University language advising : is it useful?

Abstract

This article describes a language advisory programme established at one New Zealand university to support students (mostly New Zealand residents from Asian language backgrounds) experiencing difficulties with the English language. The programme was offered through the university self-access centre and consisted of students meeting several times over a period of three months with a personal language advisor. The advisors helped the students to identify language learning needs, develop a learning plan, recommend resources and monitored progress. Not much research has been done on the effectiveness of such approaches as identified by their participants. In this exploratory study, students’ feedback about the programme was obtained through a questionnaire and the three language advisors who worked on the programme also completed a questionnaire with open questions. The results show that overall the programme was perceived to be successful but a number of factors are identified that influenced if and how students and advisors engaged with the programme.