A Phenomenological Study of University Faculty Members’ Instructional Experiences Teaching International Students

The increased numbers of international students in higher education institutions is presenting unique challenges for faculty members who are accustomed to teaching in a linguistically and culturally homogenous environment. There is a dearth in the literature about the instructional experiences and demands on faculty members when they teach international students. The purpose of this study is to understand university faculty members’ instructional experiences teaching international students who are culturally diverse and nonnative English speakers. The significance of this study provides rich information to university administrators, department chairpersons, faculty and staff about the instructional experiences of teaching international students in higher education. A phenomenological research design was selected for this study employing focus group interviews, one-on-one interviews, classroom observations, documents and artifacts. The ten full-time faculty members from six different colleges and three academic levels provided rich data about the lived experiences of teaching international students in higher education. The findings for the study revealed four themes and four sub-themes that were generated from participants’ responses to their instructional experiences and challenges with international students and how they accommodated and modified their instruction to meet the needs of international students who are culturally diverse and nonnative English speakers. The four themes and four sub-theme are: Theme1 - one-size-fits-all teaching practices and a subtheme - teaching practices faculty members want to incorporate; Theme 2 - encountering deficits in English language proficiency and a subtheme – faculty members unsure how to support second language students’ academic issues; Theme 3 - maintaining high academic standards and a subtheme – academic integrity; and Theme 4 - the role of culture in the classroom and a subtheme – faculty members’ future plans to incorporate cultural sensitivity awareness into the classroom