Enhancing Asian Immigrants' and International Students' Learning: Faculty Cultural Awareness and Pedagogy Training

• In Event: Networking to Better Global Education: China, Japan, and the United States

Abstract

Asian immigrants and international students have been one of the fastest growing populations in the American educational setting. According to 2017 Yearbook of Immigration Statistics (2018), a total of 1127,167 people are granted lawful permanent residence and granted asylum or refugee status. Among these individuals, more than 35% came from Asian countries. Despite this rapidly growing population of immigrants and international students, previous research has identified many challenges and barriers throughout the academic journeys of Asian non-native English speaking (NNES) students.
The present study examined whether a faculty professional development program on cultural awareness and pedagogy would impact faculty’s knowledge and skills of working with Asian immigrants, in order to ensure these students’ retention and success. This study assessed the effectiveness and the impact of the program designed to address the need of Asian immigrants. Guided by the Five Domains (TESOL International Association, 2010), the professional development program applied theories of intercultural communication training (Bennett & Salonen, 2004).
A mixed method of inquiry was selected involving surveys with ten faculty and sixteen Asian NNES students, in-depth interviews, classroom observations, and document analysis. Faculty attended the workshop series during the first year when students enrolled in their classes. The data come from a longitudinal study that conducted throughout the three years of students’ studying in the institution. The results established a probable relationship between the workshops and faculty members’ capacities on working with Asian immigrants. The findings also indicate one of the most challenging components is how to provide a learning environment that allows “equity, access, and opportunity to learn and succeed in school and beyond” (Genesee & Harper, 2010, p. 21). The findings in this study reveal best practices and implications on how to help Asian NNESs achieve social inclusion and actively participate in the target language academic community.

Authors

• Ellen Yeh, Columbia College Chicago

• Monika Jaiswal-Oliver, Columbia College Chicago

• Rashmi Sharma, Western Illinois University

• Guofang Wan, Loyola University Chicago