skip to main content
10.1145/3545945.3569868acmconferencesArticle/Chapter ViewAbstractPublication PagessigcseConference Proceedingsconference-collections
research-article

Using Near-Peer Interviews to Support English Language Learners

Published:03 March 2023Publication History

ABSTRACT

International students from non-English speaking countries confront various challenges when seeking a degree at an English-speaking institution. Some of these challenges relate to the language of instruction, adapting to the norms of a new culture, and the academic program's structure. Learning is a cognitive, social, and emotional activity mediated by activities outside of the lecture hall. Therefore, exploring students' academic beliefs about belonging and how learning works is essential. This report explores how viewing interview clips of second and third-year students can increase first-year students' confidence and sense of belonging and motivate them to engage in effective study practices. The feedback indicates that viewing the interviews positively impacted their confidence, sense of belonging, and understanding of how to succeed in the course. This report details our experience incorporating the interviews into the course, reflects on the feedback students provided, and presents considerations for faculty seeking to use interviews to impact their students' beliefs.

References

  1. Vincent Aleven, Bruce McIaren, Ido Roll, and Kenneth Koedinger. 2006. Toward Meta-cognitive Tutoring: A Model of Help Seeking with a Cognitive Tutor | International Journal of Artificial Intelligence in Education. 16, 2: 101--128.Google ScholarGoogle Scholar
  2. Christine Alvarado, Yingjun Cao, and Mia Minnes. 2017. Gender Differences in Students' Behaviors in CS Classes throughout the CS Major. Proceedings of the 48th ACM Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education (SIGCSE '17), ACM, 27--32.Google ScholarGoogle ScholarDigital LibraryDigital Library
  3. Christine Alvarado, Zachary Dodds, and Ran Libeskind-Hadas. 2012. Increasing women's participation in computing at Harvey Mudd College. ACM Inroads 3, 4: 55--64.Google ScholarGoogle ScholarDigital LibraryDigital Library
  4. Lecia J Barker, Melissa O'Neill, and Nida Kazim. 2014. Framing classroom climate for student learning and retention in computer science. Proceedings of the 45th ACM technical symposium on Computer science education, ACM, 319--324.Google ScholarGoogle ScholarDigital LibraryDigital Library
  5. Jennifer M. Blaney and Jane G. Stout. 2017. Examining the Relationship Between Introductory Computing Course Experiences, Self-Efficacy, and Belonging Among First-Generation College Women. Proceedings of the 48th ACM Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education (SIGCSE '17), ACM, 69--74.Google ScholarGoogle ScholarDigital LibraryDigital Library
  6. Olle Ten Cate and Steven Durning. 2009. Dimensions and psychology of peer teaching in medical education. Medical Teacher 29, 6: 546--552.Google ScholarGoogle ScholarCross RefCross Ref
  7. Sapna Cheryan, Benjamin J. Drury, and Marissa Vichayapai. 2013. Enduring Influence of Stereotypical Computer Science Role Models on Women's Academic Aspirations. Psychology of Women Quarterly 37, 1: 72--79.Google ScholarGoogle ScholarCross RefCross Ref
  8. Paul E. Dickson, Toby Dragon, and Adam Lee. 2017. Using undergraduate teaching assistants in small classes. Proceedings of the 48th ACM Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education (SIGCSE '17), 165--170.Google ScholarGoogle ScholarDigital LibraryDigital Library
  9. Anthony Estey and Yvonne Coady. 2017. Study habits, exam performance, and confidence: How do workflow practices and self-efficacy ratings align? Proceedings of the 22nd ACM Annual Conference on Innovation and Technology in Computer Science Education (ITiCSE '17), ACM, 158--163.Google ScholarGoogle ScholarDigital LibraryDigital Library
  10. Matthias Felleisen, Robert Bruce Findler, Matthew Flatt, and Shriram Krishnamurthi. 2018. How to Design Programs?: An Introduction to Programming and Computing. The MIT Press, Cambridge, MA.Google ScholarGoogle ScholarDigital LibraryDigital Library
  11. Philip J. Guo. 2018. Non-native English speakers learning computer programming: Barriers, desires, and design opportunities. CHI '18: 2018 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, Association for Computing Machinery, 1--14.Google ScholarGoogle ScholarDigital LibraryDigital Library
  12. Carmen Nayeli Guzman, Anne Xu, and Adalbert Gerald Soosai Raj. 2021. Experiences of Non-Native English Speakers Learning Computer Science in a US University. Proceedings of the 52nd ACM Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education (SIGCSE '21), Association for Computing Machinery, Inc, 633--639.Google ScholarGoogle ScholarDigital LibraryDigital Library
