Impact of English Language Proficiency on Adjustment to University Life

The assignment focuses on the importance of English language proficiency for international students adjusting to university life in a foreign country. It consists of three sections: background information, English language proficiency and academic achievement, and English language proficiency and social lives. The questionnaire aims to understand how English language proficiency affects students' ability to complete their course successfully, comprehend or understand tests, and interact with people at the university.

ENGLISH PROFICIENCY AND ADJUSTMENT TO UNIVERSITY LIFE 1
The Effects of English Language Proficiency on Adjustment to University Life
Student’s Name
Course
Professor’s Name
Institutional Affiliation
City
Date

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English Language Proficiency and its Impact on Adjustment the Life of University
Introduction
1.1. Background of the Study
Universities worldwide have become more internationalized, as students seek for higher
education in global nations. The number of international students has significantly inclined from
2,000,000 to 4,000,000 between 2000 and 2012 (UNESCO Statistics, 2014). British council
(2013) indicated that the number of global learners from China in the UK constitute the largest
proportion followed by that of the United States. Various studies have been performed by
scholars on the adjustment to life involving Chinese students in the United Kingdom suggested
that many encounter various issues in their university life such as English language skills (Wang,
2015, 51), social support (Yu and Wright, 2016, 49), psychological issues (Gallagher, 2013, 53)
and learning shock (Gu and Maley, 2008, 224) and thus, this has resulted in difficulties for the
Chinese students when it comes to adjusting to university life.
The psychological, academic and social adjustments of the Chinese students seem
intertwined. However, little research has been done on this. Seeking education internationally
enables students to grow personally. Beaven and Spencer-Oatey (2016, 349) attempted to study
the intercultural development of students abroad, but this study has failed to focus more on the
actual adjustment processes of the Chinese students to the university life abroad.
1.1.1. English Language Proficiency
The study of adjustment to university life can be enhanced by looking at the expertise in
the English dialect. According to Allen and Mills (2016, 498), proficiency in the English
language constitutes the capability of the learners to employ English to communicate and make
meaningful verbal expressions, as well as, in writing. For instance, if a student can be able to
express and socialize with others accurately in English without stammering, while being

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understood, then the student would be said to be proficient in the English language. Yoo, Manna,
Monfills and Oh (2019, 289) defined proficiency as the advancement in knowledge or skill. In
terms of the English dialect, it entails the advancement in the English dialect or the skill of using
the English language.
Luo and Daly (2019) identified English language proficiency in the Chinese content and
found that the market pressure on the students from China to obtain qualifications in the English
language has created an environment, whereby the English language is both a utility and a
symbolic value. Langum and Sullivan (2017, 20) studied “composing educational English as a
doctoral student based in Sweden” suggested that it is essential for the doctoral students to be
supported in their journey of being bi-literate academic writers, rather than the notion of being
native speakers. Renandya, Hamied and Nurkamto (2018, 618) considered English language
proficiency in Indonesia and suggested that as teachers may not have reached a level of
proficiency with regards to the English language, training programmes need to be developed to
raise the proficiency of the teachers. Garcia-Ponce (2020, 145) analyzed English language
proficiency in Mexico. The evidence by Garica-Ponce (2020, 145) suggested that there were
several needs that hindered students in Mexico to attain their objectives in the proficiency of the
English Language in the tertiary education context.
Various scholars have studied the influence of English language expertise. The scholars
discovered that the ability of the engineers to communicate in the English language effectively
and efficiently was paramount at their workplace, not only in Nepal, but also in other nations
worldwide. Adebola, Ayodele, Foluke, Olufunke and Lasisi (2020, 530) analyzed “the
implications of proficiency in the English language on the learners’ pronunciation in terms of
testing.” This research was conducted among undergraduate students in South-West, Nigeria.

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The study suggested that the mean value of the English language proficiency of the students was
66.36%, while their pronunciation scores were 74.21% and thus, they had above average
performance. As such, the scholars indicated that there was an appreciable positive correlation
between English language competency and the students’ performance.
Coniam, Falvey and Xiao (2017, 115) investigated “the impact on the English dialect
teaching vocation of Hong Kong of the language competency analysis for English teachers”. The
study revealed the existence of a positive correlation between the Lexical Competency
Assessment for Teachers English (LPATE) and the teaching of the English dialect as a vocation.
As such, the incorporation of the Lexical Proficiency Assessment for Teachers English (LPATE)
was founded to be necessary as it helped in maintaining, setting and raising the standards of the
proficiency of the English language, as well as, creating awareness to the stakeholders that
English teachers mandated to possess high standards concerning the English dialect. The
competency of the English dialect for this study was measured using a Likert scale.
1.1.2. Adjustment to University Life
According to Rahat and Ilhan (2016), adjustment to university life refers to getting used
to life at the university, being able to socialize with others and being able to move freely within
the campus without getting lost. For example, if one can be able to form friends within the
campus, know where his or her classes are or the library and know where the auditorium is, he or
she would be said to have adjusted to his or her university life.
Wintre and Yaffe (2000, 9) identified adjustment to university life in order to understand
the contributions that the perceived style of parenting, psychological wellbeing and relationship
with parents had on the adjustment to university life of the first years. The study by Wintre and
Yaffe (2000, 9) discovered that discussions with parents and guardians, reciprocity that is mutual
and the psychological wellbeing of the students had a positive relationship with their adjustment

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to their university lives. Besides, the study by Wintre and Yaffe (2000, 9) demonstrated the
existence of a positive link, though indirect, between the adjustment to university life and
authoritative parenting. For instance, when the parent tells the child that they focus on learning
and not socializing at school, this would significantly influence their adjustment to university
life.
Nel, Govender and Tom (2016, 384) studied “the academic and social change
experiences of first year learners at a factually disadvantaged peri-urban university in South
Africa”. The study discovered that the first year students had both negative and positive
adjustments experiences to the university life. Their positive academic experiences comprised
financial and academic supported, whereas their adverse academic experiences to university life
included workload, unsupportive lecturers and lack of accommodation in school (Nel, Governder
and Tom, 2016, 384). In terms of social adjustment experiences, their positive ones comprised
emotional independence and social support, while their negative social ones comprised
homesickness, social isolation and disintegration.
Kusumaningsih (2016, 30) identified “the role of social anxiety on the college change of
sophomore students”. The study by Kusumaningsih (2016, 30) found that the fear of negative
evaluation had a relationship or link with the personal, academic and emotional adjustment of the
first year college students. However, it did not have a link with their institutional and social
adjustment. Al-Katib, Awamleh and Samawi (2012, 7) studied “the adjustment of the students to
college life at Albalqa Applied University”. The results and findings of the study suggested that
the degree of adjustment of the students to the university life was moderate and thus, there was
no statistical difference on the scale of adjustment attributed to gender, interactions, college and
the level of study.

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Sevinc and Gizir (2014) investigated “the factors negatively affecting the change to
university life of the sophomore students in Mersin University”. The study revealed that there
were various elements that had undesirable effects on the fine-tuning of the sophomore students.
Mainly, their academic adjustment to university life was negatively impacted with the
relationships that they had with the faculty and the quality of teaching that they were exposed to
while at Mersin University. In terms of the social adjustment, it was negatively influenced by
their participation in recreational activities, relationships with their friends and their management
of their leisure time. In addition to this, the study by Sevinc and Gizir (2014) revealed that other
individual factors had an influence on the academic and social adjustment of the learners to the
campus life. These included loneliness, homesickness and fear of failure or disapproval by
society or even their parents. On the other hand, the institutional elements that influenced the
social and academic of the learners to the university life comprised sense of identity and
belonging to a university.
Various researchers have studied the effect of adjustment to university life of the
students. Lipka, Sarid, Aharoni Zorach, Bufman, Hagag and Peretz (2020, 923) studied
“adjustment to higher education while performing a contrast of learners with or without physical
or mental disabilities”. The results and findings by Lipka, Sarid, Aharoni Zorach, Bufman,
Hagag and Peretz (2020, 923) indicated that those students with disabilities had lower
adjustments to university life when compared to those students that did not have disabilities.
Mutambara and Bhebe (2012) analyzed the “factors affecting the adjustment of students
at a Zimbabwe university”. The findings of this research found that to a larger extent, the
students from the college in Zimbabwe were failing to adjustment to the college life due to the
socio-economic conditions that were prevailing at that time in Zimbabwe. Wayt (2012) analyzed

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“the influence of the social and academic relationships of the students on the college learner
perseverance”. The results revealed that those students who persisted through collected had
positive influences on the decisions to persist, as well as, positive experiences on their college
lives and interactions at school. Besides, the findings of this study by Wayt (2012) showed that
overall, the students had positive interactions both on and off campus and this significantly
influenced their persistence decisions. Despite this, these relationships were mostly socially
associated such that those students that had friends and family at campus had a stronger impact
on their persistence choices at the university than those that only went to the university to learn.
In other words, the study by Wayt (2012) suggested that human relationships at the college tend
to positively influence the adjustment to university life, as well as, the persistence of the students
at the college.
Jean (2010) studied “the academic and social adjustment of the first generation learners
to college life”. The results and findings from the survey revealed that those students who
obtained less than a grade point average of 2.0 were able to highlight the dynamics that
undermined their academic and social change to university life. Conversely, Haktanir, Watson,
Ermis-Demirtas, Karaman, Freeman, Kumaran and Streeter (2018, 1521025118810666) focused
on “pliability, academic college change and self-concept among the sophomore students”.
Ideally, the study discovered that academic resilience and self-concept positively predicted the
embracement of the sophomore learners to the university life. Similarly, the tuning to campus
life in this research was measured using a Likert scale.
1.1.3. English Language Proficiency and Adjustment to University Life
Many scholars have placed an emphasis and significant attention on the impact of the
competency of the English dialect on the adjustment to university life. Alharbu and Yakout
(2018, 5) studied “the effect of English dialect competency on academic excellence of nursing

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students articulating English as a second language”. The findings revealed that 43% of the
participants experienced challenges in understanding English, 68% encountered issues in
studying English and approximately 47% were uncomfortable to speak the language of English.
In addition to this, the study by Alharbu and Yakout (2018, 5) discovered that 71 percent of the
respondents had low ELAS scores.
Andrade (2009, 16) investigated “the impacts of the English language competency on
tuning to campus life”. The study found that the students were generally satisfied with their
English dialect competency and they appreciated it as a second language. Nonetheless, they felt
they felt that their English language proficiency needed to be improved through social interaction
and course work. Additionally, the professors and lecturers felt that the skills of the students
were adequate, but they needed to be improved and thus, adjusting their approaches to teaching
could go a long way in improving the competency of the learners to the English dialect.
Martirosyan, Kwang and Wanjohi (2015, 60) studied “the impact of the English dialect
competency on the academic excellence of the international learners”. The empirical results and
outcomes of this research demonstrated that there were appreciable differences between the
English language competency and multilingualism in terms of the academic excellence of the
university and the college students. Specifically, the study by Martirosyan, Kwang and Wanjohi
(2015, 60) reported the highest GPAs in those students that had high proficiency in the English
dialect and those who spoke at least three dialects.
Xu (1991, 557) analyzed “the influence of the English dialect competency on the
perceived learning difficulty of the global graduate students”. The study demonstrated that the
self-rated lexical competency was the most vital predictor of the perceived level of academic

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complexity. Furthermore, Xu (1991, 557) discovered that the age and length of training were
also predictors. However, the TOEFL score was insignificant in this analysis.
Kaliyadan, Thalamkandathil, Parupalli, Amin, Balaha and Ali (2015, 140) performed an
analysis on “the proficiency of the English dialect and learning excellence by performing a
research of a medical preparatory year program in Saudi Arabia”. The results and findings
revealed that a positive significant association existed between the variables under consideration
and thus, the proficiency of the English language significantly influenced the academic
performance of the medical students.
1.2. Statement of the Problem
The study of tuning to campus life for the international students has received significant
attention after the increase in the volume of Chinese students studying in the UK. The main
reason why the students from China go to study in the UK is for personal growth of some nature,
either in terms of their social lives, academic lives or co-curricular. Therefore, Simioli (2020)
suggested that the international students have an easy adjustment when they go to study in the
UK since they have an objective of personal growth that they want to achieve.
In reality, however, this has not been the case since the majority of the international
students who go to study in the UK have a hard time adjusting to the university life. Even
though, international students are expected to have an easy time adjusting to the university life,
some have been unable to as a result of their lack of competency in the English dialect
(Andreade, 2009, 16). This has significantly influenced their academic, social and psychological
lives.
Andrade (2009, 16) studied “the impacts of English dialect competency on tuning to
campus life”. Young, Sercombe, Sachdev, Naeb and Schartner (2013, 151) analyzed “the factors

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of success for global postgraduate students’ change by investigating the implications of
intercultural proficiency, social contact, lexical competency and communal support”. Other
scholars analyzed “indicators of global students’ psychological tuning to life in the US” and “the
disparities in English dialect competency, coping, anxiety, self-efficacy, psychological
proficiency involving less well-adjusted and well-adjusted Thailand students who are sophomore
students taking English courses” (Zhang and Goodson, 2011, 139; Kim, Davidson and Ho,
2011). This demonstrated that insufficient studies were done on English language proficiency
and adjustment to university life.
Research Aims and Objectives
The main reason for this research paper was to determine the effects of the proficiency in
the language of English on adjustment of the international students (especially Chinese) to the
university life in the United Kingdom. Various research questions had been formulated, as
shown below.
i. To understand the effect of the proficiency of language of English on the academic
achievement of international students.
ii. To evaluate how the social nature of the international students affected by their English
language proficiency.
iii. To ascertain how the English language proficiency affects the adjustment of international
students.
1.3. Research Questions
i. What is the effect of the proficiency of language of English on the international students’
academic achievement?

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ii. How is the social nature of the international students affected by their proficiency in the
English language?
iii. How does English language proficiency affect the international students’ adjustment to
the university life?
1.4. Justification of the Study
The research concerning the adjustment to university life has proven to be a crucial topic,
especially when the student is not proficient in their English language. This has been found to
significantly impact their social, academic and psychological lives. Despite this, the impact of
the proficiency of the language of English on the adjustment to university life in the United
Kingdom has been under examined. This study expounded on this topic.
1.5. Significance of the Study
This research was significant to a number of people.
1.5.1. Management of the University
To the management of the university, this study contributed in helping learn how they
can improve the adjustment of the international students to the university life. Besides, it helped
the management of the university to learn the issues that the international students faced while at
the campus in order to learn how to make their lives at the university to be smooth.
1.5.2. Scholars
This study was significant to scholars since it helped serve as a reference material in
order to fill in on the research gap that was created by this research. In addition to this, it was
used in the empirical and theoretical reviews by other scholars in their research work.

