Transcript Re-constructing “culture of learning” – international

RE-CONSTRUCTING “CULTURE OF
LEARNING” – INTERNATIONAL
STUDENT EXPERIENCES IN CHINA
AND IN THE UK
Dr Monika Foster
Dr Xiaowei (Vivien) Zhou
Edinburgh Napier University
Outline
Introduction
 Literature review
 Research objectives
 Methodology
 Some initial findings
 Discussion

Introduction (next -> literature review)



shared research interest in international students’
learning experiences
funded with Teaching Fellow grant
cross-faculty and cross-subject collaboration
Leading to …
an initial focus on “cultures of learning”
associated with China and the UK
research
Literature Review
Diverse conceptualisations of “culture of learning”, but
typically it is conceived as …

the expectations of learning and … concepts about
what should happen in the classroom, especially
regarding expectations of ‘good’ teachers, of
‘good’ students, and about asking questions in the
classroom. Such expectations are key elements in
cultures of learning (Cortazzi & Jin, 1996).
Literature Review (cont.)
Some typical representations of the ‘Chinese culture of
learning’:
 students ‘do not question accepted norms and ideas’ in the
classroom (Turner, 2003) and teacher’s status and authority
as a source of norms is central (Chee and West, 2004;
Turner, 2006);
 influence from the Confucian heritage (Jin and Cortazzi,
2006);
 students have a reflector learning style preference which
would mean that they could take less active role in learning,
prefer to learn through observation and benefit from the
opportunity to think before acting (Wong Pine and Tsang,
2000).
Literature Review (cont.)
Some typical representations of the ‘British/Western
culture of learning’:
 direct communication, low-context, make things as
explicit as possible (Holmes, 2005);
 students address questions and puzzles in the
classroom by interacting with the teacher (Holmes,
2005);
 teachers do not tend to give clear definitions of
terms and concepts (Huang, 2005).
Literature Review (cont.)
Insights from the debate between essentialist and nonessentialist perspectives (Holliday, 1999):
From an essentialist
perspective, culture is …
From a non-essentialist
perspective, culture is …
- a priori
- objective
- usually at a national level
- relatively stable
- relatively homogeneous
- emergent
- constructed
- across, within and/or
beyond national boundaries
- fluid and dynamic
- complex
Literature Review (cont.) (next -> research objectives)
Therefore, we wonder that …
Some typical representations of the ‘Chinese culture of learning’:

students ‘do not question accepted norms and ideas’ in the classroom (Turner, 2003) and
teacher’s status and authority as aAre
source they
of norms is central (Chee and West, 2004;
Turner, 2006);
necessarily in
Do
they
Influence from the Confucian heritage (Jin and Cortazzi, 2006);
contrast,
change
students have a reflector learning sharp
style preference
which would mean that they could
take less active role in learning, prefer
to learn
with
nothrough observation and benefit from
over
the opportunity to think before acting (Wong Pine and Tsang, 2000);
similarities at
time?
all?
(Zhou,
Some typical representations of the ‘British/Western
culture of learning’:
2010)
direct communication, low-context, make things as explicit as possible (Holmes, 2005);





students address questions and puzzles in the classroom by interacting with the teacher
(Holmes, 2005);
teachers do not tend to give clear definitions of terms and concepts (Huang, 2005).
Research Objectives (next -> methodology)
Research objectives sharpened…
 In this project, we examine the learning experiences of students
(originally from China) studying in the UK and students
(originally from the UK) studying in China by adopting a nonessentialist approach. The project team, consisting of
international members, explored the students’ perceptions of
the cultures of learning they experience(d) in both countries as
they progress through the study-abroad experience, i.e. how
they understand their “home” and “host” cultures of learning
and how these understandings might change over time.
Methodology
Participants:
 9 students (originally from the UK) spending one
trimester in a partner university in China, all of whom
are undergraduate students studying Design.
 9 students (originally from China) spending one year in
a UK university, including five students undertaking
Masters studies in subjects related to English Language
teaching and Publishing and four undergraduate
students majoring in Finance who were undertaking an
English and academic preparation course at the time of
the data generation.
Methodology (cont.)
Methods adopted:

Interview (semi-structured, video-recorded)
Sample questions: “What are your expectations of ‘good’ lecturers?” “What do
you think constitutes ‘good’ learning?” “How do you expect to be assessed in order
to properly demonstrate the outcomes of your learning?”

