Sophie Arkoudis

Teaching English as a Second Language in Science Classes: Incommensurate Epistemologies?

The state of Victoria, reflecting a worldwide trend in English-speaking countries, has adopted over the last 15 years a policy of mainstreaming English as a Second Language (ESL). This paper argues that the notion of mainstreaming has not been adequately problematised by research in the area. It is often seen by policy makers as ESL teachers working cooperatively with subject specialists in planning curriculum tasks for the ESL learners. Yet many ESL teachers know that the reality is very different. The author explores the epistemological authority of an ESL teacher when planning curriculum with a science teacher. It is argued that only by exploring and understanding the distinct discourse communities that ESL and science teachers belong to, can we begin to understand how teachers can negotiate shared understandings. The paper concludes with implications for teacher education.

Finding common ground: enhancing interaction between domestic and international students in higher education

A feature of Australian Higher Education over the last 10 years has been the increased numbers of international students. This feature has been perceived to have great potential for enhanced learning for all students – both international and domestic. Yet, student surveys and research clearly indicate that there is very little interaction occurring between domestic and international students. This article reports on a study that investigated the extent to which university teaching can promote interaction between students from diverse cultural and linguistic background. Using an innovative video-analysis methodology, the research found that academics engage in a variety of activities to encourage interaction between student groups. In order to assist academics in planning interaction, one of the main findings of the study was the development of ‘The Interaction for Learning Framework (ILF)’, that identifies key dimensions for curriculum design that can be used by academics to inform ways that they can enhance interaction between diverse student groups within teaching and learning contexts.

Collaborating in ESL Education in Schools

This chapter explores how ESL and mainstream teachers can share understandings, not by abandoning their subject prejudices but by achieving a fusion of horizons, where new understandings emerge as individuals adjust their interpretations in light of the interpretations of others. One of the main issues in collaborative teaching has been how teachers from different discourse traditions and concerns can engage in sustained and productive dialogue. Inherent within the notion of collaborative teaching has been the unproblematic view that an ESL teacher can influence the mainstream teacher’s pedagogy. Given the different status and power that ESL and academic subjects have within the social context of schools, this would seem a naive assumption. It will be argued that collaborative teaching is a profound journey of epistemological reconstruction, because ESL and the mainstream teachers’ views of language and teaching are embedded within their own disciplinary prejudices and biases. This chapter proposes a model that redresses the pedagogical relations between mainstream and ESL teachers and allows the ESL teacher to have epistemological authority within the mainstream curriculum.

Examining the experiences of first-year students with low tertiary admission scores in Australian universities

ABSTRACT The previous two decades have seen much improvement in the first-year experience of students attending university. Yet for a significant proportion of students, coping with university study remains challenging. This is particularly the case for those students entering university with low tertiary admission scores. Although the higher education sector is now alert to the challenges facing these students and aware of the need for augmented support, our research shows that students entering Australian education with low tertiary admission ranks (ATAR) continue to be less prepared, less able to cope with study, less academically engaged than their peers, and are at greater risk of attrition. We argue that supporting low ATAR students’ transition into university means rethinking the role of preparatory programmes as well as supporting these students to develop personal objectives, new student identities, and feel a stronger sense of ‘belonging’ to their university community.

Internationalization of Higher Education

Internationalization of higher education (HE) is not a new concept. Universities have always been international in character in terms of ‘the universality of knowledge’ (Brown, 1950; cited in Knight and de Wit, 1995, p. 6) and by being an international community of scholars (Block, 1995). Despite being an old phenomenon, new mechanisms and patterns of cooperation and competition between universities have emerged in the past three decades and there has been a growing focus on exploring various aspects of internationalization within higher education institutions (HEIs). Most of the research has been rather general and broad in nature, discussing the ‘what’ of internationalization. This has included various definitions of the term, rationales and strategies resulting in often vague and abstract conceptual models that can be difficult to put into practice in universities. Recent attention has shifted more towards practical application of approaches, the ‘how’ of internationalization that aims to identify, measure and improve HEIs’ policies and practices.

Improving English Language Learning Outcomes for International Students in Australian Universities: Some Critical Issues

As a major force in the international student market, Australian universities have put in place substantial efforts to ensure that international students who have English as an additional language (EAL) graduate with the necessary skills for employment or further study. However, recent research and media reports raise doubts over the effectiveness of these efforts by bringing into question the English language abilities of Australian university graduates, in particular EAL international students. In light of this, this chapter examines the significant questions critical for the delivery of effective language support for EAL international students in Australia. In doing so it demonstrates that some existing approaches aimed at improving the English language skills of EAL university students are not achieving desired outcomes, and that integrating English language requirements within university assessment can more effectively address global concerns about the quality of English language teaching and learning practices. However, this brings challenges at the local institutional level regarding the responsibilities of academic staff in including English language within disciplinary teaching and learning practices.

Identifying attrition risk based on the first year experience

ABSTRACT Using data collected from a recent national survey of Australian first-year students, this paper defines and validates four scales – belonging, feeling supported, intellectual engagement and workload stress – to measure the student experience of university. These scales provide insights into the university experience for both groups and individual students, to assist institutions in supporting and managing successful outcomes for their students. These data highlight the particular importance of a sense of belonging and mitigating workload stress to addressing attrition risk. Many traditional equity groups were found to only differ significantly from ‘traditional’ students on the stress scale. However, these groups potentially contain enormous individual variation, and even the average experiences of these groups reveal that complexity in the engagement, motivation and sense of belonging of students from equity backgrounds. Importantly, the scales presented in this paper can easily be used by practitioners, researchers and institutions to identify risk of attrition at an individual level based on attitudinal factors rather than background or behavioural factors. This may inform university strategy and practice to enhance the student experience and increase retention across the sector.