METADATA
Title: International students’ perceptions of communication challenges in english medium instruction
Vol. 6, 2019, pp. 60-78.
DOI: 10.46687/SILC.2019.v06.005
Author: Nedka Dimitrova
About the author: Assistant Professor Nedka Dimitrova, PhD received a PhD in Linguistics and MA in English studies and Mass communications at Konstantin Preslavsky University of Shumen. Her main areas of research interest and publications are on the subject of intercultural communication with a focus on cultural differences and their impact on the process of thinking and learning in higher education settings. Nedka Dimitrova has a long-standing professional experience of teaching international students from Europe, Asia and Africa. She is keeping up with new ideas, methods and trends in the field of education through Erasmus+ teaching mobilities in numerous higher education institutions, practical trainings and participation in various EU projects and other professional programmes as a lecturer and trainer at the Department for Modern Educational Methods at Varna University of Management, Bulgaria.
e-mail: nedka.dimitrova@vumk.eu
ORCID iD: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4615-2822
Citation (APA style): Dimitrova, N. (2019). International students’ perceptions of communication challenges in english medium instruction. Studies in Linguistics, Culture, and FLT, 6, 60-78. doi: 10.46687/SILC.2019.v06.005
Link: https://silc.fhn-shu.com/images/issues/2019/vol6/SILC_2019_Vol%206_060-078_19.pdf
Abstract: The main research objective of this corpus-based study is to identify communication challenges faced by international students of business management in the context of using English as a Medium of Instruction (EMI) in a non-English speaking country. It attempts to gain an insight on learners’ perceptions of intercultural communication (ICC) barriers, associated with their native language and cultural background in the process of developing academic and cultural competences. Quantitative data was derived through a small specialised corpus, comprising of 13,896 words, constructed from 47 students’ reflective essays. The research assumptions and analysis of discourse were based on the model of the six Stumbling Blocks in Intercultural Communication developed by LaRay M. Barna (1994). The evidence from the study suggests that differences in verbal and non-verbal language expressions are perceived as a more significant communication block, due to the fact that they seem to be attributed with clear self-awareness of the problem. The results also indicate that language differences and cultural ambiguity are more significantly expressed by students raised and educated in higher context cultures, sharing more collectivist values. To handle these issues in EMI, an approach to self-conscious actions and efforts is needed from all participants in the process to develop linguistic and intercultural communication
competence (ICCC).
Keywords: intercultural communication, English as a Medium of Instruction, academic discourse, corpus linguistics, stumbling blocks
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