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1.5.3. Academic Student Support
This study was significant to the academic student support as they learnt concerning the
measures that they could take to ensure that the international students have an easy adjustment to
the university life.
1.5.4. Government and Financial Support Organizations
This research was significant to the government and financial support organizations as it
helped them to learn more concerning the issues that the international students on sponsorship
were facing while studying abroad and thus, this helped them to learn which measures to
implement so that the international students had an easy adjustment to their university life.
1.6. Scope of the Study
The scope of the research was international students at Cardiff Metropolitan University.
Questionnaires were presented to the international students to help the researcher in
understanding the effects that their proficiency in the English language had on their adjustment
to the university life. The study used a mixture or primary and secondary sources of data.
Literature Review
2.1. Introduction
This section provided a discussion concerning the literature behind the study.
Specifically, it looked at literature on English language proficiency and adjustment to university
life, empirical review and a conceptual framework.
2.2. English Language Proficiency
The proficiency of the language of English in Indonesia has been a significant topic of
study. Renandya (2018, 618) indicated that language proficiency refers to the ability of a person

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to use a language for communication purposes. To assess the proficiency of a person in a
language, five performance measures are used (Renandya, 2018, 618). These include accuracy,
complexity, capacity, fluency and appropriacy. Firstly, according to Rendandya (2018, 618),
accuracy is the ability to produce language correctly in terms of vocabulary, pronunciation and
grammar. If a person is able to produce the English language correctly, then he or she would
have an easy adjustment at the university. Secondly, Rendandya (2018, 618) indicates that
fluency is the ability to organize ideas coherently. As such, this would be a significant factor
towards influencing the adjustment to university life of the international student. Thirdly,
complexity is the ability to use complex vocabulary (Rendandya, 2018, 618). If a person can be
able to use complex vocabulary, then he or she can be considered proficient in English and
therefore, this would positively impact his or her adjustment to the university life. Fourthly,
according to Rendandya (2018, 618), appropriacy refers to whether the language used is relevant
for the audience and its purpose. Learning the English language could be relevant in a setup
whereby there are a lot of international students and this could influence their adjustment to the
university life. Finally, Rendandya (2018, 618) suggested that capacity is how much of what we
know can be used to write and discuss various topics both on an informal or formal setup. By
being proficient in the English language, a person could have the capacity to discuss various
topics and thus, this could significantly influence his or her academic and social lives.
2.3. Adjustment to University Life
Adjustment to university life has been a crucial topic for researchers today. Many
students around the world find it difficult to adjust to their university life (Mudhovozi, 2012,
251). According to Graham, Woodfield and Harrison (2013, 4), institutions of higher education

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usually face issues when it comes to the commitment of the new students towards their study at
the university or college. Ideally, most of them withdraw from school even before completing
their courses. To reduce this rate of withdrawal, transition programs are used by the institutions
of higher education to help new students cope up and adjust to their university life (Jenner, 2017,
26). To get the most out of their years at the university or college, the new students will need to
be engaged in numerous activities while at the school. These activities will be aimed at
influencing their adjustment through social interactions. Alt (2018, 128) suggested that the
students of higher education usually evolve through their psychological and physical
involvement in their new school environment.
Building new friendships at the university or college is a new skill that the first year
students will need to develop in order to make them have an easy adjustment to the university or
college life. Bouchard and Berg (2017, 107) emphasized on the important role that friendship
plays at school and suggested that those students who do not develop friends at school are likely
to drop out of campus. In their research, Berchiatti, Badenes-Ribera, Ferrer, Longobardi and
Gastaldi (2020, 105226) performed an analysis about the relationship of development of friends
at school and adjustment to university life. A longitudinal study was conducted by the scholars
with a sample of 1,070 students being selected from universities in Canada. A qualitative
approach was applied by the scholars with the results and findings suggesting that friendship is
usually a key driver towards the adjustment to university life of the first year students. Despite
this, the study by Donaldson, McKinney, Lee and Pino (2016, 30) acknowledged that new
students usually face significant challenges during their first year. Some universities try to
address this issue, while others do not. For instance, some universities in Australia have specific

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programs for first year students to help them cope and adjust to university and college life.
Wibrowski, Matthews and Kitsantas (2017, 317) noted that the experience of the first year
students on the programs established by their universities aimed to create a learning
environment, which would improve their experience. At the start of the academic year, the first
year students are the most disoriented ones and thus, implementing measures to help them cope
with their first year is critical. Vasileiou, Barnett, Barreto, Vines, Atkinson, Long, Bakewell,
Lawson and Wilson (2019, 21) stated that during this phase, exposing the first year students to
social support systems within the college and university would help them to deal with their
loneliness feeling and feel a sense of belonging within the college or university. Besides this, it
will help to lower their rates of withdrawal from the university.
2.4. Academic and Social Support for New Comers
The present study focused on Cardiff Metropolitan University within the researcher’s
context. A similar study was conducted by Silva, Kleinert, Sheppard, Cantrell, Freeman-
Coppadge, Tsoy, Roberts and Pearrow (2017, 284) which took place in the United Kingdom at
the University of Brighton. A sample of 23 first year students were chosen for this study, out of
which 12 had failed to complete their courses and withdrawn from campus during first year.
Ideally, the majority of the students indicated that the main reason why they withdrew from their
courses was due to lack of social support. There is a growing interest in literature concerning the
adjustment of first year students with their academic life and what universities and colleges can
do make them have an easy adjustment at school. Turner et al. (2017, 805) suggested a 4-week
course, which would help them to adjust, whereas Workman (2015, 5) looked at an advising
model, which helped to link mentors with the freshmen at school. Eldaba (2016, 171), on the

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other hand, proposed an academic model, which will be used to intensify the experiences of the
international students at the university or college.
2.5. Academic Performance
MacCann, Jiang, Brown, Double, Bucich and Minbashian (2020, 150) wanted to evaluate
whether EI influences the academic performance of students. Ideally, universities usually devote
a lot of resources to develop the emotional intelligence of the students, including international
students. The study focused on three types of emotional intelligence, that is, self-rated, ability
and mixed emotional intelligence. The study by MacCann, Jiang, Brown, Double, Bucich and
Minbashian (2020, 150) discovered that the association between ability emotional intelligence
and academic performance of students was stronger as opposed to the self-rated one or the mixed
one. The study indicated that emotional intelligence is considered to be the number three
predictor of conscientiousness and intelligence in people and thus, if students have high
emotional intelligence, they would be able to adjust easily during their first year of campus.
Broadbent (2017, 24) focused on the strategies which help students to self-regulate
themselves, especially for the distance learners and their influence on academic performance. For
this study, 140 online students and 466 students who studied online and offline as well were
chosen to undertake in the study. The results and findings by Broadbent (2017, 24) indicated that
the self-regulated strategies were mostly used by the online students when compared to those
who studied both online and offline. As such, those who studied online only found it easy to
adjust to their academic and social lives since everything was conducted online.
Serra, Kiekens, Vanderlinden, Vrieze, Auerbach, Benjet, Claes, Cujipers, Demyttenaere,
Ebert and Tarsitani (2020, 339) analyzed issues relating to binge eating of the first year

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international students and their academic performance. Binge eating is one of the most common
behavior for college students and mainly it is associated with mental health problems and it may
have a significant impact on their academic performance. Data from Leuven College Surveys
was collected where mental problems and binge eating behavior was analyzed among the first
year college students. Specifically, a sample of 4,889 first year college students was picked with
the results and findings indicating that the binge eating behavior of the first year college students
was more prevalent in the female students when compared to the male students. Besides, the
findings of this study by Serra, Kiekens, Vanderlinden, Vrieze, Auerbach, Benjet, Claes,
Cujipers, Demyttenaere, Ebert and Tarsitani (2020, 339) indicated that the high binge eating
behavior of the female first year college students resulted in their poor academic performance. In
a way to cope, adjust at campus and feel that they belonged there, the female first year college
students engaged in binge eating behavior, which is a common behavior in women, whether
students or not. Therefore, the study indicated that there was a strong adverse association
between binge eating behavior and academic performance.
Ferrao and Almeida (2019, 610) laid focus on the effect of the university entrance exam
store on the academic performance of the first year students in Portugal. A sample of 2,697 first
year students at a public university in Portugal with the results suggesting that the entrance exam
of the first year students at the Portugese public university predicted their academic performance
during first year. Ideally, there was a 34 percent variation in the GPA of the first year students,
with 80 percent of this variability being explained by their gender, level of education of the
parents, age and the choice of the university. As such, performing well during the university

