Alejandro Zepeda

Critical Thinking and Writing

Michael Lasley
12 September 2016
CRL 1
This article reveals the issues involved with non- privileged
English students must endure when entering the United States
Higher Education system. Matsuda explains that students whose
English is not at the level of privileged native English speaking
American students are often generalized by their professor as
being on the same level as their Native English speaking peers.
Throughout the past decades, The United States has
experienced a large influx of international students desiring to
study in the United States. Many Colleges and Universities have
begun to notice the struggles that many of these students go
through because the English that they have learned back in their
home countries does not exactly translate to the standard
privileged English spoken in America. Colleges and Universities
began implementing separate composition classes as a way to
ease this burden on the international and resident non-privileged
English speakers. However, this separation did not, unfortunately,
provide the necessary aid many of these student required. These
students arrive to the United States with an English standard
learned and practiced in their home country. These students must
attempt to change the form of English that they have been taught
for so long to the form that will be suitable for their possible
success in their composition class.
These separate classes were, however, not completely
successful. Although many institutions have provided resources
for their international students, A few extra months of language
classes does not provide enough time to fully immerse and
understand American colloquialism.
International Students in part also have a difficult time
due to the fact that many classes in America are oriented to the
values and norms of American Society. Many of these students
cannot conform or relate to these classes since they have not
been brought up in the United States.

Concepts and ideas:

Institutions of Higher education have not accommodated
individuals of non-native or underprivileged English.
-History demonstrates that the image of the American college has
remained unaffected even though the demographic of linguistic
diversity has come to drastically changed.
Due to large influx of international students and native born
bilingual students institutions have attempted to accommodate
them but historically have not provided what the need to achieve.
-In recent decades, the United States has become a very popular
study location for foreign students across the globe but their
English standard has not been enough to become successful in
American college courses.
Professors generalize that every student is capable of speaking a
privileged English taught in class.
-Professors believe for the most part believe that all students
enrolled in the class are capable of understanding the English that
will be used throughout the course of the class.
Quotations:
Yet a semester or two of extra language instruction was
often not enough to help students fit the dominant imageafter all, learning a second language is a time consuming
process, especially for adult learners.
Native speakers of unprivileged varieties of English did
not enter higher education in large numbers because the
ability to speak privileged varieties of English was often
equated with racialized views of the speakers
intelligence
While U.S. higher education began to shift from
exclusive, elitist establishments to more inclusive vehicle
for mass education during the latter half of the nineteenth

century the traditional image of college students

remained unchallenged for the most part.