Most research focusing on the challenges that international teaching assistants (ITAs) encounter in U.S. classrooms employs a linguistic perspective. The present study furthers that research by examining other challenges unique to ITAs, through the lens of an intercultural competence framework. Through individual interviews with 15 ITAs, the study highlights the challenges related to competencies in knowledge and skills faced by ITAs in U.S. classrooms. Findings reveal that knowledge about the U.S. education system, expectations of the classroom culture, and assumptions about student–instructor relationships pose the greatest difficulties. Additionally, the ability of an ITA to demonstrate communication skills remains a significant challenge, including the negative perception of speaking with a foreign accent and selecting effective word choices to accurately represent content. The study findings present practical implications for training ITAs for their pedagogical duties at U.S. colleges.

中文翻译：

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美国课堂国际助教经验

大多数关注国际助教 (ITA) 在美国课堂上遇到的挑战的研究都采用语言学视角。本研究通过跨文化能力框架的视角考察 ITA 特有的其他挑战，进一步推进了这项研究。通过对 15 名 ITA 的个别访谈，该研究强调了 ITA 在美国课堂中面临的与知识和技能能力相关的挑战。调查结果显示，对美国教育体系的了解、对课堂文化的期望以及对师生关系的假设构成了最大的困难。此外，ITA 展示沟通技巧的能力仍然是一项重大挑战，包括用外国口音说话的负面看法和选择有效的单词选择来准确表示内容。研究结果对 ITA 在美国大学的教学职责进行培训具有实际意义。