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entrance exam helped the first year students to adjust better and thus, better adjustment resulted
in their improved academic performance at the end of the first year of campus.
Salamonson, Ramjan, Van den Nieuwenhuizen, Metcaffe, Chang and Everett (2016, 208)
focused on self-regulated learning and academic performance of the nursing students who were
in their first year of education. A correlational design was used in this paper where 565 first year
students who were studying nursing were chosen and a set of dimensions were measured. The
study revealed that those first year students with a high level or degree of coherence adopted
self-regulated learning and a higher degree of coherence was associated with high academic
performance (Salamonson, Ramjan, Van den Nieuwenhuizen, Metcaffe, Chang and Everett,
2016, 208). As such, there was a positive relationship between coherence and performance of the
nursing first year students in terms of their academics.
Meer, Scott and Pratt (2018, 1) studied more concerning the indicators of non-
engagement of the first year students and their influence on their academic performance.
Progression, success and the retention of the first year students is usually a strategic goal of any
university or college. The greatest focus of retention for these universities and colleges should be
retaining the first year students since they are the ones who have a higher chance of withdrawing
from their courses (Meer, Scott and Pratt, 2018, 1). The strategic plan of the University of Otago
concerning its first year students was addressed in this paper with the findings suggesting that
there are various indicators that would predict the GPA of the first year students such as their
adjustment to the university, their lecturer and the friends that they make in campus.
Crawford and Wang (2016, 712) were inclined towards the study of how placements in
the universities and colleges influenced the performance (academic) of the students. There has

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been an increasing number of international students going to study in the United Kingdom. The
results and findings of this study indicated that there were differences between the international
and the United Kingdom students. The United Kingdom students were seen to outshine the
international students during their first year of study since they easily adjusted to the university
or college (Crawford and Wang, 2016, 712). However, the international students were seen to
have a hard time making new friends at the university and this significantly influenced their
academic performance.
Parent-student communication was also seen as a factor that impacted the academic
performance of the first year students. A study done by Weintraub and Sax (2018, 61) focused on
the impact of the communication between the parents and the students on the academic
performance of the students during their first year of study at the college or university. Data for
this research was conducted from students that were living in residential housing in a public
university in the United States, whereby a sample of 995 students was interviewed. The results
and findings of the study by Weintraub and Sax (2018, 61) showed that the quality of
communication affected the academic performance of the students during their first year of
study.
Stoffelsma and Spooren (2019, 905) studied more about the relationship between the
proficiency of the students in English and their academic performance in both mathematics and
science. Data from a sample of 133 students was collected and their GPA analyzed. The results
and findings of this research paper by Stoffelsma and Spooren (2019, 905) indicated that the
proficiency in English of the students was critical towards their academic performance. As a
result, the study confirmed that if the students were not proficient in English, their GPA in

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Science and Mathematics was found to be poor, while those students who were highly proficient
in English had higher GPAs in both Mathematics and science.
2.6. Comparisons of Domestic and International Students
The differences between the international and domestic students in the United Kingdom
has been an important subject of research worldwide. Sin and Kim (2018, 712) looked at how
they were different in terms of barriers and information needs. A survey was prepared whereby
data from 1,259 students was collected. The regression analysis was used to analyze the data,
which revealed the both the domestic and the international students were similar when it came to
their barriers at the university or college such as irrelevant information at campus and their top-
ranked needs such as the career information that they received while at campus (Sin and Kim,
2018, 712). However, a comparison between their level of study and gender was made which
indicated that they had fewer differences only that the domestic students were able to adjust
easily in the campus when compare to the international students who had gone to study in the
United Kingdom.
Lee, Kang, Choi, Lee and Olds (2019, 100212) performed an analysis on the perception
of the domestic and international students on the quality of hospitality education in the United
States. Competition towards companies that are recruiting hospitality management students has
been on the rise. For this reason, updating the programs to match the needs of the students has
been integral for the universities and colleges. Here, a number of education quality attributes
were examined were 329 responses were collected, out of which 69 were from international
students studying in the United States. The results and findings of the study by Lee, Kang, Choi,
Lee and Olds (2019, 100212) revealed that the domestic students rated higher in all the education

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21
quality attributes as opposed to the international students. The main difference was that the
international students studying in the United States chose an innovation curriculum as the most
important education quality factor, while the domestic students chose industry network. Hence,
the international and domestic students had different preferences at the university or college in
terms of the quality of education offered.
King and Sondhi (2018, 176) engaged in a study to compare the motivations of the Indian
and United Kingdom students to study abroad. An online survey and in-depth interviews were
used to collect data from the sample, which indicated that their motivations to study abroad were
somewhat similar since they mainly wanted to advance their career and studying abroad was the
best option for them since this could make to attain a competitive advantage in the market when
compared to similar students who had studied the same courses in their home countries.
Other scholars that wanted to compare the domestic and international students were
Koenings, Di Meo and Uebelmesser (2020, 1). In their study of whether the rankings of the
university had a different role for the international and domestic students, the exploratory factor
analysis indicated that the ranking was relevant for both groups. However, the domestic students
seemed to complement advice more when compared to the international students, especially
from alumni and classmates. The international students, on the other hand, mainly considered
advice from their friends and family. As such, it can be noted that the international students had a
hard time adjusting at their respective universities and colleges since they could not trust anyone
at school to get advice from them and hence, they only trusted those people that they could talk
freely with such as their friends, family and relatives.

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22
Clough, Nazareth, Day and Casey (2019, 123) studied a comparison of different factors
among the international and domestic students. These factors comprised literacy on mental
health, intentions to seek help and their attitudes at the university. A sample of 357 students was
presented with online questionnaires in order to examine the different factors and how they
compare among the domestic and international students. The results and findings of the study by
Clough, Nazareth, Day and Casey (2019, 123) indicated that the international students had lower
scores on mental health literacy, attitudes and help-seeking attentions when compared to the
domestic students. Besides, the study revealed that the low help-seeking of the international
students led to their suicidal ideation. As such, it was discovered that the international students
had a hard adjustment during their first year of university or college due to the fact that they were
considered to have low mental health literacy, low help-seeking attitudes and low help-seeking
intentions.
2.7. Perceptions of Students and Professors
The students and professors have different perceptions concerning the adjustment of the
international students during their first year of study. Jean-Francois (2019, 1069) analyzed
matters relating to the integration strategies and the climate of the university or college in a
university in the United States when it came to the international students. A sample of
international students that had studied in a university or college in the United States for at least
two years was selected. The results and findings by Jean-Francois (2019, 1069) indicated that
self-determination was one of the significant strategies that influenced integration and the
climate of the campus. Specifically, this study came to a conclusion that those international
students that were determined to achieve something at the end of their campus years adjusted

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23
easily when compared to those that had not yet made up their mind concerning what they wanted
to achieve for being at the university or college.
Tang, Collier and Witt (2018, 151) performed an analysis on the perception of the
Chinese students on studying abroad, specifically in the United States. Ideally, this study
explored the motivation of the Chinese students to pursue their degrees abroad, their expectations
of studying and living in the United States and their plans after graduation. The results and
findings by Tang, Collier and Witt (2018, 151) revealed that the chinese students thought that the
classes in the United States universities and colleges were rigorous as opposed to those in China
and that there were two barriers that would make them to adjust easily at the college or
university. These barriers included the differences in the learning environment and the
proficiency in the English language. Specifically, the Chinese students through that for them to
study abroad, they needed to be proficient in English. Conversely, the study by Tang, Collier and
Witt (2018, 151) indicated that the Chinese students wanted to build stronger relationships with
the domestic students from the United States and this would help them to adjust easily and learn
how to speak and write English better. Lastly, the study indicated that the expectations of the
parents of the Chinese students was a significant factor towards influencing them to study
abroad.
Li, Wang, Liu, Xu, and Cui (2018, 194) studied how the international students adapted to
the East Asian universities and colleges. The study discovered that the English language
proficiency was a major challenge that the international students faced when it came to adapting
to the colleges and universities in East Asia. Other scholars also concurred with this and
suggested that there was a significant relationship between academic adaptation of the