Video diary or reflective journal
Sample instructions: “pick at least one specific event that you find particularly
interesting or significant that happened in your academic life since the previous
diary entry and reflect on it”

Multimedia activities
Sample instructions: “Find an object from your host country that you would like to
show to your fellow students back home.” “Find a place you would like to remember
in your host city and photograph a scene that has a strong sense of smell.”
Methodology (cont.)

Data generated (with each participant) over a
three-month period:
Interview 1:
Focus on
“home”
Our discussion
of the initial
findings
Multimedia Activities
Interview 2:
Focus on
“host”
Video Diary or Reflective Journal
36 interviews, 13 reflective journals; 65 video diaries; and over
100 multimedia units of information
Methodology (cont.)
Some initial data analysis: thematic analysis of the 1st round of
interviews, for example …
Interview Question
Category
Learning strategy and
methods
What do you think
constitutes "good"
learning? Can you think
of any specific learning
methods that a “good”
student typically adopts?
Sub-category
Good learning habits
Hard-working and concentration
Independent learner
Learn through (others’)practices
Good result in assessment
Purposeful learner
Attendance and
attentiveness
Good relationship
N/A
Clear understanding of objectives
Initiative and motivation
Be attentive to lecturers’
instructions
Attendance
N/A
Methodology (cont.) (next -> some initial findings)
Patterns of the categories …
18 Participant Codes
Interview Question
Category
Sub-category
Good learning habits
What do you
think constitutes
"good" learning?
Can you think of
any specific
learning methods
that a “good”
student typically
adopts?
Learning strategy and
methods
Hard-working and concentration
Independent learner
Learn through (others’)practices
Good result in
assessment
Purposeful learner
N/A
Clear understanding of
objectives
Initiative and motivation
Attendance and
attentiveness
Good relationship
Be attentive to lecturers’
instructions
Attendance
N/A
1 1 11 1 11 1 12 2 22 2 22 2 2
A B C D E F GH I A B C D E F GH I
Some initial findings

Monika’s interpretations
- A complex and emergent picture of international
student experience – much more fluid that the typical,
over-generalised picture
- Through the lens of study abroad which in itself is a life
changing event creating a rich data environment
- A snapshot of student preferences beyond national
boundaries or the location of study abroad
- Centered around strategies for study / study skills this seems a core concept shared by the majority of
the participants, regardless the nationality.
Some initial findings (cont.)
Monika’s interpretations - Emerging data seems to suggest more
Similarities(S) than Differences (D) between the two groups; mostly
Challenging the literature (C) *:
(S) Strong preference for good learning strategies / study skills
(C)
(S) Good relationships /attendance at classes / learning through others
/ good results in assessments are less of concern to the students
(C)
(S) Attentiveness to lecturers’ instructions (confirms literature)
(D) ‘Hard work’ (mainly of concern for Chinese students) (confirms
literature)
Some initial findings (cont.)
Vivien’s interpretations: viewed from different perspectives, for example …
18 Participant Codes
Interview Question
Category
Sub-category
Good learning habits
What do you think
constitutes "good"
learning? Can you
think of any
specific learning
methods that a
“good” student
typically adopts?
Learning strategy and
methods
Hard-working and concentration
Independent learner
Learn through (others’)practices
Good result in
assessment
Purposeful learner
N/A
Clear understanding of
objectives
Initiative and motivation
Attendance and
attentiveness
Good relationship
Be attentive to lecturers’
instructions
Attendance
N/A
1 1 11 1 11 1 12 2 22 2 22 2 2
A B C D E F GH I A B C D E F GH I
Some initial findings (cont.)
1A
Vivien’s
interpretations
 … could
hardly find
anything
that was
exclusive to
either
national
group
 … yet, some
salient
patterns
seemed to
emerge
1B
1C
1D
1E
1F
1G
1H
1I
2A
2B
China
UK
Lecturer-focused
supporter
2C
2D
2E
2F
Hard work and concentration
Assessment over learning
Postgraduate
Undergraduate
Assessment over learning
English language studies
Finance (currently on
English and academic
preparation course)
supporter
Design
supporter
Lecturer-focused
Lecturer-focused
Hard work and concentration
■■■■■■■■
Hard work and
concentration
■■
Be attentive to lecturer’s
instruction
■■
Be attentive to lecturer’s Be attentive to lecturer’s instruction
instruction
■■■
■■■■■■■
Assessment over learning
Assessment over
learning
Hard work and concentration
■■
2G
2H
2I
Some initial findings (cont.) (next -> discussion)

