University Classroom Communication: Self-Perceptions of International ESL Students and the Development of L2 Communicative Competence

Purpose of the Study: International students studying at Intensive English Programs (IEPs) in the US have many opportunities to gain knowledge and skills through their language courses, although they may have limited exposure to academic university classes. The purpose of this study was to see how a college classroom observation assignment helps students develop communicative competence with respect to the use of English in an American college classroom, and how it affects their self-perceptions as L2 English speakers. Procedure: This study was qualitative; students were interviewed before and after they observed a university class. The interviews were transcribed and data was analyzed using Grounded Theory Method (Bryant, A. & Charmaz, K., 2007). Analysis and findings were organized using the analytic frame of Canale’s (1983) framework of Communicative Competence. Findings: The analysis revealed that most of the knowledge gained from the observation was related to sociolinguistic competence. This included sociolinguistic knowledge about teachers and teaching style, the classroom environment and student behavior. In addition, students developed a better understanding of potential communication challenges they may encounter when taking US university classes. Conclusions: The findings of this study show that a classroom observation and reflection assignment can help international ESL students develop sociolinguistic communicative competence of a US classroom environment. This can then help them to develop increased awareness of potential challenges, and communication strategies to aid them in similar communicative situations.