Being taught in a non-native language can have an impact on memory and cognition, directly affecting students’ abilities and their university performance.
Pursuing higher education in any language is linguistically demanding. It can be particularly challenging when done in a foreign language.
In the last academic year, one in four UK higher-education students came from overseas.
Leila Lamnaouer, originally from France, soon realised English got in the way of her ability to show her real capabilities, holding her back in some ways.
The London-based student said: “It could affect your academic performance, but also, and this is the most important part for me, your confidence.
“For me, the only solution is just to work harder than the others.”
Danijela Trenkic, a professor at the University of York, investigates the role of language and literacy skills in academic performance, particularly for international students.
She explained struggling to process things in real time leads to lower encoding of the information, thereby affecting the student’s memorisation and performance.
She said: “How quickly you access that knowledge really matters.”
However, the whole experience is also hugely beneficial as it challenges the student in new ways, and is a truly rewarding experience.
Listen below to find out more.
Featured image credit : Siora Photography/Unsplash
Join the discussion