  13. Brian Hanks, Laurie Murphy, Beth Simon, Renée Mccauley, and Carol Zander. 2009. CS1 students speak: Advice for students by students. SIGCSE Bulletin Inroads 41, 1: 19--23.Google ScholarGoogle ScholarDigital LibraryDigital Library
  14. Stuart Hansen and Erica Eddy. 2007. Engagement and frustration in programming projects. ACM SIGCSE Bulletin 39, 1: 271--275.Google ScholarGoogle ScholarDigital LibraryDigital Library
  15. Brian Harrington, Xiaomeng Jin, Shichong Peng, and Minhaz Khan. 2018. Gender, confidence, and mark prediction in CS examinations. Proceedings of the 23nd Annual ACM Conference on Innovation and Technology in Computer Science Education (ITiCSE '18), Association for Computing Machinery, 230--235.Google ScholarGoogle ScholarDigital LibraryDigital Library
  16. Arto Hellas, Petri Ihantola, Andrew Petersen, et al. 2018. Predicting academic performance: A systematic literature review. Proceedings of the 23rd ACM Annual Conference on Innovation and Technology in Computer Science Education (ITiCSE '18), Association for Computing Machinery, 175--199.Google ScholarGoogle ScholarDigital LibraryDigital Library
  17. Anagha Kulkarni, Ilmi Yoon, Pleuni S. Pennings, Kazunori Okada, and Carmen Domingo. 2018. Promoting diversity in computing. Proceedings of the 23rd Annual ACM Conference on Innovation and Technology in Computer Science Education, ITiCSE, ACM, 236--241.Google ScholarGoogle ScholarDigital LibraryDigital Library
  18. Alex Lishinski and Joshua Rosenberg. 2021. All the Pieces Matter: The Relationship of Momentary Self-efficacy and Affective Experiences with CS1 Achievement and Interest in Computing. Proceedings of the 17th ACM Conference on International Computing Education Research (ICER '21), Association for Computing Machinery (ACM), 252--265.Google ScholarGoogle ScholarDigital LibraryDigital Library
  19. Teresa Loda, Rebecca Erschens, Hannah Loenneker, et al. 2019. Cognitive and social congruence in peer-assisted learning -- A scoping review. PLOS ONE 14, 9.Google ScholarGoogle ScholarCross RefCross Ref
  20. Andrew Luxton-Reilly, Simon, Ibrahim Albluwi, et al. 2018. Introductory programming: a systematic literature review. Proceedings Companion of the 23rd Annual ACM Conference on Innovation and Technology in Computer Science Education (ITiCSE '18), ACM, 55--106.Google ScholarGoogle ScholarDigital LibraryDigital Library
  21. Samiha Marwan, Anay Dombe, and Thomas W. Price. 2020. Unproductive Help-seeking in Programming: What it is and How to Address it. Proceedings of the 25th Annual ACM Conference on Innovation and Technology in Computer Science Education (ITiCSE '20), Association for Computing Machinery (ACM), 54--60.Google ScholarGoogle Scholar
  22. Robert McCartney, Anna Eckerdal, Mostrom Jan Erik, Kate Sanders, and Carol Zander. 2007. Successful students' strategies for getting unstuck. ACM SIGCSE Bulletin 39, 3: 156--160.Google ScholarGoogle ScholarDigital LibraryDigital Library
  23. Dawn Mckinney and Leo F Denton. 2004. Houston, We Have a Problem: There's a Leak in the CS1 Affective Oxygen Tank. Proceedings of the 35th SIGCSE Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education (SIGCSE '04), ACM Press.Google ScholarGoogle ScholarDigital LibraryDigital Library
  24. Rodrigo Pessoa Medeiros, Geber Lisboa Ramalho, and Taciana Pontual Falcao. 2019. A Systematic Literature Review on Teaching and Learning Introductory Programming in Higher Education. IEEE Transactions on Education 62, 2: 77--90.Google ScholarGoogle ScholarDigital LibraryDigital Library
  25. Diba Mirza, Phillip T. Conrad, Christian Lloyd, Ziad Matni, and Arthur Gatin. 2019. Undergraduate Teaching Assistants in Computer Science. Proceedings of the 2019 ACM Conference on International Computing Education Research, ACM, 31--40.Google ScholarGoogle ScholarDigital LibraryDigital Library
  26. Catherine Mooney and Brett A. Becker. 2020. Sense of belonging: The intersectionality of self-identified minority status and gender in undergraduate computer science students. UKICER '20: United Kingdom and Ireland Computing Education Research Conference, ACM, 24--30.Google ScholarGoogle Scholar
  27. National Center for Women & Information Technology. 2021. Engagement Practices Framework. Retrieved October 11, 2021 from https://ncwit.org/engagement-practices-framework/.Google ScholarGoogle Scholar
  28. An Nguyen and Colleen M. Lewis. 2020. Competitive enrollment policies in computing departments negatively predict first-year students' sense of belonging, self-efficacy, and perception of department. Proceedings of the 25th ACM Conference on Innovation and Technology in Computer Science Education (ITiCSE '20), ACM, 685--691.Google ScholarGoogle Scholar
