The silent struggle: experiences of non-native English-speaking psychology students.

Objective: Achieving greater diversity among postgraduate cohorts and practicing psychologists is important for serving Australia's equally diverse population. Increasing representation of linguistically and culturally diverse undergraduate students provides an opportunity to work towards greater diversity among psychologists. To achieve this representation, non-native English-speaking psychology students (NESPS) should be recruited and retained throughout undergraduate and postgraduate study. However, non-native English speakers encounter significant obstacles in coursework, where language proficiency is central to success. Identifying academic barriers to progression and targeted writing and social supports are key to diversifying psychology student cohorts. Method: A qualitative approach was used to explore the experiences and needs of NESPS in psychology courses. The study involved semi-structured interviews with six participants identifying as non-native English-speakers from India, Indonesia, and Pakistan. Results: Reflexive Thematic Analysis was employed and generated five themes including misconceptions about psychology, a perceived lack of diversity in postgraduate selection panels and course content, a perceived lack of community for international students studying psychology, and proposed services such as discipline-specific writing support. Conclusion: The findings indicate that undergraduate coordinators should develop a community for NESPS, offer a discipline-specific writing centre, and promote diverse representation on postgraduate selection panels. KEY POINTS: What is already known about this topic: (1) The field of psychology has long suffered from a lack of diversity, with calls for greater representation for at least three decades. Increasing the number of psychologists from diverse backgrounds can greatly benefit linguistically diverse individuals and communities in need of assistance. (2) To increase the number of linguistically and culturally-diverse psychologists, their needs to be adequate representation within undergraduate psychology courses. (3) Due to the extensive vocabulary and complex concepts involved, studying psychology can pose real challenges for students from diverse backgrounds, particularly for those who are non-native English-speakers. What this topic adds: (1) A psychology-specific writing center is required to address discipline-specific language barriers faced by non-native English-speaking psychology students. (2) Students perceived a grading bias in comparison to local students. Marker training should aim to mitigate implicit grading biases against non-native English speakers to enable fair evaluation. (3) Establishing a dedicated community for international students studying psychology was recommended to promoting belonging and provide peer support. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]