Abstract
This article explores the nature and extent of oral English proficiency training that international teaching assistants (ITA) need for their faculty and staff roles in U.S. colleges and universities. In surveys of campuses in the Illinois system, the most frequent single complaint among undergraduates was that the ITA had language problems which interfered with the students' comprehension of classroom material. The Test of English As a Foreign Language (TOEFL) has been in existence since 1964, assessing the English usage of English-as-a-second-language students applying for admission to colleges and universities. The Test of Spoken Language, designed by the Educational Testing Service, can be administered within a half hour at TOEFL Test Centers. The instrument tests the linguistic mastery of the examinee, with scoring on comprehensibility, pronunciation, grammar and fluency.
Recommended Citation
Dick, R. C., & Robinson, B. M. (1994). Oral english proficiency requirements for ITAs in U. S. colleges and universities: An issue in speech communication. Journal of the Association for Communication Administration, 23(2), 77–86.
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