Neumann, Heike ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8977-7219, Padden, Nina and McDonough, Kim (2018) Beyond English language proficiency scores: understanding the academic performance of international undergraduate students during the first year of study. Higher Education Research & Development, 38 (2). pp. 324-338. ISSN 0729-4360
Preview |
Text (application/pdf)
298kBBeyond_English_profiency_scores_Neumann_etal.pdf - Accepted Version Available under License Spectrum Terms of Access. |
Official URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/07294360.2018.1522621
Abstract
Past research into the relationship between English proficiency test (EPT) scores and score profiles, such as the IELTS and the TOEFL, has shown that there is not always a clear relationship between those scores and students’ subsequent academic achievement. Information about students’ academic self-concept (ASC) may provide additional information that helps predict future academic success. Research has consistently shown a positive relationship between students’ ASC and subsequent academic achievement and educational attainment in both school and higher education settings. The purpose of the current study was to examine the relationship between the academic performance of international students and their language proficiency and academic self-concept as well as other characteristics related to academic success. The study focused on first year international students in undergraduate business programs at an English-medium university in Canada. The following information was collected about the student participants: grades in degree program courses, annual GPA, and EPT scores (including subscores). In addition, students completed an academic self-concept scale. To obtain additional information about success in first-year business courses, instructors in two required courses were interviewed about the academic and language requirements in their courses and the profile of successful students. Correlations between the students’ course grades, GPA, EPT scores, and ASC score were calculated. The instructor interviews were analyzed using a content analysis procedure. The findings from all data sources were triangulated and show that language ability, ASC, and other factors impact academic success during the first year in a business program. The implications of these findings are discussed.
Divisions: | Concordia University > Faculty of Arts and Science > Education |
---|---|
Item Type: | Article |
Refereed: | Yes |
Authors: | Neumann, Heike and Padden, Nina and McDonough, Kim |
Journal or Publication: | Higher Education Research & Development |
Date: | 22 September 2018 |
Digital Object Identifier (DOI): | 10.1080/07294360.2018.1522621 |
Keywords: | International students, English language proficiency, academic achievement, academic self-concept |
ID Code: | 986246 |
Deposited By: | Heike Neumann |
Deposited On: | 15 Jan 2020 15:35 |
Last Modified: | 15 Jan 2020 15:35 |
Related URLs: |
References:
Arrigoni, E., & Clark, V. (2010). Investigating the appropriateness of IELTS cut-off scores for admissions and placement decisions at an English medium university in Egypt. (3). Retrieved fromBanerjee, J. V. (2003). Interpreting and using proficiency test scores. (Unpublished doctoral dissertation), Lancaster University, Lancaster, United Kingdom. Retrieved from http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.418456
Benzie, H. J. (2010). Graduating as a ‘native speaker’: International students and English language proficiency in higher education. Higher Education Research & Development, 29(4), 447-459. doi:10.1080/07294361003598824
Berman, R., & Cheng, L. (2001). English academic language skills: Perceived difficulties by undergraduate and graduate students, and their academic achievement. Canadian Journal of Applied Linguistics, 4(1-2), 25-40.
Boulter, L. T. (2002). Self-concept as a predictor of college freshman academic adjustment. College Student Journal, 36(2), 234.
Bridgeman, B., Cho, Y., & DiPietro, S. (2015). Predicting grades from an English language assessment: The importance of peeling the onion. Language Testing, 33(3), 307-318. doi:10.1177/0265532215583066
Cho, Y., & Bridgeman, B. (2012). Relationship of TOEFL iBT® scores to academic performance: Some evidence from American universities. Language Testing, 29(3), 421-442. doi:10.1177/0265532211430368
Choi, N. (2005). Self-efficacy and self-concept as predictors of college students' academic performance. Psychology in the Schools, 42(2), 197-205. doi:10.1002/pits.20048
Cokley, K. (2000). An investigation of academic self-concept and its relationship to academic achievement in African American college students. Journal of Black Psychology, 26(2), 148-164. doi:10.1177/0095798400026002002
Cokley, K., Komarraju, M., King, A., Cunningham, D., & Muhammad, G. (2003). Ethnic differences in the measurement of academic self-concept in a sample of African American and European American college students. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 63(4), 707-722. doi:10.1177/0013164402251055
Cokley, K., & Patel, N. (2007). A psychometric investigation of the academic self-concept of Asian American college students. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 67(1), 88-99. doi:10.1177/0013164406288175
Corbière, M., Fraccaroli, F., Mbekou, V., & Perron, J. (2006). Academic self-concept and academic interest measurement: A multi-sample European study. European Journal of Psychology of Education, 21(1), 3-15. doi:10.1007/bf03173566
Cotton, F., & Conrow, F. (1998). An investigation of the predictive validity of IELTS amongs a sample of international students studying at the University of Tasmania In S. Wood (Ed.), IELTS Research Reports (Vol. 1, pp. 75-115). Canberra: IELTS Australia.
