Abstract
The U.S. economy receives consistent and increasing benefits from international students in higher education, an estimated $41 billion during the 2018-2019 academic year. However, the existing research literature has failed to determine whether Intensive English Language Programs (IELP) adequately prepare these students for college-level composition in digital mediums. The objective of this study is to distinguish the perceptions of how academic digital composition and identity were developed among international students relative to their experiences in an IELP. This dissertation research sought to understand the cultural perspectives of international students around a) their digital writing identity, b) digital composition in academia, and c) their perceptions of preparedness for undergraduate studies. The theoretical paradigm is grounded in Vygotsky’s socio-cultural theory and constructivism. The methodology took a transcendental phenomenological approach based on the work of Husserl. The research took place online with international students who attended an IELP in the United States amid a pandemic in 2020. Data collection included a questionnaire and semi-structured interviews with nine students holding F1-Visas for academic study in the United States. The findings of this study reveal that international students are unaware of their digital writing identity and have limited opportunities to explore their identity through digital composition in their IELPs classes. However, international students’ preparedness for their undergraduate or graduate coursework varies on the individual experience studying at an IELP.
Library of Congress Subject Headings
Students, Foreign--Education, Higher--United States; English language--Rhetoric Study and teaching (Higher); Students, Foreign--Identity
Date of Award
2023
School Affiliation
Graduate School of Education and Psychology
Department/Program
Education
Degree Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctorate
Faculty Advisor
Paul Sparks
Recommended Citation
Nesfield, Francesca L., "International students’ perception of the development of their digital academic writing identity based on their participation in an intensive English language program" (2023). Theses and Dissertations. 1294.
https://digitalcommons.pepperdine.edu/etd/1294
Included in
Higher Education Commons, International and Comparative Education Commons, Language and Literacy Education Commons