  29. Michael J Oudshoorn, Alison Clear, Janet Carter, Leo Hitchcock, Janice L Pearce, and Joseph A. Abandoh-Sam. 2019. Exploring Challenges Faced by International Students in Computer Science Programs: Towards Understanding the Student Perspective. In M. Allison, ed., Exploring the Opportunities and Challenges of International Students. Nova Science Publishers, Inc, 493--501.Google ScholarGoogle Scholar
  30. Heather Pon-Barry, Audrey St John, Becky Wai-Ling Packard, and Barbara Rotundo. 2019. A Flexible Curriculum for Promoting Inclusion, through Peer Mentorship. Proceedings of the 50th ACM Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education (SIGCSE '19), ACM, 1116--1122.Google ScholarGoogle ScholarDigital LibraryDigital Library
  31. Yizhou Qian and James Lehman. 2017. Students' misconceptions and other difficulties in introductory programming: A literature review. ACM Transactions on Computing Education 18, 1.Google ScholarGoogle ScholarDigital LibraryDigital Library
  32. Adrian Salguero, Christine Alvarado, William G Griswold, and Leo Porter. 2021. Understanding Sources of Student Struggle in Early Computer Science Courses. Proceedings of the 17th ACM Conference on International Computing Education Research (ICER '21), ACM, 319--333.Google ScholarGoogle ScholarDigital LibraryDigital Library
  33. Linda J. Sax, Jennifer M. Blaney, Kathleen J. Lehman, Sarah L. Rodriguez, Kari L. George, and Christina Zavala. 2018. Sense of Belonging in Computing: The Role of Introductory Courses for Women and Underrepresented Minority Students. Social Sciences 7, 8: 122.Google ScholarGoogle ScholarCross RefCross Ref
  34. Amber Settle, James Doyle, and Theresa Steinbach. 2017. The Effect of a Computing-focused Linked-courses Learning Community on Minority and Female Students. Proceedings of the 18th Annual Conference on Information Technology Education (SIGITE '17), ACM, 153--158.Google ScholarGoogle ScholarDigital LibraryDigital Library
  35. Judy Sheard, Angela Carbone, Donald Chinn, and M. Laakso. 2013. Study Habits of CS 1 Students: What Do They Say They Do? 2013 Learning and Teaching in Computing and Engineering (LaTiCE 2013), IEEE, 122--129.Google ScholarGoogle Scholar
  36. Mark Sherry, Peter Thomas, and Wing Hong Chui. 2009. International students: a vulnerable student population. Higher Education 2009 60:1 60, 1: 33--46.Google ScholarGoogle Scholar
  37. Amber Solomon, Dekita Moon, Armisha L. Roberts, and Juan E. Gilbert. 2018. Not Just Black and Not Just a Woman: Black Women Belonging in Computing. 2018 Research on Equity and Sustained Participation in Engineering, Computing, and Technology, RESPECT 2018 - Conference Proceedings, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc.Google ScholarGoogle Scholar
  38. Jane G. Stout and Jennifer M. Blaney. 2017. "But it doesn't come naturally": how effort expenditure shapes the benefit of growth mindset on women's sense of intellectual belonging in computing. Computer Science Education 27, 3--4: 215--228.Google ScholarGoogle ScholarCross RefCross Ref
  39. Nanette Veilleux, Rebecca Bates, Diane Jones, Joy Crawford, Cheryl Allendoerfer, and Tamara Floyd Smith. 2013. The relationship between belonging and ability in computer science. Proceedings of the 44th ACM Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education (SIGCSE '13), 65--70.Google ScholarGoogle ScholarDigital LibraryDigital Library
  40. Rebecca N Wright, Sally J Nadler, Thu D Nguyen, Cynthia N Sanchez Gomez, and Heather M Wright. 2019. Living-Learning Community for Women in Computer Science at Rutgers. Proceedings of the 50th ACM Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education (SIGCSE '19), ACM, 286--292.Google ScholarGoogle ScholarDigital LibraryDigital Library
  41. Hsiao-ping Wu, Esther Garza, and Norma Guzman. 2015. International Student's Challenge and Adjustment to College. Education Research International 2015: 1--9.Google ScholarGoogle ScholarCross RefCross Ref
  42. Kimberly Michelle Ying, Fernando J. Rodríguez, Alexandra Lauren Dibble, et al. 2021. Confidence, Connection, and Comfort: Reports from an All-Women's CS1 Class. Proceedings of the 52nd ACM Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education (SIGCSE '21), Association for Computing Machinery, Inc, 699--705.Google ScholarGoogle ScholarDigital LibraryDigital Library
  43. Anna M Zaniewski and Daniel Reinholz. 2016. Increasing STEM success: a near-peer mentoring program in the physical sciences. International Journal of STEM Education 3, 1: 14.Google ScholarGoogle ScholarCross RefCross Ref
  44. Lisa Zhang, Michelle Craig, Mark Kazakevich, and Joseph Jay Williams. 2019. Experience Report: Mini Guest Lectures in a CS1 Course via Video Conferencing. Proceedings of the ACM Conference on Global Computing Education (CompEd 2019), ACM, Inc, 222--228.Google ScholarGoogle ScholarDigital LibraryDigital Library

