Extending support for English language learners: A university outreach program

Abstract

As universities in English-speaking countries recruit and enroll international students, a variety of forms of support are typically offered on and off campus to help students make a successful transition. The most common challenges for nonnative English-speaking international students are linguistic and cultural. In spite of meeting English proficiency score requirements for admission, students report struggling with the demands of academic English. This article describes a model for an on-site English language program to help students improve their levels of English proficiency prior to their arrival. Program effectiveness was assessed through pre- and post-test measures of students' English language skills, interviews with stakeholders, and observations. Students' gains in proficiency were moderate due to the limited amount of time they had available for course attendance and study, but gains in affective factors were strong. Challenges in the implementation of the program and how they were resolved are described.