Challenges Faced by International Students in Understanding British Accents and Their Mitigation Strategies—A Mixed Methods Study

Bibliographic Data

ID22048990
AuthorsKatherine Regina Vasquez Diaz (University of Hull), Jamshed Iqbal (0000-0002-0795-0282, University of Hull, corresponding author)
Year2024
Volume14
Issue7
Pages784
Publication date2024-07-18
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueEducation Sciences (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2227-7102 • E-ISSN: 2227-7102
PublisherMDPI AG (PUBLISHER • IT)
DOI10.3390/educsci14070784
OpenAlexW4400773012
LanguageEN
Citations received1
References cited18

The massive relocation of international students calls for a thorough investigation of diverse difficulties faced by them, among which language-related barriers are reported to have serious consequences. The main goal of this research is to investigate accent-related challenges as barriers to comprehension and effective communication faced by international students in the United Kingdom (UK), along with the factors that helped or could help the students in terms of having better experiences. The scope of this study is limited to native British accents. The study relies on data collected to analyse the impact of native-accented speech, both qualitatively and quantitatively, on the listening experiences of currently enrolled or recently graduated international students in a British university. The underlying mixed-method approach is comprised of a survey and an interview. Analysis of data collected from the survey (n = 33 participants) revealed that 42% of the participants considered native-accented speech as the biggest factor affecting their listening comprehension. This is followed by a fast speech rate, which was selected by 36% of the participants. Regarding mitigation of the difficulties, participants showed mixed responses in terms of adopting various strategies. During the interview, participants (n = 6) shared their listening comprehension experiences, particularly those encountered during the initial months after their arrival in the UK. The results obtained are potentially useful in terms of students’ support, English as a Second Language (ESL) curriculum design, English language teachers’ training and establishing learning pedagogies

Mathematics education · Multimethodology · Computer Science · EFL/ESL Teaching and Learning · International Student and Expatriate Challenges · Psychology · Second Language Learning and Teaching

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