A Different Path: Curriculum Experiences of International Students in a Private Institution's Foundation Programme

Abstract

The requirement to explore the curriculum experiences of French-speaking students becomes imperative because of the transition they are compelled to make from French to English. This transition seems to be in relation to the curriculum of study and hidden curriculum experiences at their disposal. Their entry to higher education is as a result of the determination to become bilingual in an attempt to compete in a globalising world (Adebanji & Gumbo 2013). French-speaking students (FSS) negotiated communities of practice which enhanced their capacity to interact with more knowledgeable others for learning to evolve. Utilizing a single case study approach, Legitimate Peripheral Participation theory, and Communities of Practice theory to elucidate their experiences of the curriculum, it was found that delayed linguistic adjustment, small class-sizes, interactive student-lecturer relationships, consultation and tutoring initiatives, shyness, homesickness and oral presentation, to mention but a few, were curriculum experiences they negotiated.

DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2014.v5n1p31