| This case study was conducted at a large four year institution of higher education located in southern California. The purpose was to answer the question, "What are international graduate students' perceptions of the connection between English language proficiency and academic success?" The participants were six international graduate students from Asia. Data were collected through a preliminary survey, individual interviews, a journal based on the researcher's reactions to the interviews, and two anonymous readers' evaluations of the participants' responses to a writing prompt. Data were triangulated and member checks validated the information. Seven themes emerged from the data. They were cultural characteristics, comparison with education in participants' home countries, relationships with instructors in the United States, participants' experiences with spoken English, reading, and written English, and their perceptions of the connection between English language proficiency and academic success. The researcher concluded that although the participants perceived that a positive connection exists between their proficiency in English and their academic success, their abilities to write in English needed significant improvement. The researcher proposed recommendations for the site of the study and educators as well as for future research. |
