Olga DeJesusFollow

Date

5-2014

Department

School of Education

Degree

Doctor of Education (EdD)

Chair

Leldon Nichols

Keywords

Distant Learning, English Language Learner, International Undergraduate Student, Online Learning

Disciplines

Bilingual, Multilingual, and Multicultural Education | Education | Higher Education | Higher Education Administration | Higher Education and Teaching

Abstract

Many institutional programs are changing to incorporate more online opportunities as a way to meet the needs of their students. Therefore, international English language learners are being encouraged to take online courses in order to complete their programs of study at United States colleges or universities (Tan, Lee, & Steven, 2010). In this qualitative phenomenological study, the researcher sought to investigate international undergraduate English language learners' perception of and experiences with language and academic acquisition through online learning. This study was conducted with a selected group of 10 undergraduate international students enrolled in the Liberal Arts program at a private four year college in New York State. The data for this study was collected via: (a) participant screening questionnaire, (b) individual participant interview, and (c) focus group interviews. The researcher transcribed the interviews, analyzed the transcriptions, and coded the data into four related themes: (1) perception of online learning, (2) perception of cultural differences, (3) perception of second language acquisition, and (4) perception of academic content acquisition. The findings of this study indicated that overall, participants' perceived advantages and disadvantages regarding English as a second language acquisition, academic acquisition, as well as disadvantages associated with cultural differences.

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