Author: Van Dat Phan
Phan, Van Dat, 2024 International Postgraduate Students’ Perceived Impacts of Their Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency on Academic Achievement: Multiple Case Studies at Flinders University in South Australia, Flinders University, College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences
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Australian universities have attracted an increasing number of international students, including postgraduate ones from all corners of the world to their campuses to study. International postgraduate students from diverse cultural backgrounds are often confronted with many obstacles in a new learning environment that could have impacts on their own academic achievement. This can be attributed, among others, to their limited Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency (CALP). Despite the extensive literature on the impacts of CALP on academic achievement, little is known about international postgraduate students' voices over their perceived impacts of CALP on their academic achievement in the context of an Australian university. Therefore, to narrow this gap, this research aims to investigate international postgraduate students' perceived impacts of their CALP on academic achievement through four student case studies, who are four participating international postgraduate students in the College of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences at Flinders University in South Australia. Semi-structured interview data collected from four student case studies provides insights into their perceived CALP, perceived academic achievement, and perceived impacts of CALP on their academic achievement. The findings reveal that all participating students perceived the positive impacts of CALP on their academic achievement. Based on its findings, this study attempts to provide recommendations for four relevant groups of key stakeholders, namely, (i) Flinders University, (ii) the College of HASS (iii) University lecturers and topic coordinators, and (iv) international postgraduate students. The findings underscore the significance of refining academic support services, fostering students’ peer collaborations, and promoting positive lecturer-student relationships.
Keywords: CALP, academic achievements, perceived impacts, international postgraduate students
Subject: English as a Second Language thesis
Thesis type: Masters
Completed: 2024
School: College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences
Supervisor: Mai Tuyet Ngo