The other day, I visited one of the psychology classes that I am working with. As we waited for the class to start, the professor seemed to be having a problem with getting the classroom computer to recognize her flash drive. She looked panicked, because the whole class depended on the file she had in the stick.
Then an Asian student, apparently technology-savvy, stood up and offered help by switching the flash drive to the back slot. (I didn’t know, but apparently those front slots sometimes don’t work as well as the back ones). And voila! the computer recognized it this time. Relieved, the professor said, “Thank you! Class participation, right there!”
I was born and raised in Japan like any other Japanese kids, and after I graduated from college I went for a Master’s degree in the UK. Before I left, I took a prep course on ’studying abroad’, taught by someone with her Ph.D. from the Michigan State University. I still remember feeling overwhelmed and scared when I learned how “in universities in the US (and probably the UK too), class participation is mandatory and you will be penalized for not speaking up in many of the classes. If you don’t speak up, they think you are not paying attention, you think the class is boring, or you don’t have any ideas”. In Japan, this is definitely not the case. It is not common to speak up or discuss something in class unless it is a specially designed ‘discussion course’ (and you don’t come across such courses often). Most of the classes are just lectures, where the teacher does all the talking and the students just listen, nod every once in a while and take notes. You are not supposed to express your opinions in class. You can speak, but that’s only when you answer the questions asked, when you want clarification, or when you can’t read his handwriting on the blackboard 
. Presenting different opinions from the teacher’s (or your seniors’ in general) is often interpreted as rebellious or rude and they say that you show respect and politeness by being silent and not interrupting. In some ways, you are ‘participating’ by being quiet rather than chitchatting with your friends.
In such an environment, it is hard to be critical about the subject matter, at least on the spot. Although you are given an opportunity to express your opinions elsewhere (in your term paper, for example), the style of instruction is definitely not the same as in the US, or for that matter, in many parts of the western countries. You also have much lesser opportunities to do group work or give oral presentations.
Of course, I can’t speak for everyone in Japan when I talk about this. Some Japanese people are extremely proactive and talkative. But it seems generally true that Japanese students find it harder to ‘participate’ in classes in American schools. I think it is also somewhat true for students from other parts of Asia. As far as my experience of teaching in this country goes, Asian students are generally quieter than other students (they almost never open their mouth unless they are one-on-one with me). I wonder if that’s too much of stereotyping, or there is some truth to it. I also wonder if there are other factors in other cultures that are associated with a particular communication style. (E.g. an aggressive communication style associated with some kind of cultural, or even linguistic, factors?)
In any case, if the way students were raised and taught in their own culture has something to do with the typical communication style they have in college, then there needs to be more recognition of ‘cultural factors’ when we think about students’ communication skills. It may not be just language issues that ESL students from Asian countries are facing …
I am not suggesting that we should be easier on Asian students just because of this. Of course, some students may be just too shy to speak up; some students might be just insecure about their language skills. But it may simply be that they can’t help but ‘participate’ according to their own cultural scheme. It would be good for those struggling ones to know that their culture is (at least partly) responsible for the ‘participation issues’ they have, feel better, and then think about what they can do about it. People who already know this do strategize. Someone I know reckoned, “You can’t fight off those western people. Participate before everyone else starts doing so (e.g. Give the class the review of the last session or homework answers, which are relatively easy to do and you have less competition)”. Surely this Asian guy in the psychology class knew what to do: help the panicking professor set up the class!
I generally agree with Yukiko’s impressions and suggestions. On the one hand, we have to understand the cultural backgrounds of students; on the other, we ultimately have to maintain the same standards for everyone. College students realize this and accept it, too. Indeed, they want to know what they need to do to succeed in their courses and in the professional realm after graduation. That of course entails developing strong oral communication skills.
What gets me is the psychology instructor who awarded class participation points to a student for plugging in a flash drive. It’s one thing to be thankful for the assist but another to give credit for an act unrelated to the course. (Maybe I’m upset because I once helped a prof do lawn work and all I got out of it was a measly sandwich and a glass of water.) I’m hoping the psychologist was just being facetious!
Yukiko’s personal experiences and observations of cultural differences for Japanese is enlightening. Whether a student or an instructor, we learn from each other and understanding cultural contexts is critical for communicating effectively and creating a supportive learning environment.
For me, curiosity and respect for cultural norms and differences are important elements in creating a climate in which everyone is able to learn. Perhaps it’s about setting up some groundrules up front which encourage students to step out of their comfort zones and take some small risks.
In any event, “active” listening and questioning are great ways to participate in class and social settings.
I’ve actually found teaching over the years that students of all backgrounds are often not tempermentally shy so much as they are used to getting direction from the professor. When I first started teaching I think I tended not to call on people unless they raised their hands, thinking that I was saving those whose worst fear was talking in class. I later realized that a lot of students are more than willing to do so as long as they are prompted directly. Like the students Yukiko discussed, I think a lot of (especially younger) students just are not used to being asked to take the conversational initiative. I wonder if anyone’s studied how these dynamics play out in NYC high schools.
This is great stuff. Take a look at this post from last November by Chihping, one of our former WFs.
Thanks a lot, everyone, for your interesting comments. I was (and am) hoping that sharing my experience and what I felt about it would lead to our thinking and talking about those cultural aspects of communication, so I am definitely happy.
Ryan, I have similar experience. Although my (teaching) trainer once told me not to put only certain students ‘on the spot’ in a whole class discussion, it does sometimes work to encourage some of the more shy students to start talking.
Mikhail, Thank you for the link. It was very interesting. There is so much more to explore…
In the past three years, over 23 course sections I have worked with some 500 students, perhaps 25-30 percent of whom were ESL. My classes favor robust, lively discussion in which all are expected to participate. Respect for the individual is a must, constructive criticism is encouraged, and the students are not expected to allow the teacher get away with banalities, sowing the seeds of confusion, and plain errors.
But many are constrained from assuming an activist postion because of their prior educational experiences (head down, take notes, no questions to the professor) or their capabilites with the English language (hear English, translate, think, translate, speak English — oops the conversation has gone to another topic).
I make allowances for this precondition. No student who makes a good faith effort will be failed because of the precondition.
This leads me to the power of distance learning. In the classroom the student pushes the submit button and then the words tumble out; in distance learning the words tumble out, can be read, rewritten, read again, and then the submit button is pushed. I have found this to be powerful mechanism for getting the otherwise uninvolved, involved. And when they become involved they bring insights and experiences to the learning that we would otherwise miss. Everyone benefits from this sort of deployment in the classroom.
More about my experience can be found in Connect, Communicate, Learn (http://jmsdrgn.squarespace.com/storage/Connect Communicate Learn.pdf).