Abstract
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.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.
Buying options
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Learn about institutional subscriptionsReferences
Arkoudis, S. (2014). Integrating English language communication skills into disciplinary curricula: Options and strategies. Retrieved from http://www.olt.gov.au/resource-integrating-english-language-communication-skills-disciplinary-curriclua
Arkoudis, S., Baik, C., & Richardson, S. (2012). English language standards in higher education. Melbourne, Australia: Australian Council for Educational Research.
Arkoudis, S., & Doughney, L. (2014). Good practice report: English language proficiency. Retrieved from http://www.olt.gov.au/resource-good-practice-report-english-language-proficiency-2014
Arkoudis, S., & Starfield, S. (2007). In-course English language development and support. Canberra, Australia: Australian Education International.
Australian Education International. (2010). International graduate outcomes and employer perceptions. Retrieved from https://internationaleducation.gov.au/research/Publications/Documents/2010_International_Graduate_Outcomes.pdf
Australian Education International. (2014a). International student numbers 2013. Retrieved from https://internationaleducation.gov.au/research/ResearchSnapshots/Documents/International%20Student%20Numbers%202013%20v2.pdf
Australian Education International. (2014b). International student enrolments by nationality in 2013. Retrieved from https://internationaleducation.gov.au/research/ResearchSnapshots/Documents/Enrolments%20by%20Nationality%202013.pdf
Baldwin, G., & James, R. (2010). Access and equity in higher education. In P. Peterson, E. Baker, & B. McGraw (Eds.), International encyclopedia of education (Vol. 4, pp. 334–340). Oxford, UK: Elsevier.
Barthel, A. (2013). Academic Language and Learning (ALL) activities. Retrieved from http://www.aall.org.au/sites/default/files/table2ALLservicesTypesJul2013_0.pdf
Biggs, J., & Tang, C. (2007). Teaching for quality learning at university (3rd ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill Education.
Birrell, B. (2006). Implications of low English standards among overseas students in Australian universities. People and Place, 14(4), 53–65.
Boud, D. (1999). Peer learning and assessment. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 24(4), 413–427.
Bradley, D., Noonan, P., Nugent, H., & Scales, B. (2008). Review of Australian higher education: Final report. Canberra, Australia: DEEWR.
Christensen, C., & Eyring, H. (2011). The innovative university: Changing the DNA of higher education from the inside out. San Francisco: Jossey Bass.
Coleman, J. A. (2006). English-medium teaching in European higher education. Language Teaching, 39, 1–14.
Coley, M. (1999). The English language entry requirements of Australian universities for students of non-English speaking background. Higher Education Research and Development, 18(1), 7–18.
Crandock, D., & Mathias, H. (2009). Assessment options in higher education. Assessment and Evaluation in Higher Education, 34(4), 127–140.
Department of Education Employment and Workplace Relations. (2009). Good practice principles for English language proficiency for international students in Australian universities. Retrieved from http://www.innovation.gov.au/highereducation/ResourcesAndPublications/Documents/Final_Report-Good_Practice_Principles.pdf.
Foster, G. (2012). The impact of international students on measured learning and standards in Australian higher education. Economics of Education Review. doi:10.1016/j.econedurev.2012.03.003.
Graduate Careers Australia. (2012). Graduate Outlook 2012: The report of the Graduate Outlook Survey. Melbourne, Australia: Graduate Careers Australia.
Harper, R., Prentice, S., & Wilson, K. (2011). English language perplexity: Articulating the tensions in the DEEWR Good Practice Principles. The International Journal of the First Year in Higher Education, 2(1), 36–48.
Harris, K. L. (2005). Guide for reviewing assessment. Retrieved from http://www.cshe.unimelb.edu.au/resources_teach/assessment/docs/GRA.pdf
Hattie, J. (2009). The black box of tertiary assessment: An impending revolution. Retrieved from http://akoaotearoa.ac.nz/download/ng/file/group-4/n3469-the-black-box-of-tertiary-assessment---john-hattiepdf.pdf.
Holliday, A. (2005). The Struggle to teach English as an international language. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press.
Hyland, K. (2009). Academic discourse. London: Continuum.
James, R., Krause, K., & Jennings, C. (2010). The first year experience in Australian universities: Findings from 1994 to 2009. Melbourne, Australia: Centre for the Study of Higher Education.
Joughin, G. (Ed.). (2008). Assessment, learning and judgement in higher education. Dordrecht, The Netherlands/London: Springer.
