238 / 2018-08-30 05:29:05

Narratives on English learning and IELTS test writing among Chinese international students in Canada

Chinese international students; IELTS test; English learning; narratives; Canada

全体主题 > 与语言测试与评价相关的其他议题

Globalization and internationalization of higher education has boosted the number of international students in Canada. To get admitted to English-speaking post-secondary institutions, international students have to achieve certain scores in high-stakes English proficiency tests. In this paper, the author reports some findings in the narrative research for her doctoral studies, and focuses on English learning and the IELTS test writing experiences of some Chinese international students in the Mountain University (MU) in Vancouver, Canada.
Some narratives of the participants in this study show that the IELTS writing strategies acquired in various IELTS test preparation classes before and after they came to Canada were irrelevant to or useless in their academic learning at MU. Another theme emerged is that several of the participants considered their IELTS score as a literal assessment of their increased or decreased English proficiencies. A third strand of stories presents how IELTS tests informed and shaped the self-identifications of these international students as test-takers. Stories on IELTS test writing and the emotions of the participants as test-takers is also examined in this study.
Drawing on Bourdieusian perspectives, sociocultural theorizing, Darvin and Norton’s (2015) investment model, and the power of tests, the study reflects how the gate-keeping IELTS test has affected the perceptions of Chinese international students about English learning and IELTS test writing, their emotions, and identities as test-takers. The study brings implications to universities in Canada and beyond to view international students holistically as individuals with histories, and as complex subjects with flexible and multiple identities. The design of institution- and discipline-specific measures of admitting and supporting international students in Canada is recommended. This study may bring implications to the Chinese education system in which Gaokao is compulsory for university admission.(285 words)