A Phenomenological Analysis of Language Barriers Among International Students at UIN Ar-Raniry

This study aims to understand how international students at UIN Ar-Raniry experience and describe language barriers in listening, reading, and writing, as well as anxiety in speaking in an academic context, and to identify the strategies they use to overcome these barriers. This study employs a qualitative approach with phenomenological analysis, which aims to describe the structure of an experience as lived by those who experience it. Six participants from Thailand and Malaysia were selected through purposive sampling. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and analyzed in seven stages following Colaizzi’s descriptive phenomenological procedure, ranging from repeated readings of the transcripts to verification of the findings with the participants. The analysis yielded five themes. Four themes illustrate these barriers: difficulty listening is perceived as a processing time issue, not a hearing problem, and is further compounded by the use of the Acehnese language and unexplained academic terms; reading academic texts is perceived as a double burden, because the language must first be deciphered before the concepts can be understood; academic writing is perceived as a gap between thinking and writing, as ideas are formed in the native language before being transferred to the target language; and anxiety about speaking is perceived as a social risk that must be managed, arising from real-life events rather than imagination, so that remaining silent becomes a way to minimize that risk. The fifth theme describes five strategies used by the participants: the use of digital technology, assistance from friends and upperclassmen, guided self-directed learning, engaging with the surrounding community, and adapting their communication style. This study concludes that overcoming language barriers is a collaborative effort between international students, faculty, and local students, not solely the personal responsibility of the students.