ENGLISH PROFICIENCY AND ADJUSTMENT TO UNIVERSITY LIFE
24
international students in the East Asian nations and their English language proficiency. Besides,
the study suggested that being proficient in the English language helped the international
students in the East Asian countries to have a high motivation for learning and positive attitudes
for learning. However, those that were not proficient in the English language had poor and
negative attitudes towards learning and they were demoralized to even attend their classes since
they could not understand what the professor was saying or they could not communicate fluently
with their friends.
Lu, Chui, Xhu, Xhao, Zhang, Liao and Miller (2018, 979) performed an analysis
concerning what good adjustment at the university during their first year of study meant for the
international students from China. The study selected 9 Chinese international students through
random sampling technique, where 6 of them were women, while the remaining 3 were men in
order to help in understanding this study topic. The results and findings of Lu, Chui, Xhu, Xhao,
Zhang, Liao and Miller (2018, 979) discovered long-standing challenges with regards to the
professional and social challenges of the Chinese international students. For this reason, it was
evident that the international students from China had a hard time adjusting to the University in
the United States.
Mouraz and Sousa (2016, 221) analyzed aspects relating to the adjustment of first year
students in a university in Portugal. A sample of approximately 1,000 students was selected from
the Portugese university who were studying at the Faulty of Engineering of the University of
Porto in Portugal. Specifically, the study wanted to evaluate whether the Projeto FEUP could be
used in order to help them to adjust in their engineering degree courses. The results and findings
of Mouraz and Sousa (2016, 221) suggested that the international students thought that the

ENGLISH PROFICIENCY AND ADJUSTMENT TO UNIVERSITY LIFE
25
Projeto FEUP would be a significant academic device to help them adjust and integrity at school
and even in their work.
2.8. Empirical Review
Andrade (2009, 16) studied “the effects of English language proficiency on adjustment to
university life”. Universities and colleges in have recognized the benefit of having global
students and therefore, many are offering scholarships. The study by Andrade (2009, 16)
collected data to understand how international students have adjusted to their lives. This,
therefore, hinders their adjustment in the university life since they always feel out of place. This
study by Andrade (2009, 16) was conducted in the United States, whereas was conducted in the
United Kingdom.
Young, Sercombe, Sachdev, Naeb and Schartner (2013, 151) analyzed “success factors
for international postgraduate students’ adjustments by exploring the roles of intercultural
competence, language proficiency, social contact and social support”. The growth of global
students in seek of more studies has been phenomenal. Specifically, this research paper
examined academic grades, satisfaction with life, and psychological well-being. The respondents
of this study by Young, Sercombe, Sachdev, Naeb and Schartner (2013, 151) were 108
international postgraduate students, out of which 102 took part in a questionnaire, while the
remaining 6 took part in a semi-structured interview. The study found strong associations
between the academic achievement of the respondents, their well-being psychologically and their
adjustment with their university life. The study by Young, Sercombe, Sachdev, Naeb and
Schartner (2013, 151) focused more on intercultural competence, social contact, language
proficiency and social support and their role on adjustment of the international students, whereas

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26
the current study lays focused on the general adjustment to college and university life of the
international students, whether postgraduate or undergraduate.
Wang, Harrison, Cardullo and Lin (2018, 233) performed a study on “exploring the
relationship among international students’ English self-efficacy, using English to learn self-
efficacy and academic self-efficacy”. The primary limitation of the foreign students is in their
proficiency to the English language since most of them have studied English as a secondary
language and this, therefore, adversely affects their academic success and their adjustment to
university life. Previous studies have suggested that academic achievement, self-efficacy and the
proficiency to the language of English have a positive association (Wang Harrison, Cardullo and
Lin, 2018, 233). The structural equation modeling approach was used in this study by Wang,
Harrison, Cardullo and Lin (2018, 233) which discovered that the self-efficacy to English
impacted the self-efficacy to academic success of the international students indirectly. This study
by Wang, Harrison, Cardullo and Lin (2018, 233) focused more on the self-efficacy of the
international students, whereas the current study was inclined to their adjustment in school.
Luo, Wu, Fang and Brunsting (2019, 954) studied “international students’ perceived
language competence, domestic student support and psychological well-being at a US
university”. This study by Luo, Wu, Fang and Brunsting (2019, 954) examined the degree to
which perceived competence of the English language, demographic factors and domestic student
support were related to the six aspects of psychological well-being of the university students
(Ryff, 1989, 35). This study by Luo, Wu, Fang and Brunsting (2019, 954) found that domestic
student support and competence of English were positively correlated with psychological well-

ENGLISH PROFICIENCY AND ADJUSTMENT TO UNIVERSITY LIFE
27
being. The study by Luo, Wu, Fang and Brunsting (2019, 954) focused on psychological well-
being, while the current study focused on the adjustment to university life.
Civan and Coşkun (2016, 6) performed a study on the “Effect of the Medium of
Instruction Language on the Academic success of University Students”. This research paper
analyzed the academic success of students in a Turkish university who were offered the same
bachelor degree programs in both English and Turkish. The study found out that when the
students were given the instructions in the English Language, it affected their academic success,
more so, in their first years but the negative effect on the language still existed even in their
fourth year. The study also found out that those students who earned merit based scholarships
performed better in the English instruction based paper as they appeared to be highly motivated.
The study by Civan and Coşkun (2016, 6) Focused more on local students being given
instructions in a native language whereas the current study lays focus on international students
learning in U.K and whose native language is not English.
Alsahafi and Shin (2019, 53) analyzed “Factors Affecting the Academic and Cultural
Adjustments of Saudi International Students in Australian Universities”. The study analyzed data
from 100 Students from Saudi who studied in Sydney, Australia. The study by Alsahafi and Shin
(2019, 53) found out that the lack of proficiency in the English language by the 100 students
under review was their main challenge in strive of academic success. The study also indicated
language barrier was not the only factor affecting their academics negatively as also a difference
in assessment methods, classroom activities and social factors such as loneliness had negative
implications on their academic performance. The study by Alsahafi and Shin (2019, 53) focused

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28
more Saudi Students in Australian Universities whereas the current study is on all international
students in the U.K regardless of their Nationality.
Dev and Qiqieh (2016, 147) studied “the Relationship between English Language
Proficiency, Academic Achievement and Self-Esteem of Non-Native-English-Speaking
Students”. This research paper examined academic success of 200 male and female students Abu
Dhabi University. The study considered low self-esteem and lack English language proficiency
on the 200 students’ variables on academic success and found that both affected their academic
success negatively. The study on Dev and Qiqieh (2016, 147) laid weight on low self-esteem as a
major factor whereas our current study is on English language proficiency on international
students in the U.K.
Wu, Garza and Guzman (2015, 1) performed a study on “International Student’s
Challenge and Adjustment to College.” The study was conducted on international students in the
US with interest on their academic and sociocultural adjustments into the US universities. The
study by Wu, Garza and Guzman (2015, 1) conducted an interview on these students and found
out that the academic success of these international students was affected negatively by reasons
such as they feared communicating to their professors, other students and staff, they faced social
isolation when it came to group activities assigned by their professors and they faced cultural
shock in their social economical lives. The study by Wu, Garza and Guzman (2015,1) focused
more on all the general problems international students faced in US universities on their
academic success, there was no mention of the English language proficiency while the current
study lays emphasis on how English language proficiency affects the academic success of
international students in UK universities.

