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“If you want to communicate . . .” - The Place of Language in International Students’ Transition to University: Insights from a Language Exchange

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“If you want to communicate . . .” - The Place of Language in International Students’ Transition to University: Insights from a Language Exchange

Rosenfield, Andrea (2020) “If you want to communicate . . .” - The Place of Language in International Students’ Transition to University: Insights from a Language Exchange. Masters thesis, Concordia University.

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Abstract

This study of plurilingual students in a language exchange explores how English and French language learners transition to university in Canada. The study gives voice to diverse international students, framing their experiences and perspectives in the context of the internationalization of higher education. By examining the links between learners' linguistic and cultural affiliations, language learning and use, and their sense of agency, identity and belonging, I identify unique challenges, resources and potential for language and intercultural learning in creating community. Ethnographic description and thematic analysis drawn from interviews and group discussion combine to describe how learners experience the language exchange and the linguistic and cultural landscape of Montreal, and how they adapt their language use to navigate their transition. Despite experiencing the constraints of linguistic hierarchies in place at the university and in the wider community, these learners are reflexive agents who reorient to their languages flexibly. They engage in multiple autonomous language-learning practices and connect with other students within and across traditional boundaries of culture and language. Although they recognize formal differences of linguistic proficiency and cultural background, in practice, the students often reframe these potential barriers to move across them fluidly. Through their home languages, using English as a lingua franca, and by engaging in informal language learning, they develop and maintain social relationships and explore intercultural learning opportunities. These shared experiences offer new insights into international students’ agency in transition, identity in transformation and sense of belonging. The study ends with recommendations for how programs can include international students in the university community by promoting a multilingual habitus within intercultural and language-learning activities.

Divisions:Concordia University > Faculty of Arts and Science > Education
Item Type:Thesis (Masters)
Authors:Rosenfield, Andrea
Institution:Concordia University
Degree Name:M.A.
Program:Educational Studies
Date:17 April 2020
Thesis Supervisor(s):Cleghorn, Ailie
ID Code:986767
Deposited By: ANDREA ROSENFIELD
Deposited On:25 Jun 2020 19:39
Last Modified:25 Jun 2020 19:39
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