A PRELIMINARY ASSESSMENT OF COMPREHENSION AMONG ESL SAUDI STUDENTS IN UNDERGRADUATE INTRODUCTORY GEOLOGY COURSES

American colleges and universities have seen a great influx of international students recently, presenting faculty members with challenges and rewards in teaching a more diverse student body. A growing population of English as a Second Language (ESL) students are Saudi Arabian; from 2012 to 2013, there was a 30% increase in Saudi enrollment at American universities (Hausheer, 2014). At the University of Tennessee at Martin (UTM), where this preliminary assessment was conducted, ESL Saudi students make up 68.4% of the international student body. Despite representing a sizable subgroup at U.S. institutions, Saudis have been under-represented in science education research (Shaw, 2009). At UTM, we were interested in assessing and improving ESL Saudi student conceptual understanding in the general education geology courses we offer. We compared two summer session introductory geology courses – summer 2013 vs. summer 2014 – in which Saudi international students predominated (75% or more). The more traditional formal lecture-style approach of the earlier summer was altered to a more active learning/peer instruction approach the next summer. A required project-based field trip was also added. Results of pre- and post-tests and qualitative feedback indicated that ESL Saudi students: (1) responded better to, and expended more effort for, instructors who included many examples of geologic processes specific to the Middle East; (2) increased attendance and improved in achievement and comprehension in the classroom utilizing active learning/peer instruction; and (3) displayed greater engagement and enthusiasm in the course with the project-based field trip. This preliminary assessment suggests a fruitful approach for developing a set of best practices for ESL student success in university geoscience classrooms.