HOW YOU CAN HELP YOUR
INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS
IN THEIR STUDIES
The
Language
Centre
The Language Centre aims to serve the needs of international students whose first language is
not English by providing full-time pre-academic language courses and by offering several
forms of language support for students during their studies.
We identify here some of the language difficulties which may be faced by international
students and offer suggestions which can help to overcome them. The suggestions are not
intended to be prescriptive and may not be necessary or appropriate in every case. They offer
simple guidance on helping international students and may already be followed in many
departments.
International students enter the University with different levels of proficiency in English and
varying degrees of familiarity with British academic and social conventions. Here we are
concerned mainly with those students who have lower levels of language proficiency and less
familiarity with conventions. It should be kept in mind that the minimum language skill levels
required by the University of international students are not especially high and that fear of
embarrassment and loss of face may prevent students from admitting to difficulties in their
studies.
Everyday communication
The first problem for many international students arriving in Britain is to understand the
spoken language of people they need to deal with every day: in their accommodation, in
shops, on public transport and in their academic department. They may not be used to the
speed of speech, the different accents and in many cases the words and phrases used. They
may also be unfamiliar with British cultural conventions such as ways of greeting, requesting
and apologising, and lack the language or the linguistic niceties normally used in following
these conventions.
Suggestions:
 Introduce a buddy scheme, pairing international and home students for at least the first
few weeks of their programme.
 Arrange for new international students to meet other overseas students already studying in
the department.
 Encourage students to participate in the social and academic life of their department and
the University by telling them about events and organisations in which they can take part,
such as activities organised by the International Student Office and University Union
societies.
 Explain conventions to students if you notice that they are surprised by British behaviour.
 Remember to speak clearly (and slowly if necessary) and check that students understand.
 Be prepared to rephrase what you say more simply or repeat it more slowly to ensure
understanding.
 If appropriate, ‘echo’ what students say with corrections so that they can learn from you.
Adjusting to studying in Britain
International students may begin their courses in Britain with very different expectations and
study experiences from those of British students. For example:
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Their attitudes towards knowledge and learning may differ from those generally
valued and inculcated in British education.
The assessment systems used in their own country may be very different from those
used in Britain and may have led to the formation of study habits which are not
conducive to success in British higher education.
The scarcity of resources in many countries may mean that students are
unaccustomed to coping with long reading lists and the array of materials provided by
a British university.
Suggestions:
 Provide clear guidelines on what you expect of students in terms of study and assessment,
and explain the reasons for these expectations.
 Ensure that students attend the inductions offered by University academic services.
 Encourage students to attend the Skills Centre’s workshops on study skills.
 Offer departmental workshops on study skills relevant to your own area.
Understanding lectures
International students may find it difficult to understand lectures for several reasons: for
example, the speed of speech, lack of familiarity with the lecturer’s accent, lack of necessary
vocabulary, and difficulty in listening and taking notes simultaneously.
Suggestions:
 When possible, give out lecture notes or handouts at least a day before the lecture. This
may help students not only in understanding the content of the lecture but also allow
them to focus on language use during the lecture itself.
 Suggest that international students sit near the front of the lecture theatre, where they are
more likely to hear everything that is said and you are more likely to be aware of any
difficulties they are having and can act upon them.
 Allow students to record the lecture. This may have benefits for language learning as well
as comprehension of the lecture.
 Speak clearly and highlight important points explicitly.
 Pause to allow note-taking, especially after key points.
 Write key words and concepts on the board: students may know the words in their written
form but not recognise their spoken form.
 Remember that non-native speakers of English may have difficulty in understanding
phrases where the whole meaning is different from the meanings of the separate words.
For example, they will understand “very rarely” more easily than “once in a blue moon”,
“supported by the evidence” more easily than “backed up by the evidence”, and “attribute
it to” more easily than “put it down to”.
 Stop occasionally to take questions during the lecture, not only at the end.
Participating in seminars and tutorials
International students may have difficulty in group discussions for at least two reasons. First,
they may be unused to seminars and tutorials as part of the study process. This unfamiliarity
may be compounded in some cases by fear of loss of face in saying the wrong thing or
exposing their lack of language proficiency, and by the feeling that asking questions or
challenging others’ views is impolite. Secondly, they may have difficulty in expressing what
they want to say and in finding the linguistic means to intervene and put forward ideas in a
way which does not sound abrupt or dogmatic.
