In a previous article, I reported the results of a systematic literature review on international teaching assistants (ITAs) and assessment. This search resulted in 40 articles that were then organized into themes.

Themes

These are the themes that emerged: 13 articles on language testing and assessment, 8 articles on ITA training programs, 5 articles on general ITA topics (including adapting as an ITA and general information about current ITA populations), 3 articles on TOEFL/speaking tests specifically, 4 articles on other issues (including professional development for ITAs), 3 articles on the influence or interaction of raters on language tests, 2 articles on communication and performance of ITAs, 2 articles on culture, and 1 article on the perceptions of ITAs. One article was included as an article on assessment as well as an article on training because it covers both issues.

To follow up on this article and to move toward research that interests many working with ITAs, I chose to explore the area of perceptions of ITAs. I did not conduct a systematic search, but did the next best thing: a Saturday-morning-sitting-on-the-couch-watching-bad-B-movies search. What I came up with was a search that included the terms international teaching assistant and perceptions. The resulting articles left me both curious and confused because perceptions seemed to include the perceptions of both the ITAs and the undergraduates whom they serve. I chose six articles to begin my exploration of the theme and found interesting connections and disconnects in the themes of these six articles.

Chen (2005) used a questionnaire to explore the perceptions of 15 instructors, not ITAs, from China who were teaching communication courses. However, Chen comments throughout that the results mirrored those of research on ITAs. Chen found that cultural differences were the most challenging, but also coded responses into three categories: cultural difference, linguistic level, and relationship development. Of these three themes, cultural difference impacted understanding of linguistic meanings and hindered establishment of “a satisfactory relationship with students or colleagues” (p. 19). Chen also suggests teaching U.S. students to understand and appreciate people from different cultures as a way to help foreign instructors adjust to U.S. culture.

To look at ITAs’ perceptions, Kuo (2011) surveyed 716 ITAs and focused on English language challenges. Unable to express thoughts and feelings in English, the ITAs listed both listening and oral proficiency as challenges. Kuo suggests ITAs learn field-specific terminology along with linguistic skills for outside of the classroom (opening a bank account, visiting physicians, etc.), combining both academic linguistic challenges and more culturally related challenges.

Linguistic challenges also appeared as a theme in Ashavskaya’s (2015) article on ITA experiences in the United States. Challenges investigated in this study of six ITAs included classroom management, instructional challenges, cultural challenges, and linguistic and social challenges. Suggestions ranged from less pronunciation training and more teacher training to instruction in English as a global language to increase tolerance for world Englishes and move away from the deficit concept of ITAs.

An enticing article Bresnahan and Cai’s (2000) “From the Other Side of the Desk: Conversations With International Students About Teaching in the US.” This study asked 30 ITAs to discuss and identify factors that contributed to their success. Two themes were found: adaptation strategies in the classroom and availability of social and educational support. Adaptation included the skill of the creating trust and respect in the classroom. Availability was described as having someone to talk to about problems in teaching. Also noted was that fluency in English was not indicated by the ITAs as the most important factor for adaptation, but interaction with others for support in teaching was.

Gorsuch (2003) also looked at adaptation and acculturation using a questionnaire to survey 62 ITAs and explore their attitudes toward teaching among other areas of educational culture. Results show that although educational experiences and attitudes were not easy to categorize, providing ITAs with teaching experiences might be useful as they learn to work within the U.S. system. Gorsuch suggests that future research be longitudinal and focus on how ITAs change attitudes and behaviors in teaching.

Finally, a chapter from New Directions for Teaching and Learning by Hebbani and Hendrix (2014) is titled “Capturing the Experiences of International Teaching Assistants in the U.S. American Classroom.” This qualitative study explored perceptions of 25 ITAs with a focus on the ITAs’ perceptions of their U.S. undergraduate students. Although the master’s-level ITAs were concerned with linguistic challenges, at the same time they saw teaching as an opportunity to educate U.S. students regarding other cultures. PhD-level ITAs were more concerned with practical aspects of teaching, such as preparation of course materials, which when done carefully led to improved confidence.

These articles range from 2000 to 2015 and use varied research methods to touch on areas such as cultural differences and challenges, linguistic challenges, adaptation strategies for the classroom, and general acculturation. Of interest was that during the search, again using the terms international teaching assistant and perceptions, a number of articles appeared that focused on the perception of U.S. students toward their ITAs. I also saw variation on this in Ashavskaya’s (2015) article, which suggests that there be a move to increase tolerance for world Englishes at the university level. Another theme that emerged was the need for social support. Having someone to talk with about issues in teaching experience was noted by Bresnahan and Cai (2000) as a factor contributing to the success of ITAs.

These articles can help us further explore research in the field of ITAs by going directly to the source, the ITAs themselves. The themes that emerged open doors for potential future research and proposals as we move toward better understanding the actual experiences of the ITAs that we work with.

I’m headed off to a regional TESOL conference and hope to learn and share more with local higher education colleagues. I hope this brief look at articles on ITA perceptions will help ignite ideas for further research and collaborations as we develop programs and support for the ITAs on our campuses.

References

Ashavskaya, E. (2015). International teaching assistants’ experiences in the US classrooms: Implications for practice. Journal of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, 15(2).

Bresnahan, M., & Cai, D. (2000). From the other side of the desk: Conversations with international students about teaching in the US. Qualitative Research Reports in Communication, Fall 2000.

Chen, G. (2005). Teaching communication with a foreign accent. Intercultural Communication Studies, 4(2).

Gorsuch, G. (2003). The educational cultures of international teaching assistants and US universities. TESL-EJ, 7(3).

Hebbani, A., & Hendrix, K. (2014). Capturing the experiences of international teaching assistants in the US American classroom. New Directions for Teaching and Learning, 138: 61-72. Wiley Subscription Servies, Inc.

Kuo, Y. (2011). Language challenges faced by international graduate students in the United States. Journal of International Students, 1(1).

Elise Geither, PhD, is currently associate director of Spoken English Programs at Case Western Reserve University. She has worked in higher education for over 20 years supporting international students and students transitioning to university. She is also a playwright and poet. Her plays have been produced throughout the United States and her short play, “The Stone,” was nominated for a Pushcart Prize.