Devos, A. (2003). Academic standards, internationalisation, and the discursive construction of "The International Student". Higher Education Research & Development, 22(2), 155-166. doi:10.1080/07294360304107
Dooey, P., & Oliver, R. (2002). An investigation into the predictive validity of the IELTS Test as an indicator of future academic success. Prospect, 17(1), 36-54.
Eddey, P., & Baumann, C. (2009). Graduate business education: Profiling successful students and its relevance for marketing and recruitment policy. Journal of Education for Business, 84(3), 160-168. doi:10.3200/joeb.84.3.160-168
Feast, V. (2002). The impact of IELTS scores on performance at university. International Education Journal, 3(4), 70-85.
Fischer, K. (2012). Fess up: Foreign students are cash cows. The Chronicle of Higher Education. Retrieved from http://www.chronicle.com/article/What-If-Colleges-Acknowledged/135080
Friesen, N., & Keeney, P. (2013). Internationalizing the Canadian campus. University Affairs/Affaires universitaires. Retrieved from http://www.universityaffairs.ca/opinion/in-my-opinion/internationalizing-the-canadian-campus/
Ghenghesh, P. (2014). The relationship between English proficiency and academic performance of university students - Should academic institutions really be concerned? International Journal of Applied Linguistics & English Literature, 4(2), 91-97.
Guay, F., Larose, S., & Boivin, M. (2004). Academic self-concept and educational attainment level: A ten-year longitudinal study. Self and Identity, 3(1), 53-68. doi:10.1080/13576500342000040
Guay, F., Marsh, H. W., & Boivin, M. (2003). Academic self-concept and academic achievement: Developmental perspectives on their causal ordering. Journal of Educational Psychology, 95(1), 124-136. doi:10.1037/0022-0663.95.1.124
Helmke, A., & van Aken, M. A. G. (1995). The causal ordering of academic achievement and self-concept of ability during elementary school: A longitudinal study. Journal of Educational Psychology, 87, 624-637. doi:10.1037/0022-0663.87.4.624
Hill, K., Storch, N., & Lynch, B. (1999). A Comparison of IELTS and TOEFL as predictors of academic success. In R. Tulloh (Ed.), IELTS Research Reports (Vol. 2, pp. 62-73). Canberra: IELTS Australia.
Hobbis, S. (2013). An (ESL) student's perspective on internationalizing the Canadian campus. University Affairs/Affaires universitaires. Retrieved from http://www.universityaffairs.ca/opinion/in-my-opinion/an-esl-students-perspective-on-internationalizing-the-canadian-campus/
Hoge, D. R., Smit, E. K., & Crist, J. T. (1995). Reciprocal effects of self-concept and academic achievement in sixth and seventh grade. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 24(3), 295-314. doi:10.1007/bf01537598
Huang, C. (2011). Self-concept and academic achievement: A meta-analysis of longitudinal relations. Journal of School Psychology, 49(5), 505-528. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jsp.2011.07.001
John, T. (2016). International students in U.S. colleges and universities top 1 million. Time. Retrieved from http://time.com/4569564/international-us-students/
Kerstjens, M., & Nery, C. (2000). Predictive validity in the IELTS test: A study of the relationship between IELTS scores and students' subsequent academic performance. In IELTS Research Reports (Vol. 3). Canberra: IELTS Australia.