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29
Wanna, Tilahun and Pawlos (2016, 111) performed a study on “the English Language
Proficiency Level of First Year Students in Dilla University”. The study was conducted on
freshman students of the year 2014/2015. An oral proficiency test was conducted on 9 selected
subjects. The study found out that majority of the freshmen students under the year of review had
low proficiency in English, specifically representing 82% of the students. However, 2% of the
students had high proficiency while 16% had average proficiency in English language. The study
on Wanna, Tilahun and Pawlos (2016, 111) also indicated that only 3% of the freshman students
could independently read in English on their own, while the remaining 87% could only read
under instructions and guidance. The study on Wanna, Tilahun and Pawlos (2016, 111) focused
only on the international freshman students, whereas the current study is on all international
students regardless of what year they are in.
Harris and Chonaill (2016, 2) conducted a study on “Inequality in the Irish higher
education system: a case study of the views of migrant students and their lecturers on how
English language proficiency impacts their academic achievement in an Institute of
Technology”. The study collected data by use of questionnaire filled by international students
and their lectures in Ireland regarding their language proficiency. The study by Harris and
Chonaill (2016, 2) found out that language barrier by students was most apparent in their
academic writing than in any other subject they took. The lectures also indicated that due to low
proficiency of English language by most international students, many did not quality to study in
the technological courses they offered. The study by Harris and Chonaill (2016, 2) involved
lectures and focused more on international students who pursued technological courses whereas
the current study is on all international students regardless of course they pursued.

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30
Aoki and Santiago (2015, 1) did a study on “Education, Health and Fertility of UK
Immigrants: The Role of English Language Skills”. This study was linked to the 2011 UK census
data to the current event records of the UK immigrates that were being reviewed. The study on
Aoki and Santiago (2015, 1) found out that better English language skills increased the chance of
immigrates getting university educations but did not affect the health of both children and adults.
The study also found out that better proficiency in English decreased fertility by delaying the age
at which the Immigrates got their first born. The study on Aoki and Santiago (2015, 1) focused
more on all immigrates to the UK and their health and fertility whereas the current study focuses
on only the students to migrated to UK specifically for higher studies.
Sarwari, Ibrahim and Ashikin (2016, 415) studied on “the Impact of English Language
Proficiency on Interpersonal Interactions among Students from Different Nationalities in a
Malaysian Public University”. The study was conducted to evaluate the impact of English
language proficiency on interpersonal and intergroup interactions among international students in
a public university in Malaysia. The study on Sarwari, Ibrahim and Ashikin (2016, 415) used
quantitative method to collect data on 220 participants from both local and international students
in order to come up with a more comprehensive data. The study found out that English language
proficiency is the major factor that affects the process of interaction between the local and
international students. The study on Sarwari, Ibrahim and Ashikin (2016, 415) focused more the
interactions of the international students whereas the current study is on how English language
proficiency affects the academic performance of international university students in the UK.

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31
2.9. Conceptual Framework
A conceptual framework presents a diagram which links the dependent variables to the
independent variable (Adom, Hussein and Agyem, 2018, 438). The conceptual framework for
this study will link the English language proficiency of the international students to their
adjustment to university life (specifically in terms of social and academic achievement). Figure 1
below presents the conceptual framework for the study.
Figure 1: Conceptual framework
Dependent variable
Adjustment to university life
 Academic achievement
 Social lives
Independent variable
 English language proficiency

ENGLISH PROFICIENCY AND ADJUSTMENT TO UNIVERSITY LIFE
32
Research Methodology
3.1. Introduction
This section discussed the techniques of analyzing and collecting the data. Specifically, it
outlined the research design, the participants, the sampling technique, the data collection
techniques, the data analysis and presentation methods, the ethical consideration and the
limitations of the study.
3.2. Research Design
An exploratory design was used in this research paper. Van Dun, Hicks and Wilderom
(2017, 174) suggested that an exploratory research design is conducted when there are few
studies for reference concerning the study topic. Son and Cho (2020, 7) used the exploratory
research design to analyze the factors that affect academic achievement in a globalized
environment, whereas Moore, Rutherford and Crawford (2019, 857) used the exploratory
research design to study supporting post-secondary proficiency in writing of the learners of the
English language. Data relating to the proficiency of the English language of the participants and
their adjustment to the university life was collected using questionnaires.
3.3. Participants, Sampling Technique, Data Collection and Data Analysis
The United Kingdom is increasing in popularity to the international students as the
majority of them choose to go to the country to pursue higher education in many of the top-notch
universities and colleges in the United Kingdom. Currently, the United Kingdom is considered as
having the most recognized universities in the world due to the highly skilled academic staff and
culturally diverse environments that they possess. Statistics shows that there are about 485,645
international students in the United Kingdom, out of which 342,620 came from nations outside

ENGLISH PROFICIENCY AND ADJUSTMENT TO UNIVERSITY LIFE
33
the European Union (EU). As such, this will be considered as the target population of this study.
Kothari (2004) defined target population as the elements that have similar characteristics or
traits, which are of interest to the researcher. In this case, the international students have similar
traits or characteristics since they are going to pursue higher education in the United Kingdom.
The participants for this research paper were majorly international students who have gone to
foreign nations to study, specifically the United Kingdom. Approximately, 36 international
students were chosen using convenience sampling technique who were presented with
questionnaires to help the researcher gain an understanding on the effect their proficiency in
English had on their adjustment to the university life. Specifically, the researcher sent
questionnaires to the participants which they were required to fill and send back. The researcher
sought to understand how their adjustment to the university life had been influenced by their
proficiency in the English language. The data was then analyzed using Microsoft Excel and
presented using graphs and tables.
3.4. Ethical Considerations
Various ethical considerations had to be considered before engaging in this study. Firstly,
the researcher had to obtain full consent from the participants of the study before interviewing
them. Without full consent, the researcher could not have effectively and successfully undertaken
in the study of “the effects of English language proficiency on adjustment to university life”.
Secondly, the researcher had to ensure confidentiality of the participants. This was done through
signing of a confidentiality agreement which ensured that the information obtained from the
research was kept private and confidential. Finally, the researcher had to ensure honesty and
transparency of the research. Specifically, the researcher needed to notify the respondents of all

ENGLISH PROFICIENCY AND ADJUSTMENT TO UNIVERSITY LIFE
34
the details pertaining to the research and the use of the information gotten from the data
collection.
3.5. Limitations of the Study
Various hindrances were bound to arise in this study. Firstly, the research used qualitative
research methods. Scholars have suggested that qualitative research methods mainly rely on the
judgment of the researcher and thus, the findings are always biased. Secondly, the study only
selected 36 international students to participate in the research and this may not represent the
target population (UNESCO Statistics, 2014). As such, the findings of this study cannot be
generalized to the target population.
Findings and Results
4.1. Introduction
This part provided the findings of the analysis to help the researcher form a conclusion
concerning the effects of the proficiency in the English language on adjustment to university life
in the UK.
4.2. Response Rate
The researcher sent 36 questionnaires to the participants of the study. Out of the 36, only
29 were answered full and thus, the remaining 7 were considered null and void. This resulted in a
response rate of 80%, while the number of non-responses was 20%. Kothari (2004) suggested
that the appropriate percentage for data analysis is 60%. Therefore, the response rate for this
study is enough to undertake in the study of the effects of the proficiency in the English language
on the adjustment to university life. The output is represented in table 1 and figure 2.
Table 1: Response rate

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35
Response rate Frequency Percentage
Responses 29 80%
Non-responses 7 20%
Total 36 100%
80%
20%
Response rate
Responses Non-responses
Figure 2: Response Rate
4.3. Background of the Study
4.3.1. Gender
The scholar wanted to evaluate the gender of the participants of the study in order to gain
an understanding of the gender of the majority of the foreign students that chose to study in the
United Kingdom. The results and findings revealed that 9 participants were male, while the
remaining 27 were female. This attributed to 24% of the respondents that were male and 76%
that were female. This is concurrent to the findings of Selingo (2019) who discovered that in the
2016/17 academic year, 2/3 of the foreign students were women, whereas the remaining 1/3 were
men. This meant that there were so few male students studying abroad when compared to their
male counterparts. Table 2 and figure 3 below presents the findings.

