Journal on English as a Foreign Language (JEFL)
Vol 14 No 2 (2024): Issued in September 2024

Academic and social challenges faced by undergraduate EFL students in a non-English-speaking country: Lesson learned from the Indonesian International Students Mobility Awards (IISMA) program

Latifah Nurfitriana (Universitas Negeri Malang, Malang,)
Maria Teodora Ping (Universitas Mulawarman, Samarinda,)
Yuni Utami Asih (Universitas Mulawarman, Samarinda,)



Article Info

Publish Date
30 Sep 2024

Abstract

Many studies have discussed the challenges faced by international students in English-speaking countries, but little focus on the academic and social challenges in non-English-speaking countries. This study aims to investigate the academic and social challenges faced by undergraduate EFL students in a non-English-speaking country during the Indonesian International Students Mobility Awards (IISMA) program. This case study involved two participants of undergraduate Indonesian students purposively selected from the IISMA program at a state-partnered university in Olomouc, Czech Republic. The data were collected through interviews and reflective journals, and they were analyzed deductively using thematic analysis. The findings show that students have substantial challenges due to the requirement to understand varied English accents and the lack of a shared native language in the IISMA program. However, the students enhanced their English skills by interacting with local people and experiencing social and academic challenges. Despite these limitations, the use of supportive teaching methods and peer interactions enhances students' English proficiency and overall academic experience, even in non-English-speaking contexts like the Czech Republic. This suggests that such approaches could be widely applicable in similar educational environments, offering potential insights for improving language education

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Journal Info

Abbrev

jefl

Publisher

Subject

Humanities Education Languange, Linguistic, Communication & Media Social Sciences

Description

Journal on English as a Foreign Language (JEFL) is a peer reviewed and open access journal on teaching and learning English as a foreign and second language. The journal follows a double blind review policy. The primary objective of this journal is to publish research based articles that delve into ...