Functions and effects of international teaching assistants at a major research institution

Wanda Sue Fox, Purdue University

Abstract

This study was a contextual investigation of major characteristics and concerns surrounding the use of non-native English speaking international teaching assistants (ITAs) at a large midwestern university. Multi-dimensional and descriptive data sources were used to determine (l) major concerns of different stakeholders with respect to the use of ITAs as instructors in undergraduate classes, (2) salient features and trends which characterize the past, current, and future involvement of ITAs, and (3) stakeholder perceptions of the ITA policy and program at the research site. Primary data were obtained from surveys of four major groups of stakeholders. The Questionnaire of Undergraduates about International Teaching Assistants (QUITA) yielded quantitative data about undergraduate students' (n = 540) experiences with and attitudes toward ITAs. Open-ended survey responses (n = 333) from course supervisors, NSTAs, and ITAs provided qualitative data about ITA-related difficulties. Additional data were obtained through analysis of demographic records relevant to ITAs and interviews with a selective sample of stakeholders (n = 20). The analysis of data indicated stabilizing enrollments of international graduate students, with most ITA program participants being science students from Pacific Rim countries. The majority of undergraduates who completed the QUITA had been in three or more classes with ITAs; only 4% had been in none. QUITA scores reflecting student attitudes toward ITAs showed a nearly normal distribution around a neutral mean. A network of eight categories of ITA difficulties were identified and documented through survey responses: Oral English Proficiency (40%); Undergraduates (20%); Interaction (11%); Expectations (8%), Teaching Skills (7%); Presentation (5%); Effects on Others (5%); and Time (4%). Interviews revealed divergent viewpoints and concerns among stakeholders, particularly that undergraduates perceived more extensive difficulties related to ITAs than did ITAs and administrators. Synthesis and interpretation of these findings led to a general recommendation to expand the contextual analysis of ITA issues toward a broader spectrum of stakeholders and a more complete matrix of factors which affect various ITA functions and effects. This was supported with specific suggestions for improving the participation of course supervisors, NSTAs, and undergraduate students in the screening and preparation of ITAs and some ideas for consideration in future research.

Degree

Ph.D.

Advisors

Gay, Purdue University.

Subject Area

Higher education|Bilingual education|Multicultural education|Curricula|Teaching

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