Kirkpatrick, A. (2016). The learning and teaching of English as an international language in Asia-Pacific universities: Issues and challenges. In C. Ng, B. Fox, & M. Nakano (Eds.), Reforming learning and teaching in Asia-Pacific universities (pp. 233–247). Dordrecht, The Netherlands: Springer.
Marginson, S. (2013). Labour’s failure to ground public funding. In S. Marginson (Ed.), Tertiary education policy in Australia. Melbourne, Australia: CSHE. Retrieved from http://www.cshe.unimelb.edu.au/research/policy_dev/docs/Tert_Edu_Policy_Aus.pdf.
Marginson, S., & Sawir, E. (2011). Ideas for intercultural education. New York: Palgrave Macmillan.
McKay, S. L., & Bokhorst-Heng, W. D. (2008). International English in its sociolinguistic contexts. New York: Routledge.
Morita, N. (2009). Language, culture, gender, and academic socialization. Language and Education, 23(5), 443–460.
Murray, D., & Arkoudis, S. (2013). Discussion paper 1: Preparation and selection. In Five years on: English language competence of international students – Outcomes Report. Retrieved from http://www.ieaa.org.au/documents/item/54.
Murray, N. (2010). Considerations in the post-enrolment assessment of English language proficiency: Reflections from the Australian context. Language Assessment Quarterly, 7(4), 343–358.
Ng, C. (2016). Crafting an intrinsically motivating course environment for language learning: A Japanese pedagogical innovation. In C. Ng, B. Fox, & M. Nakano (Eds.), Reforming learning and teaching in Asia-Pacific universities (pp. 275–296). Dordrecht, The Netherlands: Springer.
O’Loughlin, K., & Arkoudis, S. (2009). Investigating IELTS score gains in higher education. IELTS Research Reports, 10, 95–180.
Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development. (2008). Education at a glance. Paris: OECD.
Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development. (2013). Education at a glance. Paris: OECD.
Phillipson, R. (2006). English, a cockatoo in the European higher education nest of languages. European Journal of English Studies, 10(1), 12–32.
Poon, A. Y. K. (2016). A global challenge: Overseas immersion as an effective means to enhancing English proficiency? In C. Ng, B. Fox, & M. Nakano (Eds.), Reforming learning and teaching in Asia-Pacific universities (pp. 249–273). Dordrecht, The Netherlands: Springer.
Song, B. (2006). Content-based ESL instruction: Long-term effects and outcomes. English for Specific Purposes, 15(4), 420–437.
Stevenson, M., & Kokkinn, B. (2007). Pinned to the margins? The contextual shaping of academic language and learning. Journal of Academic Language and Learning, 1(1), A44–A54.
Tertiary Education Quality Standards Agency. (2013). Audit reports and AUQA archive. Retrieved from http://www.teqsa.gov.au/news-publications/audit-reports-and-auqa-archive.
Trow, M. (2006). Reflections on the transition from elite to mass to universal access: Forms and phases of higher education in modern societies since WWII. In J. J. F. Forest & P. A. Altbach (Eds.), International handbook of higher education (pp. 243–280). Dordrecht, The Netherlands: Springer.
Tsui, A. (2008). Internationalization of higher education and linguistic paradoxes. Paper presented at the languages issues in English-medium universities conference, Hong Kong University.
Victorian Ombudsman. (2011). Investigation into how universities deal with international students. Retrieved from http://www.ombudsman.vic.gov.au/resources/documents/Investigation_into_how_universities_deal_with_international_students.pdf.
Watkins, D. (2007). What works? Is western educational research relevant for educational reforms in China? Paper presented at the redesigning pedagogy: Culture, knowledge and understanding conference, Singapore.
Wingate, U. (2006). Doing away with ‘study skills’. Teaching in Higher Education, 11(4), 457–469.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2016 Springer Science+Business Media Singapore
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Arkoudis, S., Doughney, L. (2016). Improving English Language Learning Outcomes for International Students in Australian Universities: Some Critical Issues. In: Ng, Ch., Fox, R., Nakano, M. (eds) Reforming Learning and Teaching in Asia-Pacific Universities. Education in the Asia-Pacific Region: Issues, Concerns and Prospects, vol 33. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-0431-5_14
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-0431-5_14
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Singapore
Print ISBN: 978-981-10-0429-2
Online ISBN: 978-981-10-0431-5
eBook Packages: EducationEducation (R0)