Students in the First-Year ESL Program: Revisiting the Notion of ‘Traditional’ ESL (original) (raw)
2013, Writing Program Administration 36.2
An exponentially growing body of international undergraduate students in U.S. writing programs calls for the development of writing pedagogies that build on students’ composition literacy and their experiences in the authentic use of English. The implementation of this task requires an update of assumptions regarding international ESL students that is supported by data and takes into consideration the sociolinguistic realities of the global spread of English. This study investigated the characteristics of students enrolled in the ESL Writing Program at Purdue University. Through a questionnaire, the study documents student backgrounds, including their ESL characterization (international or U.S. resident); language backgrounds; academic literacy developed in native (L1) and U.S. educational contexts; instruction in L1 and English composition received in L1 educational contexts; as well as student motivation to register for an ESL composition course. Findings challenge the prevailing perception of international undergraduates as a homogeneous group of English language learners with limited experience in the authentic use of English and English composition. Implications for policies and practices of teaching composition are discussed.
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