| The purpose of this study was to uncover the experiences of ESL students at a college-level ESL program. Eleven participants shared their narratives of what it meant to be an ESL student and how they experienced living and studying in an authentic English language setting. The participants were full-time ESL students enrolled in advanced classes in the ESL program of a Midwestern university. Each participant was interviewed three times over the course of a semester and observed in each class in which he or she was enrolled.;Situated in a constructivist-interpretivist framework and inspired by phenomenological inquiry, this study employed interpretative phenomenological analysis to investigate the aspects of the experience of being an ESL student that stood out to the participants. The analysis of participants' perceptions and interpretations showed that they experienced this lived experience in six key ways: developing a more independent sense of self and identity, social isolation from host culture, lack of immediate and continuous emotional support, language barriers, changes in the perception of the English language, and teachers and teaching styles.;This study has implications for current and future ESL teachers, ESL institutions and their administrators, universities and colleges that host ESL institutions, and ESL curriculum developers. By knowing how ESL students experience this change in their lives, providers of education can make informed decisions regarding meeting students' needs, empowering them as individuals with goals and aspirations, and understanding them at a deeper level that can lead to effective communication and productive educational and personal outcomes. |
