The CATESOL Journal

The purpose of this mixed-method study was to better understand undergraduate students’ perceptions of international teaching assistants (ITAs) at a major research institution. Data collected through surveying a sample of 436 undergraduate students from different colleges and at different class levels were analyzed both qualitatively and quantitatively. Undergraduate students’ perceptions of ITAs were derived through qualitative analysis of the open-ended survey data, which resulted in themes both established in previous research (e.g., language) and original ideas. For example, one perception identified was the connection of language to pedagogic difficulties, while another perception focused on the interactive construct of communication. Further, students who indicated that they did not have problems with ITAs were less likely to articulate perceptions that were relational, whereas students who did report having a problem with ITAs articulated perceptions that involved an interaction (communication and language as a barrier interfering with pedagogic performance of ITAs).