Fee-Paying English Language Learners - Situating International Students’ Impact on British Columbia’s Public Schools

Oct 15, 2026

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The article examines how international education intersects with English as an additional language (EAL) education within British Columbia’s public schools. Drawing on longitudinal data from fee-paying international students in a BC urban school district, it argues that fee-paying international student (FIS) recruitment and presence create socializing effects on EAL education. The study contrasts official statistical treatment with how FISs are routinely represented as English language learners across multiple system actors and dimensions, shaping EAL learning and teaching.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages34

Reading Time1 h 26 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Introduction

Fee-Paying English Language Learners: Situating International Students’ Impact on British Columbia’s Public Schools Ryan Deschambault University of British Columbia Abstract This article examines the relationship between international education and English as an additional language (EAL) education in British Columbia’s public education system. Drawing on a wide range of data generated as part ofa longitudinal study of high school aged fee-paying international students (FISs) in an urban school district in British Columbia, I make the case that FIS recruitment and presence is having a socializing impact on EAL education in British Columbia’s public schools. In contrast to the way FISs are accounted for in official government statistics, I show how, across multiple actors and dimensions of the public system, FISs are routinely treated and represented as English language learners (ELLs) . I argue that these routinized constructions are evidence of the multilayered socialization of EAL education by internationalization efforts in British Columbia’s K-12 sector, and discuss some of the ways this FIS socialization is consequential for EAL learning and teaching in public high schools. I situate my discussion of the FIS-EAL relationship within the larger context of applied linguistics and education-related research on internationalization and educational migration in K-12 settings, and raise questions about how FIS socialization is relevant to discussions of public education. Résumé Cet article examine la relation entre l’éducation internationale et l’éducation en anglais langue additionnelle (ALA) dans le système scolaire public de la Colombie-Britannique. En m’appuyant sur un large éventail de données générées dans le cadre d’une étude longitudinaleauprès d’élèves internationaux payant des frais (EPF) dans un district scolaire urbain de la Colombie-Britannique, je démontre que le recrutement des EPF et leur présence ont une incidence sur la socialisation dans les écoles publiques de la province. Contrairement à la façon dont on tient compte des EPF dans les statistiques officielles du gouvernement, j’illustre comment, entre plusieurs intervenants et dimensions du système public, les EPF sont traités et représentés de façon routinière comme des apprenants de langue anglaise. J’avance que ces construits routiniers sont des preuves d’une socialisation à plusieurs couches de l’éducation en ALA dans les efforts d’internationalisation du secteur M-12 de la Colombie-Britannique. J’explique certaines façons dont cette socialisation des EPF a des incidences sur l’apprentissage et l’enseignement de l’ALA dans les écoles secondaires publiques. Je situe ma discussion de la relation entre les EPF et l’ALA dans le contexte plus large de la linguistique appliquée et les domaines de recherche en éducation liés à l’internationalisation et à la migration éducative dans les environnements scolaires de M-12. Je soulève des questions par rapport à la pertinence de la socialisation des EPF dans les discussions au sujet de l’éducation publique. The Canadian Journal of Applied Linguistics: 21, 2 (2018): 46-79 47 Fee-Paying English Language Learners: Situating International Students’ Impact on British Columbia’s Public Schools Introduction While at the national level the largest percentage of international students attend tertiary-level institutions, in 2014 roughly 50,000 international students in Canada were studying at the elementary or secondary grade levels (Canadian Bureau for International Education, 2015). In British Columbia (BC), the province on which this article focuses, as of January 2017 there were 20,438 international students in K-12 education, 77%(15,870) of whom study in public schools (BC Ministry of Education [BCMoE], 2017) . In educational policy and practice affecting K-12 contexts in BC, the category “international student” is used to refer to students who “have moved from outside of Canada to British Colum

FAQs

How does the article connect fee-paying international students with EAL education in British Columbia public schools?

It argues that the recruitment and presence of fee-paying international students (FISs) produce socializing impacts on EAL education, influencing how EAL learning and teaching occurs in public high schools.

What is the article’s main point about how FISs are represented in the public education system?

Across multiple actors and dimensions, FISs are routinely treated and represented as English language learners, which the article frames as evidence of multilayered socialization of EAL education.

Why does the article contrast official government statistics with the findings from the longitudinal study?

It shows that official accounting of FISs differs from how FISs are actually treated and represented in practice, suggesting that the system’s socialization effects are not captured by government statistics alone.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Fans