English as a Second Language and International Student Outcomes

This essay examines the significant challenges faced by international students in English-speaking countries due to English being their second language. It highlights that while basic communication is often achievable, academic English proficiency is crucial for coursework, assignments, and research. The essay discusses the experiences of students from non-English speaking countries, emphasizing the difficulties in understanding complex academic texts, completing assignments, and maintaining good grades. It uses real-life examples, such as the experience of an aeronautical engineering graduate, to illustrate how language barriers can lead to lower grades, limited career opportunities, and decreased morale. The essay concludes by emphasizing the need to address these language-related challenges to ensure the academic and professional success of international students. The essay uses references from other studies to support the findings.

English as a second language of International Students

Is problem in Language the reason for low morale and low grades of
International Students?
Date: 5th June, 2019.
Having overseas students in European countries, Australia, USA and Canada is an important
source of income. Thus, it is an important exchange of human resource that takes place with the
English speaking and non-English speaking countries. Due to globalization, there are massive
numbers of students who are going to study in countries that have English as the first language.
But this does not eliminate the problems that are faced by the students who do not have English
as the first language. Hailing from different lands with varied mother tongues, the language
becomes the first issue that comes up (Alfaki 2015).
Before that, it is also important to understand why at all students go out of their nations to pursue
studies. Lack of good institutions in the native place and an obsession with the first world nations
of culture and lifestyle has been cited as other main reason for it.
Asian and African countries do not have English as the native language but most of these
nations have been colonised in the past, due to which the students here have some access to
English but are not fluent in it. They have it as their second language which enables them to read,
write and converse in it, on a very basic level.
The main issue is not conversing or in doing a part time job but academics. The assignments and
course work is in English and it is natural to observe them facing problem in pursuing the course
work (Qian & Zheng 2015).
The exams like TOEFL makes it mandatory for the students to take the English language test
before they proceed further with the admission process. Whereas the TOEL is good enough to
test the basic English of students , it does not go on to test the academic level English that is
required in research work to successfully complete assignment and give presentation.
Communication issue is something that is overcome in a short period of time and we do not have
students who are completely devoid of English language. It gets solved with time, but what does

not get solved is the low grade because of the language issue and the grades are what these
students go out of the countries for (Charoensukmongkol 2019).
Thomas Paulsen, a student from Nigeria, in USA, had said
‘Talking to people is not difficult. Somehow, I make them understand. But big fat books in
English are difficult to me. My grades are low”
It is worth looking at the story of Ahmed Ali who got a degree in Aeronautical Engineering from
Hartsfield in Hertfordshire. Belonging to the middle class family in Calcutta, India; he managed
to get admission in the above mentioned course. The course was expensive but he did not get
good grades as researching on the hefty syllabus and keeping up to the standard language was
not something that he was looking for but had to do in order to acquire the degree. The
institution in India is known to produce students who are good in grades and also get absorbed in
the foreign companies that are functioning in India (FDIs). He, with a degree from England, had
high expectation in salary from Indian companies but could not get what he was thinking. The
country does not pay much. On top, the poor English prevented in alleviating his inter-personal
skills. It was not something that could be brought to use with the foreign companies that were
functioning in India. English was essential.
I returned to India in the year 2016. I tried to get into the aeronautics but the sector is too small
in size. Hence, opportunities are negligible. I am currently working in Wipro as customer
executive. Here also I face the issue of fluency in English like Hertfordshire.
A lot of students come in scholarship. Talking to a few students it is found that they are not able
get job when they are back. The reason behind this is that after their return, the job opportunity is
sufficient. Even if they start to work, the work specific to discipline is not present as the sector is
not developed.
Hence, we see that that English as the second language has gone to build a spiral of issues for the
international students.

References
Qian, D., & Zheng, T. (2015). Is Skill in the English Language the Main Problem for
International Students? 1. Quarterly Journal of Chinese Studies, 4(1), 6.
Charoensukmongkol, P. (2019). The role of mindfulness in reducing English language anxiety
among Thai college students. International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism,
22(4), 414-427.
Alfaki, I. M. (2015). University students’ English writing problems: diagnosis and remedy.
International Journal of English Language Teaching, 3(3), 40-52.