Presenter(s): Onsarigo Matara
Faculty Mentor(s): Casey Reid & Cyebel Highins
Oral Session 3 CQ
English as a Second Language (ESL) students new to the Eugene, Oregon area who are studying at a two-year community college face intercultural and personal challenges. To find out more about the specific needs of this mix of students from over 20 countries, I conducted qualitative primary and secondary research through interviews, participant observation with students, and library research. Preliminary research suggests that even with the mentor and advisor support from the students’ program, students still face significant challenges overcoming culture shock and connecting with native English speakers from the campus community. Recommendations for how to improve the students’ integration into the campus and local community will be discussed. Findings will be useful to ESL academic programs advisors, instructors and students to give instructors and learners a voice in the development of successful language use and learning strategies.