Online Language Learning and Social Interaction of International Students studying in Foreign universities

The paper is a literature review which seeks to highlight the differences between foreign students and the native students, and how language capabilities impact education in both. It also seeks to highlight why students choose to travel to other parts of the world to study. Additionally, it aims at looking into the impacts of social interaction on student learning, as well as literature which highlights how international students can adapt to their new environment and the new language. Differences between Native And International Students The main differences between native students and international students fall into two categories. These include cultural differences and language differences. They believe that seeing the world offers exposure to interests that may not have been available in one's home country, and the exposure may highlight hidden talents and hobbies that may be helpful in the person’s personal and career life.

Seeing the world also provides an opportunity for the student to understand themselves, to stretch their limits by adapting to diverse situations, and may enhance one's own problem-solving skills. Most importantly, seeing the world and studying away from home is believed to fosters independence. According to Murphy-Lejeune, “life abroad represents an extensive natural learning situation which stimulates many more aspects of the learner's personalities than is usually catered for in educational institutions” (2003). Secondly, various universities have been recognized internationally due to their difference in their education styles, as well as their excellence in academics and research. “Native students have performed better as their command of the English language has helped them through their studies”. This is because they are able to assess scholarly material, analyse it, and provide better-written assignments free from plagiarism and in line with writing styles (Holmes, 2004).

International student’s language barrier has been attributed to many reasons such as the lack of participation in classroom discussions. A study of Chinese students in New Zealand universities reveals “the lack of participation of the Chinese students in discussions due to difficulties in understanding the material, listening to the contributions of other students and voicing their contributions in a way other students would understand” (Holmes, 2004). Native students are more comfortable in this setting and are able to participate fully in classroom discussions. As a result, they easily adapt to roles that require engagement with fellow students or teaching staff (Zhao, Kuh & Carini 2005). The Impact Of Social Interaction On Student Learning Social interaction plays a significant role in the development of learners.

Hurst, Wallace & Nixon (2013) in their article the impact of social interaction on student learning define social interaction as “the meaningful dialogue among the learners”. They assert that “social interaction is important as it makes the students more actively involved, which in turn allows them to learn more”, which then highlights the relationship between social interaction and student learning. The basis of this assertion is on the analysis of the amount of work that a teacher puts in so that they can execute their lectures. In a different light, Al-Mukhaini, Al-Qayoudhi, and Al-Badi (2014) highlight the importance of utilizing social networks not only in private life but also so as to enhance teaching. In their article, they define social networking sites as “the web devices which allow individuals to construct a profile within a system that is bound, to list users who they have a connection with and view their connections within the people in the system” (2014).

These authors highlight findings that show that “more than 52% of students make use of online podcasts, online videos, and blogs during their class sessions”. They also highlight findings that “approximately 30% of students use social media sites to communicate with other students and for collaborative work. ” Specifically, they mention Twitter, Facebook and classroom 2. According to Wu, Garza, and Guzman (2015) in their research article International students challenge and adjustment to college, not all the students tend to receive the kind of support that they need and many people were not willing to host international students. But the students can adapt to the environment by first developing a small network of support, starting with a few people who are from similar backgrounds, nationalities or race.

The network can be through classmates, or neighbours within the flat that the foreigner chooses to reside in. Also, the authors assert that many international students usually are isolated from both classmates and professors, professors who sometimes criticize the accents of these students. The company is thought to provide the foreigner with an outlet to express their homesickness, or to inquire about one or two issues that may be unfamiliar to them. Similarly, social media allows for foreign students them to connect with friends at home and in different foreign countries as well. According to Ruud (2013), “the recent trend in social technologies is to improve the interconnectedness within existing relationships. “This is based on his findings that “during the first years of international students being in a foreign country, they tend to maintain a strong bond with their friends from high schools” (2013).

The study further highlights that this bond continues to be maintained because foreign students feel more connected to their host colleges when they continue to interact with their friends from high school, based on the idea that these high school friends bond over the processes of adapting to life on other campuses References Aldana, J. , Ebrahim, H. International students in English-speaking universities: Adjustment factors. Journal of Research in International education, 5(2), pp. Butler, Y. , Someya, Y. & Fukuhara, E. Holmes, P. Negotiating differences in learning and intercultural communication: Ethnic Chinese students in a New Zealand university. Business Communication Quarterly, 67(3), pp. Hurst, Beth, Wallace, Randall, Nixon, Sarah. The impact of social interaction on student learning. Myles, J. and Cheng, L. The social and cultural life of non-native English speaking international graduate students at a Canadian university.