Narratives of Iraqi adult learners: experiences of spoken register in English for academic purposes programs at an Australian University

Abstract

<jats:p> This paper explores the perceptions of Iraqi students of three different English Programs (a general English for academic purposes program, a pre-enrolment English program and the English component of a disciplinary bridging program) at an Australian University as reflected in their language learning narratives. It focuses specifically on the students' experience of academic spoken register in the aforementioned programs and how their experiences are affected by Australian English higher education policies. Data were collected through narrative interviews and thematically analysed using an inductive approach of open and axial coding. The data reveal that the acquisition of appropriate register by this cohort was impacted by their backgrounds as mature-aged, Arabic Muslim learners and by the nature of the programs they participated in. They valued programs with a varied range of tasks allowing them to practice academic and non-academic registers within the relevant contexts. They also valued programs that took cognisance of their family responsibilities, learning needs and disciplinary backgrounds. In terms of policy, we show how the programs that followed the Good Practice Principles for English language proficiency for international students – a document that underpins Australian higher education English language policy – were highly valued by this cohort because of an increasingly disciplinary focus and explicit instruction. </jats:p>