STUDENTS from across the globe have made the near 5,000 mile trip to learn English literacy skills in the North-East.

Postgraduate students from China are studying for six weeks in the region under a scheme being piloted by Teesside University to support international students to develop their academic vocabulary and language confidence.

Middlesbrough-based Lexonik, which provides the training, breaks down academic vocabulary by teaching the Latin and Greek roots for a better understanding of their meaning and application

Teesside University Business School is hosting the pilot with small groups of its international Master's students, and encourages students to practise linking words, learning new vocabulary, and supporting their advanced level studies.

Previous research into the Lexonik programme has shown increases to a student’s reading age by an average of 27 months after participating for the six weekly sessions.

Michelle Hicks, business growth manager and Lexonik tutor, said: “The pilot scheme has been very successful with these particular students. They, themselves, have reported feeling more confident in attempting the challenging vocabulary that they’re coming across within their studies.

“I’ve seen them grow in terms of their pronunciation and their understanding of more complex vocabulary as well, so hopefully they’ll be able to go on and continue to develop because they’ve been taught the methodology behind the words.”

International Master's students have been selected for the programme as their studies progress into the higher realms of academia and require in-depth dissertations as part of the courses.

Elena, a student from China, said: “It helps us to understand when native speakers talk to us. It helps us to remember more words and helps us to pronounce words much better than before.”

Warren Harrison, associate Dean (international) at Teesside University Business School, said: “At the business school, we chose to work with Lexonik for our international students as a test to see whether their language ability could be enhanced. We wanted to improve the students’ confidence with the English language as well, which is really important to us.

“We’re always looking for ways to bring innovation and enhancement to the school and to the learning experience of our students.”