Sociolinguistic Challenges Faced by Iraqi Graduate Students at U.S. Universities: A Case Study for Iraqi Graduate Students at University of Cincinnati

Abstract

This study addressed the challenges encountered by Iraqi graduate students at both the Intensive English Program (IEP) and the regular academic degree programs at U.S. Universities. Using a case study approach, the study focused on five Iraqi graduate students studying at the University of Cincinnati to address those challenges and seek solutions that help both current and future students adjust to an American college campus culture. Two questions guided the research: 1) How do Iraqi graduate students perceive their challenges in a new setting with English as the medium of instruction for the first time, and 2) what social, psychological, and linguistic factors are behind those challenges. Study results revealed the linguistic, social and psychological challenges as experienced by the participants. This study is significant as it describes the types of challenges encountered by the students and offers recommendations to improve the practices of the intensive English programs and better meet students " needs. Introduction The number of Iraqi students in U.S universities is increasing year after year. According to the Open Doors Report (2014) on international education exchange, Iraqi students are part of a growing number of international students enrolled in higher education. In fact, in 2004, the embassy in Baghdad announced a 38.8% increase in the number of Iraqi students studying in the U.S. A decade later, 1,074 Iraqi students were enrolled in U.S. universities for the 2013-2014 academic years. This rise in numbers has been fueled in part by an increase in scholarship opportunities. One mid-western university, the University of Cincinnati (UC), recently started receiving a considerable number of Iraqi graduate students as a result of three separate scholarship programs, funded by the Higher Committee for Education Development in Iraq (HCED), Ministry of Higher Education programs, and the Kurdish regional government scholarship program. UC has developed a strong relationship with several Iraqi universities. Linkage programs, funded by external grants, have increased opportunities for Iraqi students to study at UC. Like other international students, Iraqi graduate students had significant challenges in adjusting to the American academic culture as well as in preparing for a smooth transfer from Intensive English Programs (IEP) to their academic degree programs. These challenges are usually associated with language difficulties leading to problems in intercultural communication and adaptation (Medved D., Franco. A., Gao. X., & Yang. F., 2013) The Intensive English Programs (IEPs) at U.S. Universities usually adopt a sheltered form of English instruction in order to connect the language development skills with those of the area content. According to Cho & Reich (2008), sheltered instruction is the method of integrating language and content objectives in planning and implementing instruction for low English language learners. However, the IEP in this study does not follow a content-based English language instruction. Due to scholarship limitations, Iraqi graduate students are constrained by a limited period of time in the IEP, leaving them with limited English language preparation. Iraqi graduate students face other socio-cultural challenges as a result of several historical factors. The disconnection from the international community for decades as a result of the last two Gulf wars and United Nations " sanctions on Iraq negatively impacted English language education and limited Iraqi students " exposure to the authentic target language. The author of this paper argue that the challenges students face preparing to use English in their content area is due to sociolinguistic and psychological factors, among which are a separation of language skills and content area language experienced in their IEP. The lack of connection between language and content in the IEP phase increases the linguistic demand of the content and requires more cognitive energy, which hinders students " academic language development. The mismatch between the kinds of instruction offered during the IEP period and the academic language of the students " actual degree program result in low preparation on the part of the students and left them with linguistic, social, and psychological challenges. The study sought to answer two questions: 1) how do Iraqi graduate students perceive their challenges in a new setting with English as the medium of instruction, and 2) what social, psychological, and linguistic factors are behind such challenges? As students who choose to study in the United States sometimes find serious challenges adapting to the native level of English and the unique culture of their new surroundings (Kuo, 2011), likewise, some Iraqi graduate students suffer in their academic degree programs on US college campuses and some fail to attain satisfactory grades or drop out of their programs altogether. In exploring the experience of Iraqi graduate students, this study seeks to better understand the impact of these challenges.