Among the extensive research about international students’ academic English skills and the impact upon their academic performance in English-medium universities, the focus has been on foreign speakers of English. Little is known about domestic students who are first speakers of English regarding their academic English proficiency levels and how academic performance is influenced accordingly. This is due to the assumption that domestic students are naturally equipped with academic English skills. However, this assumption has been challenged by recent research that discovered the reported challenges by domestic students about their academic English levels that impacted their academic success in the English-medium universities, particularly those who are multi-lingual speakers. To fill in the research gap, the present study aimed to examine the impact of pre-entry O-level English Grades (OEGs) and post-entry English for Academic Purposes (EAP) course scores on semester Grade Point Average (GPA), as well as the moderating role of completed credits during the semester. With the sample size of 1641 domestic students in a Singapore university, findings indicated that both pre-entry OEGs and post-entry EAP scores significantly and positively predicted students’ semester GPAs, and the post-entry EAP scores uniquely accounted for 9% of the variance. In addition, a significant three-way interaction showed that completed credits during the semester moderated the combined influence of OEGs and post-entry EAP scores on semester GPA. Findings were discussed for implications to guide the educational policy in the English-medium universities to better promote domestic students’ academic literacy development and academic performance.

Authors:
Wenjin Vikki Bo, Singapore University of Social Sciences, Singapore

About the Presenter(s)
Dr Bo Wenjin Vikki is the Senior Lecturer in the College of Interdisciplinary and Experiential Learning at Singapore University of Social Sciences.

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