Facilitating International Students’ Academic and Social Success in Canada
Standing
Graduate (Masters)
Type of Proposal
Visual Presentation
Challenges Theme
Building Viable, Healthy and Safe Communities
Faculty
Faculty of Education
Faculty Sponsor
Zuocheng Zhang
Proposal
One of the most common challenges for the growing number of Ontario’s international students is the language barriers they encounter. Though local agencies offer language support services, these are reserved for immigrants and refugees; thus, international students must find other options, and one of the most common is information and communication technology (ICT). For example, some students use smartphone applications (apps) or online resources and courses. However, though many of these tools prove effective to some degree, they are not uniformly effective. Thus, to understand which approaches are most effective and develop recommendations that will serve the needs of international students, the current study proposes using an experimental model that assesses the development of students’ language proficiency to determine the effectiveness of different ICT language tools. By having students complete pre- and post-tests prior to and before using various ICTs, the study seeks to determine which are most effective. The study will likewise host a focus group among the participants to determine what elements of each ICT support their language learning and which proved ineffective.
Special Considerations
I am not quite sure that the revised version of my proposal is clear on the research question and methodology. I wonder whether I need to conduct research or just propose the research idea that I will conduct in the future. If the conference aim is to show what I have found. I may think that I need to revise my proposal again.
Facilitating International Students’ Academic and Social Success in Canada
One of the most common challenges for the growing number of Ontario’s international students is the language barriers they encounter. Though local agencies offer language support services, these are reserved for immigrants and refugees; thus, international students must find other options, and one of the most common is information and communication technology (ICT). For example, some students use smartphone applications (apps) or online resources and courses. However, though many of these tools prove effective to some degree, they are not uniformly effective. Thus, to understand which approaches are most effective and develop recommendations that will serve the needs of international students, the current study proposes using an experimental model that assesses the development of students’ language proficiency to determine the effectiveness of different ICT language tools. By having students complete pre- and post-tests prior to and before using various ICTs, the study seeks to determine which are most effective. The study will likewise host a focus group among the participants to determine what elements of each ICT support their language learning and which proved ineffective.