ERIC Number: EJ875753
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2009
Pages: 10
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0883-0355
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
"I Don't Talk or I Decide Not to Talk? Is It My Culture?"--International Students' Experiences of Tutorial Participation
Marlina, Roby
International Journal of Educational Research, v48 n4 p235-244 2009
Active participation in university tutorials seems to be commonly argued as one of the learning difficulties of non-English-speaking background (NESB) Asian students enrolled in Western English-speaking universities. These students are often portrayed as being passive in class and this is commonly attributed to their background culture. Using Australia as a setting, this paper challenges these misconceptions through the lens of the contextual approach or "small culture" approach. It is argued that NESB international Asian students' participation in Australian university tutorials is influenced by the classroom context in which they learn rather than by their cultures. This paper also provides a framework for teachers, who are the most important and powerful member in the "context", to critically reflect on their pedagogical practices.
Descriptors: Asians, Learning Problems, Foreign Countries, Misconceptions, Teaching Methods, Non English Speaking, Foreign Students, Tutoring, Tutorial Programs, Higher Education, Models, Teachers, Participation, Educational Practices, Students, Asian Culture
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: Higher Education
Audience: Students; Teachers
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Australia
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A