1. Foundation Programmes as Socialisation Structures: understanding the first year experiences of post-EAP Foundation students
Sandra Leigh
Centre for English Language Education (CELE), School of Education
University of Nottingham

2. Outline Background & contexts Research Questions Theoretical Framework
Methodology
The Findings
Conclusions

3. International Students: common challenges
Adjusting to a new environment; acculturation
Making friends - isolation
English language proficiency (Andrade, 2009)
Personal factors (Phakiti et al, 2013)
“personal, pedagogical and psychological factors are as important as organisational and social cultures in influencing students' adaptation, identity change and ultimate success” (Gu et al, 2009: 19)

4. 1St Year Students: common challenges
Adjusting to a new environment; acculturation
Collaborating with peers/others
Autonomy

5. Teaching Context CELE’s Foundation programme
Two pathways: Business students and non-Business students
Mainly EAP programme: 9 contact hours for English
Subject specific modules
Critical Thinking module

6. Research Context EdD: doctorate in Education
Practitioners with sufficient experience in their fields
Empirical research linked to professional practice
Focus on impacting change in practice/workplace

7. Research
EAP theoretical aspirations EAP’s 50 year evolution: skill-focused to discourse approach Gap: what happens to students post-EAP? How successful are they? How smooth was their transition into their new academic environment? How effective is our input?

8. Research Questions
What are the socialisation experiences of post-EAP students?
What is EAP’s contribution to these experiences?
How can EAP more effectively contribute to the experiences of these students?  

9. Theoretical Framework: socialisation theories
Necessity of adult socialisation - role changes, discontinuity, ambiguity Relevance to HE (retention rates) - new students - international students - non-traditional students

10. Theoretical Framework: socialisation theories
“the process by which persons acquire the knowledge, skills, and disposition that make them more or less able members of their society” (Brim, 1966: 3)

11. Socialisation Theories
Criticisms: indoctrination
Process of becoming an effective and participatory member
Interaction with others (socialising agents)
Bidirectional (agents and socialisees)
Ongoing and recursive
Linguistic socialisation
Agency
Identity

12. Theoretical Framework: socialisation theories
there is a specific point of entry and exit between which there are changes (Wheeler, 1966) a learning process and socialisees learn through trial & error and by doing (Bragg, 1976)

13. Socialisation Theories - stages
4 stages (Weidman, 1987)
Anticipatory
Formal
Informal (peer socialisation)
Personal

14. Methodology: 1-1 semi-structured interviews
Students – 5 interviews
1st year Lecturers
EAP (Foundation) tutors
13 students over a year ( ) = 62 interviews
6 lecturers and 4 EAP tutors = staff interviews

15. The Findings – the positive
Academic
Non-academic
writing skills & conventions
knowledge & expectations of HE context
increased linguistic competence
supportive relationships
familiarity with context

16. The Findings – the positive
Tony: Foundation year has given this advantage of being familiar with the university
Victoria: It {Foundation} has helped me integrate into university life
Ghassan: I also feel a bit ahead of everyone ‘cause I also have experience with submitting papers I know where everything is

17. The Findings – not so positive
Academic
Non-academic
workload
specificity of content & language
task types
level of autonomy
working with home students
relationships with lecturers

18. The Findings – not so positive
Content:
Yixuan: Some of my classmates they study foundation programme maybe in China or in Malaysia campus When I ask them they study more about the subject And which makes me like oh they all study this before But for me it’s really totally new knowledge
Victoria: Because I feel the things I’ve learnt in Foundation Course so far are not applicable to my law degree cause many students from Singapore came from Bellerbys college where they have a Foundation Programme and they did the law foundation programme and they learn all the basics of law that me and Rebecca and everyone else that came here are struggling through ‘cause we have no idea and its really tough to follow up

19. The Findings – not so positive
Workload:
Naomi: The workload (on Foundation) was like lighter than in high school and a lot lighter than so it maybe just for me it kinda projected a false image
Victoria: University has been crazy stressful . . yeah hard to handle it’s been I think nine weeks now right It’s been crazy very stressful hard to cope you know struggling honestly assignments due every week tutorials there’s always something to do you know there’s never one day where you can just be like oh there’s nothing to do it’s like it’s This deadline, you know next deadline coursework, tutorials, seminars yeah non-stop

20. The Findings - other Impact of spaces on students’ integration
physical spaces
e-spaces & online resources

21. The Findings – other Online Resources
Grace: YouTube makes things easier if you don’t understand some things in the lecture and someone has said something you just Google it up and simplified it there
Amira: I Google everything everything Rather than using a book I do my reading online Yes Google is my professor I would fail without Google

22. Conclusions reached
Students developed the necessary skills & knowledge
Part of HE institutional socialisation structures
Gaps or mismatches:
more tailoring of courses
increase their level of autonomy

23. Developing a knowledge triangle
EAP/Foundation Practitioners: language experts, teaching international students
Subject Academics: practical & disciplinary expertise
Former Students: feedback, peer mentors, coping strategies

24. References
Andrade, M. S The Effects of English Language Proficiency on Adjustment to University Life. International Multilingual Research Journal, 3(1): DOI: /
Bragg, A. K The Socialization Process in Higher Education. [Online]. Washington, D.C.: Publications Department, American Association for Higher Education. Available at:
Brim, O. G Socialization through the Life Cycle. In Socialization after Childhood: Two essays (pp. 3-49). New York: John Wiley
Ginty, C. & Boland, J Supporting the First Year Experience in Higher Education in Ireland: Impact on Student Engagement, Teaching Practice and Institutional Policy. Student Engagement and Experience Journal, 5(1): 1-47 DOI: /seej.v4i1.119

25. References
Gu, Q., Schweisfurth, M. & Day, C. 2010. Learning and Growing in a ‘Foreign’ Context: Intercultural Experiences of International Students. Compare, 40(1): 7–23 DOI: /
Phakiti, A., Hirsh, D. & Woodrow, L It’s not only English: Effects of Other Individual Factors on English Language Learning and Academic Learning of ESL. Journal of Research in International Education, 12(3) 239– 258 DOI:  /
Weidman, J. C Undergraduate Socialization. ASHE Annual Meeting Paper. ASHE Annual Meeting. Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the Association for the Study of Higher Education. Baltimore, MD.
Wheeler, S The Structure of Formally Organized Socialization Settings. In Socialization after Childhood: Two Essays (pp ). New York: John Wiley.