About the CSSIC Research Fellowship
In May 2023, the CSSIC launched a new funding opportunity for external scholars whose research is positioned to promote student success. The CSSIC Research Fellowship provides up to $100,000 in funding to support the direct costs of one or more research projects that identify and validate innovative student services and/or teaching approaches, methods, and practices, to be implemented with Mohawk College students in collaboration with the CSSIC and Mohawk College students, staff, and faculty. The fellowship builds on the CSSIC’s historic strength of partnering with external researchers to develop or modify, test, and evaluate student success interventions at Mohawk College, where we continue our work as national leaders in student success.
The Inaugural CSSIC Research Fellow:
Dr. Daniel Schmidtke
Dr. Daniel Schmidtke is a Research Associate for the McMaster English Language Development (MELD) program and affiliated researcher in The Centre for Advanced Research in Experimental and Applied Linguistics (ARiEAL), both housed within the Faculty of Humanities at McMaster University. His primary area of investigation focuses on eye-movement behavior during reading and psycholinguistics. Dr. Schmidtke’s research uses eye-tracking and statistical tools to study how reading skill is shaped by language experience and language instruction in conjunction with cognitive and linguistic abilities. His current research focus is on the individual differences in the development of reading skill among international students who use English as an additional language. This SSHRC-funded research examines growth in reading skills among international students enrolled in pre-sessional English for academic purposes (EAP) programs. He holds a PhD in Cognitive Science of Language from McMaster University and has also worked as a course instructor there since 2016. As the incoming CSSIC Research Fellow, Dr. Schmidtke is excited to expand his research focus by investigating literacy development among international students enrolled in Mohawk College’s EAP program. This research project will involve implementing and testing a targeted reading intervention, which is aimed at enriching the academic English skills of international students at Mohawk College.
Project Summary
In collaboration with the CSSIC team, Dr. Schmidtke will lead the research project, “Reading Development as a Pathway to International Student Success: A Targeted Reading Intervention with EAP Program Students at Mohawk College.”
According to Statistics Canada, the number of international students in Canada surged from approximately 350,000 to a staggering 620,000 between 2015 and 2021. Currently, around two fifths of the entire international student body in Canada are enrolled in college programs. The increased internationalization of the Canadian educational landscape enriches Canadian society both culturally and economically. However, one big challenge that international students often face, which isn't clearly shown in government data, is being able to speak and understand English well enough to study. For students who speak English as an Additional Language (EAL students) but lack the required English proficiency credentials, higher-education institutions offer English for Academic Purposes (EAP) programs as a pathway to post-secondary education. Students who undergo language instruction and complete the EAP program are subsequently granted admission to their prospective post-secondary education program of study.
Dr. Schmidtke will lead a project aimed at implementing a student success intervention in Mohawk College’s EAP program. The project is geared toward enhancing EAP program student success via the provision of a reading intervention. Developing the English skills that are required to understand written texts in a particular academic subject area is a critical challenge that faces international EAL students, not least those who enter higher education via EAP programs. Research overwhelmingly shows that stronger English reading skills are linked to higher academic outcomes for international EAL students. Drawing on theoretical models of reading acquisition and linguistics, the proposed intervention focuses on providing additional support during the early stages of learning to read in English. The intervention study will be conducted at Mohawk College, targeting students enrolled in Level 1 of the EAP program. The quasi-randomized controlled trial design will involve four cohorts of EAP students, with two serving as control groups and two as treatment groups. Pre- and post-test measures will assess reading and related abilities, while student success outcomes will be examined based on EAP program grades.
The expected impact and significance of the project is substantial for the EAP program, the pedagogical community, and student co-researchers at Mohawk College. This project is in harmony with Mohawk College's commitment to research-informed pedagogical practices, as well as its strategic focus on promoting inclusivity, diversity, and student success. As one of the estimated 77 colleges in Canada that hosts an EAP program, Mohawk College boasts a diverse international student population, representing a quarter of Mohawk College’s total student body. The intervention study will provide training opportunities for student co-researchers at Mohawk College, and undergraduate and graduate students at McMaster University. Findings from the research will be disseminated locally and internationally through workshops, conferences, presentations, peer-reviewed educational publications, and in-house technical reports. This project will provide crucial support to international students who face the challenge of acquiring English reading proficiency to be able to study effectively.