ENGLISH PROFICIENCY AND ADJUSTMENT TO UNIVERSITY LIFE
36
Table 2: Gender
Gender Frequency Percentage
Male 9 24%
Female 27 76%
Total 36 100%
Male Female
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
24%
76%
Gender
Figure 3: Gender
4.3.2. Age
For this question, the participants were given choices ranging from “18 to 25 years”, “26
to 35 years”, “36 to 45 years” and “over 45 years” of age. The results and findings indicated that
1 participant (3%) was aged between 18 and 25 years, 23 respondents (64%) were aged between
26 and 35 years, 8 participants (22%) were aged between 36 and 45 years and 4 respondents
(11%) were aged over 45 years of age. Hence, the majority of the participants were aged between
26 and 35 years of age. This may be attributed to the fact that mostly those who undertook in the
study were studying their masters level. Table 3 and figure 4 below reveal the output.
Table 3: Age

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37
Age Frequency Percentage
18-25 1 3%
26-35 23 64%
36-45 8 22%
Over 45 years 4 11%
Total 36 100%
18-25
26-35
36-45
Over 45
years
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70%
3%
64%
22%
11%
Age
Figure 4: Age
4.3.3. Number of Years Studied at the University
The researcher wanted to determine the number of years that the foreign students who
undertook in the study had studied at the university in order to evaluate whether the majority of
the participants had a chance to learn the English language. The respondents were given choices
ranging from “1 year, 2 years, 3 years, 4 years and 5 years”. The results and findings revealed
that 1 participant (3%) had been at the university for 1 year, 29 respondents (81%) had been at
the university for 2 years, 3 participants (8%) had been at the university for 3 years, 2
respondents (6%) had been at the university for 4 years and 1 participant (3%) had been at the
university for 5 years. Therefore, the majority of the participants of this study had been at the

ENGLISH PROFICIENCY AND ADJUSTMENT TO UNIVERSITY LIFE
38
university for 2 years and thus, that was a short time for them to be learn the English language
proficiently. Table 4 and figure 5 below reveal the output from the regression analysis.
Table 4: Number of years that you have studied at the university
Number of years that you have studied at the
University Frequency Percentage
1 year 1 3%
2 years 29 81%
3 years 3 8%
4 years 2 6%
5 years 1 3%
Total 36 100%
1 year
2 years
3 years
4 years
5 years
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90%
3%
81%
8%
6%
3%
Number of years that you have studied at the
University
Figure 5: Number of years that you have studied at the university
4.4. English Language Proficiency
The researcher wanted to evaluate whether the participants were proficient in the English
language. A Likert scale was used where 1 meant yes, 2 implied not sure and 3 meant no. The
mean and standard deviations were calculated. Table 5 below presents the output.
Table 5: English Language Proficiency

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39
No. Statement Mean Std. dev
1 You are proficient in the English language. 2.64 1.01
2 You are required to undertake an English course when
you join the university.
3.00 1.73
3 Your professors use English during their lectures. 1.00 0.58
4 Being proficiency in the English language will help you
to complete your course successfully.
2.81 1.36
5 There is a link between English language proficiency and
pursuing a course at the university.
3.00 1.73
The standard deviation and the mean were applied to understand the English language
proficiency of the participants. A mean of 3 would imply that the participants were not proficient
in English, while a mean of 1 would imply that the participants were proficient. From table 5
above, the participants were not proficient in the English language, they were not required to
undertake an English course when they joined the university, being proficient in the English
language was not crucial to helping them complete their courses successfully and there was no
significant link between being proficient in the language of English and pursuing a course at the
university. However, the respondents indicated that their professors used English during their
lectures.
The standard deviation was also calculated to determine the degree of deviation from the
mean. A standard deviation of 3 would mean that the data significantly deviated from the mean,
while a mean of 1 would imply that there was a small deviation from the mean. From table 5
above, the majority of the statements had a standard deviation of between 0 and 1 and therefore,
the data concerning the proficiency in the English language had a small deviation from the mean.

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40
4.5. English Language Proficiency and Academic Achievement
The researcher wanted to evaluate whether the proficiency of the English language of the
participants of the study affected their academic achievement at the university. A Likert scale
was used where 1 meant strongly disagree and 5 meant strongly agree. The mean and standard
deviations were calculated. Table 6 below presents the output from the analysis on the English
language proficiency and academic achievement.
Table 6: English Language Proficiency and Academic Achievement
No. Statement Mean Std Dev
1 Your English language proficiency is important at the
university.
4.86 1.95
2 Your English language proficiency affects your learning
at school.
4.36 1.18
3 You are unable to comprehend or understand tests
because of your lack of proficiency in the English
language.
4.28 1.06
4 Your lack of English language proficiency affects your
overall performance at school.
3.11 0.36
5 There is a correlation between English language
proficiency and academic achievement.
5.00 2.24
The standard deviation and mean were incorporated to understand whether the English
language proficiency of the participants of the study affected their academic achievement at the
university. A mean of 5 would imply that the respondents of the study strongly agreed that their
proficiency in the English language had a significant influence on their academic achievement at
the university, while a mean of 1 would imply that the participants strongly disagreed. From
table 6 above, the participants of the study strongly agreed that their language proficiency was
crucial at the university and that their proficiency in the English language affected their learning

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41
at school. Additionally, table 6 above indicates that the respondents of the research strongly
agreed that they were unable to comprehend or understand tests because of their lack of
proficiency in the language of English and there was a correlation between the proficiency of the
participants and their academic achievement. Despite this, the participants of the study were
neutral that their lack of English language proficiency affected their overall performance at
school. This is due to the fact that they had a lot of co-curricular activities which they engaged in
at the university and the little English that they knew assisted them in handling their classes to
achieve great performance.
The standard deviation was also calculated to determine the degree of deviation from the
mean. A standard deviation of 5 would mean that the data significantly deviated from the mean,
while a mean of 1 would imply that there was a small deviation from the mean. From table 6
above, the majority of the statements had a standard deviation of between 1 and 2 and therefore,
the data concerning the proficiency in the English language and academic achievement had a
small deviation from the mean.
4.6. English Language Proficiency and Social Lives
The researcher wanted to evaluate whether the proficiency of the English language of the
respondents of the research affected their social lives at the university. A Likert scale was
employed where 1 meant strongly disagree and 5 meant strongly agree. The mean and standard
deviations were computed. Table 7 below presents the output from the analysis on the English
language proficiency and social lives.
Table 7: English Language Proficiency and Social Lives
No. Statement Mean Std
Dev.