Kinnunen, P., McCartney, R., Murphy, L., & Thomas, L. (2007, September 15-16). Through the eyes of instructors: A phenomenographic investigation of student success. Paper presented at the Third international workshop on Computing education research, Atlanta, Georgia, USA. New York: ACM
Knoch, U., Rouhshad, A., Oon, S. P., & Storch, N. (2015). What happens to ESL students’ writing after three years of study at an English medium university? Journal of Second Language Writing, 28, 39-52. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jslw.2015.02.005
Lee, Y.-J., & Greene, J. (2007). The predictive validity of an ESL placement test: A mixed methods approach. Journal of Mixed Methods Research, 1(4), 366-389. doi:10.1177/1558689807306148
Light, R. L., Xu, M., & Mossop, J. (1987). English proficiency and academic performance of international Students. TESOL Quarterly, 21(2), 251-261. doi:10.2307/3586734
Liu, W. C., Wang, C. K. J., & Parkins, E. J. (2005). A longitudinal study of students' academic self-concept in a streamed setting: The Singapore context. British Journal of Educational Psychology, 75(4), 567-586. doi:10.1348/000709905x42239
Marmolejo, F. (2010). Internationalization of higher education: the good, the bad, and the unexpected. The Chronicle of Higher Education. Retrieved from http://www.chronicle.com/blogs/worldwise/internationalization-of-higher-education-the-good-the-bad-and-the-unexpected/27512
Marsh, H. W. (1990). Causal ordering of academic self-concept and academic achievement: A multiwave, longitudinal panel analysis. Journal of Educational Psychology, 82(4), 646-656. doi:10.1037/0022-0663.82.4.646
Marsh, H. W., & Martin, A. J. (2011). Academic self-concept and academic achievement: Relations and causal ordering. British Journal of Educational Psychology, 81(1), 59-77. doi:10.1348/000709910x503501
Marsh, H. W., Trautwein, U., Lüdtke, O., Köller, O., & Baumert, J. (2005). Academic self-concept, interest, grades, and standardized test scores: Reciprocal effects models of causal ordering. Child Development, 76(2), 397-416. doi:10.1111/j.1467-8624.2005.00853.x
Marsh, H. W., & Yeung, A. S. (1997). Causal effects of academic self-concept on academic achievement: Structural equation models of longitudinal data. Journal of Educational Psychology, 89(1), 41-54. doi:10.1037/0022-0663.89.1.41
Müller, A. (2015). The differences in error rate and type between IELTS writing bands and their impact on academic workload. Higher Education Research & Development, 34(6), 1207-1219. doi:10.1080/07294360.2015.1024627
Oliver, R., Vanderford, S., & Grote, E. (2012). Evidence of English language proficiency and academic achievement of non-English-speaking background students. Higher Education Research & Development, 31(4), 541-555. doi:10.1080/07294360.2011.653958
Reynolds, W. M. (1988). Measurement of academic self-concept in college students. Journal of Personality Assessment, 52(2), 223-240. doi:10.1207/s15327752jpa5202_4
Reynolds, W. M., Ramirez, M. P., Magriña, A., & Allen, J. E. (1980). Initial development and validation of the academic self-concept scale. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 40(4), 1013-1016. doi:10.1177/001316448004000428
Shavelson, R. J., & Bolus, R. (1982). Self concept: The interplay of theory and methods. Journal of Educational Psychology, 74(1), 3-17. doi:10.1037/0022-0663.74.1.3
Skaalvik, E. M., & Valås, H. (2001). Achievement and self-concept in mathematics and verbal arts: A study of relations. In R. J. Riding & S. G. Rayner (Eds.), International perspectives on individual differences, Vol. 2 (pp. 221-238). Westport, CT: Ablex.
Universities Canada. (2014). Quick facts: Internationalization at Canadian universities. Retrieved from https://www.univcan.ca/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/quick-facts-internationalization-survey-2014.pdf
Universities Canada. (2017). Quick facts: Back to school 2017. Retrieved from https://www.univcan.ca/media-room/publications/quick-facts-back-school-2017/
Universities UK. (2014). International students in UK higher education: the UK and its competition. Retrieved from http://www.universitiesuk.ac.uk/policy-and-analysis/reports/Pages/international-students-uk-he-its-competition.aspx
Van Nelson, C., Nelson, J. S., & Malone, B. G. (2004). Predicting success of international graduate students in an American university. College and University, 80(1), 19–27.
Wait, I. W., & Gressel, J. W. (2009). Relationship between TOEFL score and academic success for international engineering students. Journal of Engineering Education, 98(4), 389-398. doi:10.1002/j.2168-9830.2009.tb01035.x
Woodrow, L. (2006). Academic success of international postgraduate education students and the role of English proficiency. University of Sydney Papers in TESOL, 1, 51-70.
Yen, D. A., & Kuzma, J. (2009). Higher IELTS score, higher academic performance? The validity of IELTS in predicting the academic performance of Chinese students. Worcester Journal of Learning and Teaching, 3, 1-7.
Zientek, L., Schneider, C. L., & Onwuegbuzie, A. J. (2014). Instructors' perceptions about student academic success and placement in developmental mathematics courses. The Community College Enterprise, 20(1), 67-84.
Repository Staff Only: item control page