Factors Influencing TESOL from a Learner’s Perspective

Abstract

This article will illustrate a typical English learning activity in an English training institution in Australia. Several international students, age ranging from 18 to 25 years old, were included in this study. All of these students are Asians, needing to improve their English level. Majority of the students come from Indonesia, Philippines, and China. The students attend the institution to improve their English skills before commencing their studies in Australian universities. There are 15 students from China and 5 students from other Asian countries, among which 12 are female students and 8 are male students. As the teachers are from China, some of them have a typical Chinese accent, while others have British or American accent. These are the context and setting of TESOL. From the perspective of one of the learners, an international student from China who had just arrived in Australia, the English learning context is general and typical in Australia, and there are also some common issues in learning in the context of TESOL. One of the issues is that students are quiet and do not actively respond to questions posed by the teachers. Another issue in TESOL is that most students are too shy to use English to communicate in the classroom.