Suggestions:
 Make the overall purpose of seminars and tutorials clear at the start of the semester.
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Exercise a fairly tight control over the discussion by:
 stating objectives at the outset, directing and refocusing the discussion as necessary;
 bringing international students into the discussion with questions;
 checking on understanding and reformulating or summarising contributions (those of
both native speakers and non-native speakers) where helpful.
Allow time to summarise and for notes to be made at intervals during the discussion and
at the end.
Name individuals when asking for contributions to the discussion and allow sufficient
time for the individual to respond. Some international students need time to collect their
thoughts and prepare what they will say, and in some cultures a rapid reply indicates lack
of respect.
Where the curriculum allows, use the experience of overseas students to introduce an
international perspective to the discussion.
Reading skills
International students at borderline levels of proficiency may have a reading speed and a
vocabulary far below those of native English users. Lack of language proficiency may also
make it hard for them to make notes, summarise materials and gain an overview of a writer’s
perspective. They may also find it difficult to read strategically (for example, vary reading
speed according to purpose), to identify relevant material and to use it appropriately.
Suggestions:
 Give students reading lists as early as possible, highlighting the most important texts.
 Set one or two non-assessed writing assignments early in the year requiring the reading of
a small number of texts to introduce students to appropriate reading strategies. Hold
follow-up discussions to answer questions and clear up difficulties.
 Check students’ progress and comprehension of material.
 Encourage students to set up their own small reading and discussion groups so that they
can help each other to understand their texts.
Writing skills
Many international students are not used to the kind of written work required for most degree
programmes. They may not be accustomed to: the structure and length of different kinds of
written assignment, the style of language used, the need for close argumentation, the need to
observe referencing and bibliographic conventions, the use of sources and the need to avoid
plagiarism. The difficulties faced by students in coming to terms with these aspects of
academic writing are likely to be exacerbated by any language difficulties they have.
Suggestions:
 Provide students with samples of well-written texts of an appropriate type in their field of
study to show them what is required in terms of the above-mentioned aspects of writing.
This might best be done in the form of a workshop so that discussion can take place and
questions be answered.
 Set a non-assessed writing assignment early in the year and provide feedback as quickly
as possible so that students can learn from their mistakes in time for the first assessed
assignment. After the work has been returned, a follow-up workshop could be held to deal
with issues raised.
 Be clear in your feedback to students and allow them to ask follow-up questions. Point to
specific examples of both effective and unsatisfactory writing, and indicate how the latter
could be improved.
Coping with exams
Although international students will almost certainly have taken exams in their own country,
these may have been very different from those facing them in Britain. For example, their
experience may have been with mainly multiple-choice or short-answer questions which do
not require the planning and organisation needed for longer answers. Students may find
difficulty in dividing their time appropriately between questions, in understanding the
questions and in planning and writing coherent and comprehensible answers under the
pressure of a time limit.
Suggestions:
 Give students guidelines on the kinds of questions set in their exams and on the kinds of
answers expected.
 Be clear, concise and explicit in setting exam questions.
 Give students practice in understanding what is required by exam questions so that their
answers address the questions set.
 Give students practice in planning and writing answers to exam questions.
Preparation and support
As mentioned earlier, the Language Centre offers full-time preparatory language programmes
for applicants (see www.leeds.ac.uk/languages/courses/el/el_cours.html) and in-sessional
language support for students on academic programmes in the University (see
http://www.leeds.ac.uk/languages/facility/intl_inf.html). Our final advice is to:
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Encourage applicants to attend one of the Language Centre’s pre-sessional courses,
particularly if they have a borderline level of English.
Encourage students to use the Language Centre’s Self-Access Area and the online
learning materials on the Language Centre’s website to improve their language skills.
Ensure that students take the University English Language Test when they begin their
studies, check their test scores and encourage them to attend any follow-up in-sessional
courses recommended.
The Language Centre
Parkinson Building
Tel: 33251
Email: langc@leeds.ac.uk
http://www.leeds.ac.uk/languages/lc_home.html