Language difficulties and cultural challenges of international students in an Australian university preparation program

Language difficulties and cultural challenges of international students in an Australian university preparation program

While studying in a new educational environment in a foreign country, students from non-English speaking backgrounds experience various English language problems and cultural differences. Previous studies indicate that linguistic and cultural variations seem to be a problem that comes about reciprocally. They also point out that the question of how to adapt to transitional changes in new styles of learning and communication needs to be answered in diverse contexts. The study reported in this chapter investigates language and cultural barriers faced by international students in an Australian university preparation program. It looks at English language and cross-cultural difficulties of university preparation program students and the ways in which they deal with those difficulties in order to continue their studies. It also discusses possible ways of assisting the students for their further studies in undergraduate or postgraduate degree programs at Australian universities.

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