ENGLISH PROFICIENCY AND ADJUSTMENT TO UNIVERSITY LIFE
42
1 English language proficiency is a crucial aspect to
socializing at school.
4.00 0.92
2 Your English language proficiency affects your interaction at
the university.
4.53 1.36
3 You are unable to socialize with people or engage in
meaningful conversations due to your lack of English
language proficiency.
5.00 2.24
4 Being proficiency in the English language will help you to
have friends at the university.
3.33 0.49
5 There is a link between English language proficiency and
social lives.
4.86 1.88
Similarly, the standard deviation and the mean were used to understand whether the
English language proficiency of the respondents of the research affected their social lives at the
university. A mean of 5 would imply that the participants of the research strongly agreed that
their proficiency in the English language had a major impact on their social lives at the
university, while a mean of 1 would imply that the respondents strongly disagreed with this.
From table 7 above, the respondents of the research strongly agreed that proficiency in the
English language was a critical aspect to socializing at school and their English language
proficiency affected their interaction at the university. Moreover, table 7 above shows that the
participants of the study strongly agreed that they were unable to socialize with people or engage
in meaningful conversations due to their lack of proficiency in the language of English and there
was a link between their proficiency and social lives at the university. Nonetheless, the majority
of the foreign students who undertook in the research were neutral concerning the fact that being
proficient in the English language helped them have friends at the university.
In addition to this, the standard deviation was also computed to determine the degree of
deviation from the mean. Similarly, a standard deviation of 5 would mean that the data

ENGLISH PROFICIENCY AND ADJUSTMENT TO UNIVERSITY LIFE
43
significantly deviated from the mean, while a mean of 1 would imply that there was a small
deviation from the mean. From table 7 above, the majority of the statements had a standard
deviation of between 0 and 2 and hence, the data concerning the proficiency in the English
language and social lives had a small deviation from the mean.
4.7. Regression Analysis
4.7.1. English Language Proficiency and Academic Achievement
The regression analysis was used to evaluate if an association existed between the
proficiency in the language of English and adjustment to university life, in terms of academic
achievement. Table 8 and 9 below reveal the output from the regression analysis.
Table 8: Regression statistics
Regression Statistics
Multiple R 0.051487
R Square 0.002651
Adjusted R Square -0.3298
Standard Error 30.92773
Observations 5
From table 8 above, an R square of 0.27% was achieved which means that the English
language proficiency only shows 0.27% variation in the academic achievement of the
participants. Therefore, proficiency in the English language was not critical towards the
academic achievement of the participants.
Table 9: Coefficient statistics
Coeffici
ents
Standard
Error t Stat
P-
value
Lower
95%
Upper
95%
Lower
95.0%
Upper
95.0%
Intercept
151.536
9 47.55626
3.186
477
0.049
846
0.19170
3
302.882
2 0.191703 302.8822
X
Variable
0.04534
7
0.507818 0.089
297
0.934
473
-
1.57076
1.66144
9
-1.57076 1.661449

ENGLISH PROFICIENCY AND ADJUSTMENT TO UNIVERSITY LIFE
44
1
Table 9 above indicates that there is a weak positive relationship between the two
variables, though not significant. As such, an increase in the proficiency of the English language
increased the academic achievement of the participants. The regression equation was formulated
as shown below.
Y =151.5369+0.0453 X
4.7.2. English Language Proficiency and Social Lives
Conversely, the regression analysis was used to evaluate if the proficiency in the English
language had a relationship with the adjustment to university life, in terms of social lives at the
university. Table 10 and 11 below reveal the output.
Table 10: Regression statistics
Regression Statistics
Multiple R 0.427839
R Square 0.183046
Adjusted R Square -0.08927
Standard Error 25.69874
Observations 5
From table 10 above, an R square of 18.30% was achieved which means that the English
language proficiency showed 18.30% variation in the social lives of the respondents. Hence,
proficiency in the English language was somewhat vital towards the social lives of the
participants while at the university.
Table 11: Coefficient statistics
Coeffici
ents
Standard
Error t Stat
P-
value
Lower
95%
Upper
95%
Lower
95.0%
Upper
95.0%
Intercept 187.397 39.51587 4.742 0.017 61.6400 313.154 61.64004 313.1543

ENGLISH PROFICIENCY AND ADJUSTMENT TO UNIVERSITY LIFE
45
2 327 783 4 3
X
Variable
1
-
0.34595 0.42196
-
0.819
86
0.472
366
-
1.68882
0.99691
6 -1.68882 0.996916
Table 11 above indicates that there is a weak negative association between English
language proficiency and social lives, though insignificant. As such, an increase in the
proficiency of the English language negatively influenced the social lives of the respondents. The
regression equation was formulated as shown below.
Y =187.3972−0.3459 X
Conclusion and Recommendations
5.1. Introduction
This section provided the conclusion, recommendations and the areas for further studies
which scholars could pursue in the future.
5.2. Conclusion
The findings empirically offer insights concerning the topic under study. The review of
various literature on the study topic was conducted, which focused on matters relating to the
proficiency in the English language and adjustment to the life of the university. International
students who study in the UK find it difficult to adjust to the university life due to their lack of
proficiency in the English language. The study discovered that the majority of the students who
go to study abroad, especially in the United Kingdom are female. This is congruent to the study
of Selingo (2019). From the study, the lack of proficiency in the English language is not the only
factor that influences the academic achievement of the international students negatively.

ENGLISH PROFICIENCY AND ADJUSTMENT TO UNIVERSITY LIFE
46
However, if an international student lacks proficiency in English, his or her social life would be
adversely influenced.
5.3. Recommendations
Various recommendations have been provided for students and the university’s
management to help them ease the adjustment to university life for the international students.
Firstly, the management of the university can be advised to provide complementary English
course for the international students to help them improve their proficiency in English. Secondly,
the international students would be advised to register for English courses, which would help
them to improve their academic achievement and social lives. Finally, the international students
would be encouraged to have mentors at school who would help them to adjust easily and also
participate in co-curricular activities, which will help them to socialize with others, whether
other international students or domestic students. Through socialization, the international
students would be able to learn how to communicate frequently in English and therefore, this
would influence their academic and social performance.
5.4. Areas for Further Studies
This study mainly focused on the impact of the English language proficiency on the
academic achievement and the social lives of the international students. However, international
students could be impacted in various ways such as psychologically and emotionally. Future
studies could focus on this. Besides, future studies could help to gain an understanding on the
strategies that universities and colleges abroad should implement in order to help the
international students studying in those universities and colleges to adjust easily and hence,
improve on their social and academic performance. Lastly, future studies should focus on

ENGLISH PROFICIENCY AND ADJUSTMENT TO UNIVERSITY LIFE
47
establishing the degree of correlation of the proficiency in the English language of the
international students and their GPAs during their first year of study at the universities or
colleges abroad.

ENGLISH PROFICIENCY AND ADJUSTMENT TO UNIVERSITY LIFE
48
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Appendices
Appendix A: Questionnaire
The questionnaire presented is for data collection on the impacts of English language proficiency
on adjustment to university life. The data collected in this questionnaire shall be considered
confidential and used for academic purposes only.
Section A: Background Information
1. Gender [] Male [] Female
2. Age [] 18-25 [] 26-35 [] 36-45 [] Over 45 years
3. Number of years that you have studied at the university [] 1 [] 2 [] 3 []4 [] 5
Section B: English Language Proficiency
Using a scale of 1-3, where 1= yes, 2= not sure and 3= no, indicate the extent to which you agree
to the following statements concerning English language proficiency and social lives.
No. Statement 1 2 3 4 5
1 You are proficient in the English language.
2 You are required to undertake an English course
when you join the university.
3 Your professor’s use English during their lectures.
4 Being proficiency in the English language will help
you to complete your course successfully.
5 There is a link between English language
proficiency and pursuing a course at the university.

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61
Section C: English Language Proficiency and Academic Achievement
Using a scale of 1-5, where 1= strongly disagree and 5= strongly agree indicate the extent to
which you agree to the following statements concerning English language proficiency and
academic achievement.
No. Statement 1 2 3 4 5
1 Your English language proficiency is important at
the university.
2 Your English language proficiency affects your
learning at school.
3 You are unable to comprehend or understand tests
because of your lack of proficiency in the English
language.
4 Your lack of English language proficiency affects
your overall performance at school.
5 There is a correlation between English language
proficiency and academic achievement.
Section D: English Language Proficiency and Social Lives
Using a scale of 1-5, where 1= strongly disagree and 5= strongly agree indicate the extent to
which you agree to the following statements concerning English language proficiency and social
lives.
No. Statement 1 2 3 4 5

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1 English language proficiency is a crucial aspect to
socializing at school.
2 Your English language proficiency affects your
interaction at the university.
3 You are unable to socialize with people or engage
in meaningful conversations due to your lack of
English language proficiency.
4 Being proficiency in the English language will help
you to have friends at the university.
5 There is a link between English language
proficiency and social lives.
Thank You for Your Time!