Libyan University Students’ Perceptions of Learning Academic English in a U.S. Institution
Abstract
Libyan students who attend U.S. universities, enter with languages, educational and environmental backgrounds that are different than their American counterparts. Cummins (1979) theory of second language acquisition, including concepts that differentiate between social and academic language, such as Basic Interpersonal Communicative Skills (BICS) and Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency (CALP) were used to understand Libyan students’ university experiences. The purpose of this qualitative research was to understand first-semester Libyan university students’ experiences with using the English language. Findings showed that because Libya is a country whose citizens primarily use Arabic, Libyan students who studied in a U.S. higher education institution in Tennessee had limited English proficiency and faced culture shock in a U.S. university.
Subject Area
Curriculum development|English as a Second Language
Recommended Citation
Walid Ali Mohamed,
"Libyan University Students’ Perceptions of Learning Academic English in a U.S. Institution"
(2023).
ETD Collection for Tennessee State University.
Paper AAI30317320.
https://digitalscholarship.tnstate.edu/dissertations/AAI30317320