
Article
Second Language Competence and Student Acculturation: The Case of International Students
Arab World English Journal
(2015)
Abstract
This paper presents a thorough literature review of the effects of second language competence on student acculturation and adjustment in an international setting. The study stems from a view of globalization as a key factor in today’s higher education considering, for instance, the rapid increase of overseas students over the years. A fundamental aspect of studying in a new country is the stipulation of interacting in a different language. With the spread of English as a lingua franca, a large part of the programs taught overseas is undertaken in English. Shedding light on this, the current paper provides a review of recent research efforts aimed at exploring the effects of second language competence on international students’ acculturation and academic success. A series of terms and concepts will first be defined, before the findings of various studies are discussed. The paper will then conclude with the author’s reflection.
Keywords
- Acculturation,
- adjustment,
- academic success,
- second language competence,
- sociocultural knowledge.
Disciplines
Publication Date
Winter December 15, 2015
Citation Information
Hamza Alshenqeeti. "Second Language Competence and Student Acculturation: The Case of International Students" Arab World English Journal Vol. 6 Iss. 4 (2015) p. 61 - 67 Available at: http://works.bepress.com/arabworldenglishjournal-awej/199/