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Download Document - Office for Learning and Teaching

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Six of the lecturers believed that international students have more difficulties inreferencing. One commented, “Yes, definitely, yes!” The other answers were not sodirect; <strong>for</strong> example, one commented, “I mean you do get the odd one here or therewho is just trying to beat the system”. Only one lecturer disagreed with this; hecomments, “No, I don’t think so really because in law everyone has to reference…”(4) Do you feel international students have more difficulties in comprehending theuniversity’s policies on plagiarism?The majority of the lecturers believed that international students have difficulties incomprehending this policy; <strong>for</strong> example, one of them commented, “Certainly initiallyyes. Mind you there are some local students who have got that problem too”.Another lecturer commented”.(5) Do you feel international students are more likely to be involved in plagiarism?With the exception of one lecturer, all the other lecturers agreed that internationalstudents are more likely to be involved in plagiarism. One comment is, ““Yes! …90% of the time international students are involved in those cases, un<strong>for</strong>tunately”.The one lecturer who disagreed commented, “Both domestic <strong>and</strong> international areall trying to come to grips with academic writing <strong>and</strong> referencing is a big part of that”.5.2.4 Language(1) Do you feel that language is the biggest problem faced by most internationalstudents?All of the lecturers felt that language is the biggest problem. One lecturercommented, “Well depending on where they come from it could well be. Forexample the Singaporean students … would generally seem not to have very muchproblem with English at all. Students from Vietnam <strong>and</strong> students from mainl<strong>and</strong>China especially… from some of the Middle East countries, their language problemstend to be quite challenging”.(2) Do you feel many international students have difficulties in communicating withothers in English? Prevent them from fully participating in class discussion?Nearly all lecturers thought that many international students have difficulties incommunicating with others in English. One of them commented, “Yes I think anumber of them do”. But some of them believed that this was not major problem; <strong>for</strong>example, one commented, “Firstly, yes, but if they are meeting together outside thelecture room or they’re sitting near an English speaker they find it much easier thanif they don’t mix at all”. Only one lecturer disagreed on this; he commented, “NO, Idon’t think so. Once again if you have a safe learning environment in your class …”(3) Do you think the language difficulties have a negative impact on internationalstudents’ academic per<strong>for</strong>mance?Most lecturers agreed that language difficulties have a negative impact oninternational students’ academic per<strong>for</strong>mance; <strong>for</strong> example, one lecturercommented, “I think it can, yes. Particularly if you have things like presentations<strong>and</strong>…” But still a few of them disagreed <strong>and</strong> one of them commented, “No. Not atall. I don’t agree with any of this crap … it’s not their problem, it’s our problem. Weinvite these people here, take their money, we admit them to the course, there<strong>for</strong>e,it’s our job to help them”.(4) Do you give special allowance to international students’ English problems whenassessing their work?Seven lecturers did overlook grammar <strong>and</strong> spellings in assessing internationalstudents’ assignments. One of them commented, “Yes, the allowance I give them isthat I don't take marks off … in terms of the content, the validity of the content or thefocus of the content, but I don't take marks off because they haven't spelledcorrectly”. Three other lecturers insisted that they must be satisfied; one of the83

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