Abstract

The current study identifies and discusses the adjustment challenges facing Arabian Gulf Students (AGSs) that may affect their English performance (EP) in intensive English programs (IEPs) in the United States. The current study uses student departure theory to lead the theoretical framework and incorporates Student Adaptation to College Questionnaire (SACQ) and Social Integration Questionnaire (SIQ) to lead the methodology of this study. The mixed-method investigation with multi-location sampling examined 160 AGSs, enrolled full-time in different IEPs in the U.S. during the spring semester of 2019. The AGSs participants were from Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, and Oman. A pilot study preceded the final study to obtain AGSs' insight on the questionnaire items and time consumption. In the final study, the participating students completed a demographic information questionnaire as well as the SACQ and SIQ for the quantitative segment of this study. Face-to-face and Skype interviews followed as the qualitative segment of the proposed study. Data analyses included several methods. The questionnaire results were analyzed by inputting data into IBM Statistics Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) Statistics. The interview responses were analyzed within a phenomenological approach by finding common themes within the interview responses. The findings shed light on the needs and means of helping AGSs succeed in achieving high levels of English proficiency in IEPs in the U.S.

Notes

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Graduation Date

2019

Semester

Summer

Advisor

Sivo, Stephen

Degree

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)

College

College of Community Innovation and Education

Department

School of Teacher Education

Degree Program

Education; Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages

Format

application/pdf

Identifier

CFE0007595

URL

http://purl.fcla.edu/fcla/etd/CFE0007595

Language

English

Release Date

August 2019

Length of Campus-only Access

None

Access Status

Doctoral Dissertation (Open Access)

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