Academic adaptation experiences of Indian international students: English language and cross-cultural barriers in EAP program at an Australian university

Academic adaptation experiences of Indian international students: English language and cross-cultural barriers in EAP program at an Australian university

Over the last few decades, there has been an increasing trend for international students from non-English speaking background countries to study abroad in English-speaking destinations. This international education industry and its market have been primarily shared by the UK, USA, Australia and Canada. Australia has played a key part in the provision of high quality education to international students. It appears to be that the inflow patterns of these students in the Australian higher education sector are influenced by: their home countries’ economic status, social and political climates, and the effects of the global environment. The latest and prominent pattern of these students’ engagement with Australian higher education is the rapid expansion in the number of Indian students applying to and studying in Australian universities. This trend has increased more than two times over the past years. This implies that the enabling education sector in particular needs to take this new trend into deep consideration to improve the quality of transitional education for this particular cohort. The main aim of this study is to investigate a wide range of academic adaptation experiences of Indian international students, particularly those who are or were enrolled in the English for Academic Purposes (EAP II) program at an Australian regional university. The study will explore the uniqueness of this particular cohort’s problems and their adaptations to academic contexts in the Australian higher education system that has not previously been given much consideration. Whilst encountering a new academic environment in an Australian university, Indian international students from diverse language backgrounds experience various types of difficult English language and cross-cultural issues. Further, the study explores how the students adapt to resolve such difficulties and barriers to continue their study. It also discusses ways of assisting this particular cohort for the successful completion of their further study at Australian universities.

C. 2016.