LITERACY-BASED TECHNOLOGY SUPPORT FOR POST-SECONDARY SECOND LANGUAGE LEARNERS
Abstract
The academic performance of many international students admitted to Canadian universities is undermined by the students’ English language proficiency. The goal of this study was to improve English language proficiency of post-secondary second-language learners (SLLs) through the use of literacy-based assistive technology. Fifty-four participants (32 SLL, 22 non-SLL) enrolled in a crosssection of Cape Breton University’s Shannon School of Business courses participated in the investigation. Results determined a significant effect (9%) of the use of screen-reading software on academic performance of SLLs and a positive but insignificant effect (3%) of the use of screen-reading assistive technology on academic performance of non-SLLs. The article concludes with a discussion on the responsibility of educational institutions to provide additional language support services to international students studying in their non-native language.Downloads
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