Non-Native English-Speaking Students' Perspectives of Culture, Language, and Academic Success: Narratives of Graduate Students in the Southern United States

Introduction

The relationship between English language proficiency and academic success has been described as complex, as well as ambiguous (Graham, 1987). The vast number of non-native English-speaking (NNES) graduate students in American graduate schools (Institute of International Education, 2018b) signals the significance of exploring questions regarding communication, linguistic, and cultural competencies needed for success in graduate level programs. Up to now, these questions have mostly been explored through quantitative methods (Andrade, 2006, 2009; Bayliss & Raymond, 2004; Graham, 1987). The reason for this qualitative study on the perceptions of non-native English-speaking students was twofold. It was our aim to add to the limited body of qualitative research regarding these students in order to improve their experiences and chances of academic persistence and success. Moreover, as language proficiency is highly important in US graduate schools (Cho & Bridgeman, 2012), we wanted to understand how students described the way this proficiency related to their perceptions of their academic success.

The topic of this chapter, in which we seek to highlight the students’ perspectives regarding their graduate school success, is significant because of the increased number of non-native English-speaking students in the US (Institute of International Education, 2018a) and whose enrollment benefits the country in various ways. Non-native English-speaking students in the US contribute greatly in a multiplicity of ways. Of importance, particularly with the contemporary impacts of globalization, these international students help in strengthening international relationships (Bastien & Johnson, 2018). Additional benefits come by way of funding, which is primarily from personal or family funding sources for a large number of those students (Institute of International Education, 2018b). This means that these host institutions benefit greatly from these students, not only by having a diversity of cultures, but also by the revenue (Andrade, 2006) generated by their enrolment. These facts make the topic of multicultural classrooms and NNES students’ success significant for study and one which should concern more than just students or their professors.

The purpose of the study presented in this chapter was to explore the perceptions of non-native English-speaking graduate students regarding the importance of native-like proficiency for success in a US graduate school. The central question which guided data collection and analysis was the following: How do non-native English-speaking graduate students perceive the importance of language and cultural proficiency in an English-speaking environment (US Research 1 institution) for their academic success? The rationale behind the question was to gain genuine insight from the students, based on their personal lived experiences, in order to develop further understanding of NNES students’ experiences and offer practical advice for a multicultural classroom.