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Over the past several decades there has been a continuing increase in the number of nonnative English-speaking students with different ethnic and language backgrounds studying in the schools, colleges, and universities throughout the United States. Previous research results on academic participation and performance of nonnative English-speaking immigrant students have been controversial. This research conducts a comparative study on academic performance of nonnative English-speaking students versus native English-speaking students in a university s engineering technology programs on Chicago area campuses. The research contributes to the needs for a better understanding of whether nonnative English-speaking students with minority ethnic and language backgrounds perform differently in career-oriented academic institutions. The study is to encourage educational policy makers and practitioners to make efforts in providing learners with various cultural and language backgrounds with equal learning opportunities in a globalized economy.

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S. Stan Lan ( , Ph.D., is currently a full professor at DeVry University, U.S.A. For the past two decades, Dr. Lan has served in various educational leadership and professorial capacities in higher education. He is an active author for several books on research methodology published by major Chinese publishers.

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