Internationalizing Illinois: English language policy at UIUC

This dissertation examines the experiences and perceptions of multilingual international undergraduate students with English language policy at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) in order to better understand the larger issue of language ideology and language practices amid the context of the internationalization of higher education in a hyper-globalized and neoliberal age. This qualitative study uses participant observations, interviews, and document analysis to analyze the language ideologies, language management, and language practices (Spolsky, 2004) that make up the language policy from above and language policy from below (Mortensen, 2014; Preisler 1999) that affect students taking a mandatory English as a Second Language writing course. The study aims to answer the questions: What are the English language policies at this university, and what are the implications of those policies for multilingual international undergraduate students? The main findings of the research are: 1) English language policies at UIUC are complex, multi-faceted, ad hoc, and often contradictory, leaving students with varying experiences and perceptions; 2) Institutional language ideology at UIUC has language-as-problem orientation and a monoglossic bias that perpetuates English hegemony; 3) Student participants’ navigation of language policy at UIUC is heavily influenced by their own language ideologies and previous language policy experiences prior to university life; 4) English-only language policy in official university spaces can be harmful to multilingual international undergraduate students . The findings of this dissertation lead to the conclusion that in order to protect the linguistic human rights of multilingual international undergraduate students, UIUC should work towards a shift in language ideology, both in English language policy from above and from below, that rejects the hegemony of English and reflects language-as-right and language-as-resource orientations towards language.

Name thesis:degree_name

Ph.D.

Level thesis:degree_level

Dissertation

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Educational Policy Studies

Grantor

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Year dc:date

2017

Author dc:creator

• Mullen, Natalie Jo

Contributors dc:contributor

• McCarthy, Cameron
• Haas-Dyson, Anne
• Dhillon, Pradeep
• Sadler, Randall W.

• English language policy
• Higher education
• Internationalization
• International students
• Multilingualism
• Language ideology

Statement dc:rights

• Copyright 2017 Natalie Mullen

Language dc:language

en

Handle dc:identifier

http://hdl.handle.net/2142/98366

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:www.ideals.illinois.edu:2142/98366