Factors affecting English as a second language learning for new and returning international college students enrolled at an English Language Institute in the United States

Abstract

The purpose of this study was twofold: (1) to conduct a qualitative case study of new and returning foreign students' and second language teachers' beliefs and attitudes toward English as a second language learning and instruction; and (2) to describe the language learning environment. This study was conducted during a ten-week intensive English language summer program. The data was collected with foreign students and ESL teachers teaching an intermediate composition class (200 level), an intermediate grammar class (200 level) and an advanced listening class (300 level) in an English Language Institute in the United States. Initial and final interviews with new and returning foreign students were conducted. The data also included interviews with key personnel, and classroom observations (included videotaping). Additional data regarding assessment was provided by both the new and returning students and the key personnel. The data was sorted, resorted, categorized and analyzed to determine the factors that affected English as a second language learning for the particular group of participants involved in the study. The findings of this study suggest that second language (English) learners believe that there are a number of factors and difficulties that have a negative or positive effect as to how and why people learn a second language: age; attitude/behavior; aptitude; exposure to formal and informal instruction; immersion into the target language, culture, and environment; background experiences; personality and willingness to take risks; travelling experiences; comparability between the native/first or second language and the target language; feelings and expectations; external helpers; strategies to deal with target language speakers in real life situations; interactions with target language speakers; degree of oral language proficiency; target language speakers' attitudes toward second language learners; long term goals and learners' motivation for learning the target language; cognitive strategies to improve target language skills; and socio-cultural issues. Classroom environment issues were found to be associated with: student to student interaction (including motivation to work with classmates, perceptions of other classmates, and acceptance of classmates' personalities); teacher and student interaction; and physical layout of the classrooms.