Being and becoming an international student: the inter-relation between language socialization and identities
-
Behnam Soltani
Dr. Behnam Soltani did a PhD in Applied Linguistics at Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand. Upon finishing his PhD he was a Research Officer at Massey University. Behnam then joined Otago Polytechnic where he was a Senior Research Fellow for three years. Currently he is lecturing in Sociolinguistics at Massey University.
,
Ly Tran
Ly Tran is a Professor in the School of Education, Deakin University and an Australian Research Council (ARC) Future Fellow. She is an affiliated faculty member of the Centre for Higher Education Internationalisation, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Milan.
and
Amir Reza
Dr. Amir Reza is the dean of the Babson Academy for the Advancement of Global Entrepreneurial Learning (Babson Academy). In this role, he is responsible for leading and collaborative advancement of Babson Academy’s strategy. He is also dean of Global Education, responsible for advancing overall internationalization efforts for Babson College through curricular and cocurricular programs.
Abstract
This article draws on Lefebvre’s production of space to understand the cultural negotiations and underlying meanings of being and becoming an international student. Rich and multiple data sources including video/audio recordings of classroom interactions, field notes, interviews, diaries, and institutional documents from a Vietnamese student’s participation in English for Academic Purposes (EAP) and mainstream courses in a New Zealand university (NZU) were drawn upon. The findings of this study show that the student’s engagement in both the new social space and academic environment of NZU is mediated through negotiations and reflections of her Vietnamese-ness and constant comparison of the host culture with that of Vietnam and how her experience of navigating the social space of New Zealand influences her perceptions of Vietnamese-ness. International students’ socialization is mediated through engagement with materialities of space, mastering the norms of their social space, participating in activities, and reflecting on their own life and learning trajectories.
Funding source: PhD Scholarship
Award Identifier / Grant number: LALS
Award Identifier / Grant number: Recipient: Behnam Soltani
About the authors
Dr. Behnam Soltani did a PhD in Applied Linguistics at Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand. Upon finishing his PhD he was a Research Officer at Massey University. Behnam then joined Otago Polytechnic where he was a Senior Research Fellow for three years. Currently he is lecturing in Sociolinguistics at Massey University.
Ly Tran is a Professor in the School of Education, Deakin University and an Australian Research Council (ARC) Future Fellow. She is an affiliated faculty member of the Centre for Higher Education Internationalisation, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Milan.
Dr. Amir Reza is the dean of the Babson Academy for the Advancement of Global Entrepreneurial Learning (Babson Academy). In this role, he is responsible for leading and collaborative advancement of Babson Academy’s strategy. He is also dean of Global Education, responsible for advancing overall internationalization efforts for Babson College through curricular and cocurricular programs.
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Research funding: Author Behnam Soltani received a PhD Scholarship (LALS).
See Table A1.
Overview of norms in L1 and L2 academic social spaces.
| Elements | Prior experience in home country | New experience in L2 social space |
|---|---|---|
| Participation | It was not required. | It was a necessity in the course. All students were constantly required to engage in activities. |
| Listening comprehension | Helen had no listening problems as lessons were delivered in L1. | Helen reported she had problems in listening and could not comprehend the contents of talks especially in mainstream courses. |
| Vocabulary | She was able to express her intentions effectively in L1. | Hele mentioned she lacked enough (academic) vocabulary to communicate well. |
| Reading | Reading was in her first language. She was a fast reader. | Reading was a demanding and time consuming experience especially in mainstream courses for Helen. |
| Writing | She usually did not write long reports in her courses at home. | Helen was required to write reports for each course as a course requirement. |
| Word limit | Helen not concerned about word limit. There were mostly no rules about this. | There was a word limit to assignments and students had to strictly abide by that. |
| Plagiarism | It was not an issue. Cut and paste practices were noticed as reported by Helen. | Plagiarism had serious penalties. Individual integrity was promoted. |
| Debate and critical thinking | Helen reported that it was not encouraged. | There existed benchmarks and tools against which Helen had to analyze cases critically. |
| Teaching style | Classrooms were teacher centered. | Classrooms were student centered. |
| Tutors/lecturers | They were supposed to know everything and had full authority in classroom as reported. | They were not supposed to know everything. |
| Perceived space | There was a lack of resources as reported by Helen. | Helen was content with facilities and thought resources facilitated her learning. |
| Student support units | No support of such was reported. | There were support units available to students. |
| Assessment, final exam, writing assignment | There were only mid and/or final assessments. | There was continuous assessment throughout the semester. |
| Grading and appreciation of students’ work | The grading system was reported not to be able to judge students’ work properly. | Students’ efforts were appreciated through a careful assessment of their assignments. |
| Textbook | Helen did not read the textbook prior to going to her classes. | She needed to read the textbook so that she understands class discussions. |
| Oral presentation | It was not a requirement. | Students were required to give an oral presentation using PPT slides. |
| Lesson delivery | Nothing was reported about teachers’ teaching styles. PPT slides were not used by teachers. | Lessons were delivered using PPT slides. Teachers had strict syllabus and lesson plans. |
| Respect for knowledge | Helen reported knowledge was not respected as it should. | Knowledge was respected as an empowering tool. |
| Unethical practices | Bribery was said to play a role in students’ grading as reported by Helen. | No mention of this issue. |
| Student- student and teacher relationship | No collaboration among students was reported. | There was a close collaboration among students and teachers during the course. |
| Memorization vs. critical thinking | Memorization was encouraged. | Critical thinking was promoted. |
| Feedback | It was given by teacher only. | Students and teachers both provided feedback. |
| Use of technology | Not promoted in previous context. | Facebook, online forum, etc. were part of the course culture. |
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© 2022 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston
Articles in the same Issue
- Frontmatter
- Research Articles
- Critical educational linguistics
- Being and becoming an international student: the inter-relation between language socialization and identities
- “We are in our country. Why do we have to resort to western ways of doing things?”: an analytic framework for knowledge application in language teachers studying abroad
- Illuminating language users in the discourse of linguistic diversity: toward justice-informed language education
- Slicing the onion: reflections and projections on language education policy in the Caribbean
- Enhancing bilingual resources in third language acquisition: towards pedagogical translanguaging
Articles in the same Issue
- Frontmatter
- Research Articles
- Critical educational linguistics
- Being and becoming an international student: the inter-relation between language socialization and identities
- “We are in our country. Why do we have to resort to western ways of doing things?”: an analytic framework for knowledge application in language teachers studying abroad
- Illuminating language users in the discourse of linguistic diversity: toward justice-informed language education
- Slicing the onion: reflections and projections on language education policy in the Caribbean
- Enhancing bilingual resources in third language acquisition: towards pedagogical translanguaging
