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Speaking and Writing Proficiency of International Graduate Students in Elective, Mentoring Environments
Author(s) -
Watkins Steve,
Green Randy
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
journal of engineering education
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.896
H-Index - 108
eISSN - 2168-9830
pISSN - 1069-4730
DOI - 10.1002/j.2168-9830.2003.tb00753.x
Subject(s) - fluency , task (project management) , psychology , medical education , graduate students , language proficiency , pedagogy , mathematics education , medicine , engineering , systems engineering
Technical communication skills are critical for non‐native speakers who must study and interact in English‐only professional settings. Often, formal instruction to pass admission thresholds and other minimum requirements are not sufficient to attain proficiency. This paper describes elective, long‐term programs that provide systematic opportunities for both speaking and writing development. These programs are tailored to international students through the key features of individualized activities, applied task‐oriented practice, and social interaction. The elective programs attract and retain participants with interest and need for high‐level language proficiency. Program evaluations show that participating graduate students give primary credit for their growing fluency to individualized practice and to sustained interaction with native speakers.