Index Terms

  1. Using Near-Peer Interviews to Support English Language Learners

      Recommendations

      Comments

      Login options

      Check if you have access through your login credentials or your institution to get full access on this article.

      Sign in
      • Published in

        cover image ACM Conferences
        SIGCSE 2023: Proceedings of the 54th ACM Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education V. 1
        March 2023
        1481 pages
        ISBN:9781450394314
        DOI:10.1145/3545945

        Copyright © 2023 ACM

        Permission to make digital or hard copies of all or part of this work for personal or classroom use is granted without fee provided that copies are not made or distributed for profit or commercial advantage and that copies bear this notice and the full citation on the first page. Copyrights for components of this work owned by others than the author(s) must be honored. Abstracting with credit is permitted. To copy otherwise, or republish, to post on servers or to redistribute to lists, requires prior specific permission and/or a fee. Request permissions from [email protected].

        Publisher

        Association for Computing Machinery

        New York, NY, United States

        Publication History

        • Published: 3 March 2023

        Permissions

        Request permissions about this article.

        Request Permissions

        Check for updates

        Qualifiers

        • research-article

        Acceptance Rates

        Overall Acceptance Rate1,595of4,542submissions,35%

        Upcoming Conference

        SIGCSE Virtual 2024
      • Article Metrics

        • Downloads (Last 12 months)53
        • Downloads (Last 6 weeks)4

        Other Metrics

      PDF Format

      View or Download as a PDF file.

      PDF

      eReader

      View online with eReader.

      eReader