Vivien’s interpretations
- Some evidence that seems to confirm typical views, e.g. Chinese students’
expectation for a lecturer-focused learning environment and priority placed on
assessment
- Some similarities across national groups (e.g. expecting the lecturer to be a
supporter) and some differences within the same national group (e.g. ‘hard
work’ and concentration) - challenges typical views
- Various cultural influences seem to be at play in addition to nationalities, e.g.
levels of study, subject areas - challenges typical views
- Questions for further exploration: How did the participants construct their
‘host’ culture of learning? How did their constructions of the ‘home’ and ‘host’
cultures of learning resonate or differ from each other? Did their constructions
change over time? How? Can we find shared or differing constructions of the
cultures of learning in terms of other social groupings? …
Discussion
Is study abroad a central experience, rather than the
location or the nationality / ‘culture of the students’?
If so:
 How to best capture the richness of study abroad and its
affect on the development of key learning skills, and how
to use this to enhance student preparation for and
evaluation of the experience of study abroad?
 How can student mobility programmes draw on the central
concepts explored in the study around learning, teaching,
developing independent skills, while also paying attention
to the students’ own ‘culture of learning’?
 Q & A

References
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Chee, H. and West, C. (2004) Myths about doing business in China. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan
Cortazzi, M. and Jin, L. (1996) Cultures of learning: Language classrooms in China. In H. Coleman (Ed.), Society and the
language classroom (pp. 169-206). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
Foster, M. (ed) (2008) SEDA Special 23 Enhancing the experience of Chinese students in UK HE – lessons from Collaborative
project. London: SEDA
Holliday, A. (1999). Small cultures. Applied Linguistics, 20(2), 237-264
Holmes, P. (2005). Ethnic Chinese students’ communication with cultural others in a New Zealand university. Communication
Education, 54(4), 289-311
Huang, J. (2005). Challenges of academic listening in English: Reports by Chinese students. College Student Journal, 39(3),
553-569
Jin, L. and Cortazzi, M. (2006). Changing practices in Chinese cultures of learning. Language, Culture and Curriculum, 19(1), 520
Turner, Y. (2003). Chinese students in a UK business school: Hearing the student voice in reflective teaching and learning practice.
Paper presented at the Improving Students’ Learning Symposium: diversity and inclusivity, Birmingham, England
Turner, Y. (2006) Chinese students in a UK business school: Hearing the student voice in reflective teaching and learning
practice. Higher Education Quarterly, 60 (1), pp. 27-51
Wong, K. K. F., Pine, R. J. and Tsang, N., (2000), Learning style preferences and implications for training programs in the
hospitality and tourism Industry, Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Education, 12(2), 32-40
Zhou, X. (2010). A narrative exploration of the UK academic acculturation experience of students from mainland China. PhD
thesis, University of Manchester, Manchester.