An Institutional Approach to Improving the English Proficiency of Foreign Students: The Modified Transitional Model.

Autor/inn/en	Hargett, Gary R.; Olswang, Steven G.
Titel	An Institutional Approach to Improving the English Proficiency of Foreign Students: The Modified Transitional Model.
Quelle	In: American Language Journal, 2 (1984) 1, S.67-83 (18 Seiten) PDF als Volltext kostenfreie Datei Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
Schlagwörter	Administrative Policy; Admission Criteria; College Second Language Programs; College Students; English (Second Language); Foreign Students; Graduate Study; Higher Education; Language Proficiency; Language Tests; Probationary Period; Second Language Instruction; Time Factors (Learning); Undergraduate Study + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Admission; Admission procedures; Zulassungsbedingung; Zulassungsverfahren; Zulassung; Collegestudent; English as second language; English; Second Language; Englisch als Zweitsprache; Aufbaustudium; Graduiertenstudium; Hauptstudium; Hochschulbildung; Hochschulsystem; Hochschulwesen; Language skill; Language skills; Sprachkompetenz; Language test; Sprachtest; Fremdsprachenunterricht; Grundstudium
Abstract	An administrative policy adopted at the University of Washington providing an alternative to relying entirely on English language proficiency tests for determining foreign students' ability to succeed in an academic program is described. Issues from which this program evolved are discussed and the related literature is reviewed. The issues include English proficiency as a predictor of academic outcomes, institutional responsibilities in establishing foreign student policies, identifying proficiency levels, admission policy alternatives, and models for providing language services to foreign students once admitted. Following this, the University of Washington's model is outlined. This model sets a score of 500 on the Test of English as a Foreign Language as the minimum requirement for admission contingent on further assessment and a score of 580 as the requirement for admission into a full-time English-medium curriculum for both undergraduate and graduate applicants. Students with the lower score are given provisional admission status pending additional work in English as a second language (ESL). Fees are assessed for ESL courses, which do not earn credits but do count toward full-time enrollment for visa status. The incorporation of ESL classes into the academic program is felt to be essential to program success, since it helps to meet the primary needs of all constituencies without excessive financial burden on students or institution, and to eliminate the isolation of traditional intensive language institutes. Most important, this approach is designed to allow institutions to admit students based on their proven academic abilities, so that subsequent decisions can be based soundly on prior academic performance. (MSE)
Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC