦ Difficulty understanding issues with plagiarism

Arabic/Semitic cultures◦ Image is more important than

meaning

Cultural conflicts in Communication

*Source: Lee and Lee 2009

Potential Conflicts w/U.S. College◦ Explicit, clear words are

central to academic writing

◦ A negotiating culture; polychronic, high-context culture

◦ Rule-bound; firm time deadlines; “must be fair to everyone”

◦ Arguing all angles of a topic shows your skill and knowledge and gives a complete picture

◦ Failing to take a side shows you as a weak, unskilled, or inattentive thinker

◦ Writing can use emotionally charged language

◦ Removal of emotion is the hallmark of balanced, powerful, objective writing

◦ Style is more important than accuracy.

◦ Without accuracy, what’s the point?

Latin cultures◦ Collectivist values

Cultural conflicts in Communication

*Source: Lee and Lee 2009

Potential Conflicts w/U.S. College◦ Individualistic values

◦ Communication does not always elaborate on what is assumed to be universally understood.

◦ Never assume anything is “universally understood”

◦ Argument can lead to conflict, which is contrary to collectivist values

◦ Argument is a key element to intellectual discourse

◦ There is no need to be independently recognized for one’s own thinking

◦ Being independently recognized for one’s own thinking is the hallmark of academia.

◦ Family trumps all life events ◦ Commitment to education is paramount

◦ TIPS: Remember: The English academic style is just a style, not the

only style. Don’t devalue other styles. Reassure: Ss’ thinking or value system is not wrong, but gets

interpreted a certain way by American academic behaviors. Clarify goal: to become bicultural in communication rather than

feeling the need to adhere to rules that make no logical sense. “This probably sounds great in your language, but in English, it

sounds like xyz… What do you want to say?”

TIPS for faculty

Think about one NNS you have encountered who might exhibit any of the traits discussed so far. ◦What were the challenges?◦ How successful was the student?◦What did you do, or what could you have done, to help the

student see the differences between his/her culture and American culture, with respect to writing English?

Discuss

Resources:

Iowa State University (2005) Cultural Differenceshttp://www.celt.iastate.edu/international/CulturalDifferences3.html

Lee, J. and K. Lee (2009) Facilitating Dynamics of Focus Group Interviews in East Asia: Evidence and Tools by Cross-Cultural Study http://www.ijdesign.org/ojs/index.php/IJDesign/article/view/351/238

Pistillo, G. (2003) The Interpreter as Cultural Mediatorhttp://www.immi.se/jicc/index.php/jicc/article/view/135/103

Zaharna, R. S. (1995) Bridging Cultural Differences: American Public Relations Practices & Arab Communication Patterns http://academic2.american.edu/~zaharna/arab-comm.htm

I have never visited Chicago. Form: subj + aux + adverb + verb past participle +

object = present perfect tense in the negative

Function: time frame and meaning (general life experience, negative)

Phonology: I’ve /ive/ visited /visitid/ back

Form, Function, Phonology