Community College Leadership Commons^™

Entering An Academic Discourse Community: A Case Study Of The Coping Strategies Of Eleven English As A Second Language Students, Cheryl Benz

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This case study follows eleven non-English speaking students as they adapt to community college, content courses. The three classes examined are required freshman classes--Humanities, Social Environment, and Individual in Transition. In order to cope with the demands of these classes, students must penetrate the academic discourse community and have effective relationships with their instructors and their peers. The results of the study are based on interviews with eleven non-native speaking (NNS) students and their instructors and on an analysis of student writing assignments, course syllabi, and exams. Three general areas are examined: (a) students' first-language (L₁) education, (b) …