| This study examines how academic departments perceive and interpret their roles in the language screening and pedagogical training of international students hired as graduate teaching assistants. The data are drawn from institutional documents and interviews conducted with administrators and international teaching assistants (ITAs) from five graduate departments and the graduate school of a large research university.;The findings of the study present a perspective on the role of ITAs in graduate programs, university efforts to screen ITAs for English proficiency, the actual and perceived roles of departments in ITA screening, departmental compliance with university guidelines on the use of ITAs in the classroom, and ITA training opportunities at the university, college, and departmental levels.;The study culminates in recommendations for improving English proficiency screening and ITA and TA training programs with regards to departmental involvement. English proficiency screening can be improved by developing, implementing, and enforcing policies governing ITA usage, obtaining more information on English language proficiency of applicants prior to admissions, placing the authority for making decisions about the classroom eligibility of ITAs within a neutral unit or entity, and choosing a screening test that is considered objective and relevant by the major stakeholders. It is also recommended that screening test administrators ensure the timely return of test scores to departmental administrators.;ITA and TA training programs are improved by encouraging the development of departmental TA training programs, providing a special handbook or teaching manual specifically for ITAs, ensuring the relevancy and effectiveness of campus-wide training efforts and requirements for ITAs, making sure that all training programs available to graduate TAs are appropriately publicized, and training faculty to work more effectively with ITAs and to he alert for special needs. |
