Tracking the progression of EAL students: Information for reviewing tertiary policies

This report first identifies some of the contextual issues affecting the tertiary education experiences of English as an Additional Language (EAL) students in New Zealand. It suggests that these issues are globally relevant and they include: - A lack of evidence for tertiary policies regarding EAL students - A lack of understanding of how tertiary policies impact EAL students - A need to address these gaps in evidence and understanding.
The report then outlines a project which was undertaken to track the progress of students who have passed through Auckland University of Technology’s (AUT) Certificate in Health Studies and enrolled in a health degree. A finding of this project was that successful paper completion rates of EAL students from the certificate programme exceeded those
of the general student populace in the first semester of the health degrees. This finding has subsequently been used to facilitate policy changes in relation to EAL students exiting the certificate and gaining admission into a degree. The finding has also stimulated a commitment to continue to monitor the progression and outcomes of EAL students, by assisting in identifying internal institutional obstacles for these students.