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ABSTRACT
Up to date, there is scarce quantitative literature accounting for the interrelationships of the components (policies, beliefs, and practices) of academic language policy. This paper reports findings from a mixed-methods study of the enactment of academic English language policy by focusing on international students’ perceptions of the classroom language policy (English-only) in three Canadian EAP programmes. With corroborative findings, this study identifies general trends in students’ perceptions and beliefs towards the implementation of classroom language policy as well as factors that contribute to students’ ambivalence and varied perspectives. Major findings reveal the tensions and conflicts between top-down language requirements/expectations and the actual language use/choice in the EAP classroom. Discussions of the findings suggest that, despite the increasing awareness of the homogenising effects of internationalisation as embodied in the monolingual orientation in classroom language policy, the linguistic and cultural differences which mark the Chinese students’ identities and holistic linguistic repertoires seem to remain othered and their language needs marginalised by the hosting communities. This empirical study may deepen current understandings of the interrelationships between language choice and language beliefs and provide implications for language policy making in alignment with internationalisation of higher education.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.
Notes
1 Pathway programmes are typically designed for international students who are offered a conditional admission in an undergraduate programme in an English-medium university yet do not meet the minimum English language requirement. Some programmes provide additional content courses (e.g. psychology) to familiarise students with lecture-style teaching and learning, but these courses do not bear credits.
2 Bridging programmes are similar to pathway programmes with the primary goal of preparing international students’ language skills for academic studies, yet different in that bridging programmes offer some credit subject courses which students take concurrently as they learn language skills. Students who successfully complete the bridging programme will get a head start (with a few already earned credits) when officially embarking on their university study.