Class Participation of International Students in the U.S.A.

Abstract

Following a qualitative research design, this study aims to explore the differences between international and American graduate students in terms of their class participation. The data for the study were collected from a graduate-level class at a university in upstate New York. There were seven participants in the study, three of the participants were American students, and the other four participants were international students, two from China, one from Iran, and one from Sudan. Main source of data was classroom observations. Three classroom sessions were observed and field notes were taken during observations. There were two phases of the data analysis process. During the first phase, field notes were reviewed after observations and five general categories of classroom participation were identified. During the second phase, the data were further analyzed in order to see the differences between American and international students in terms of their class participation according to these five categories. Results of data analysis revealed three main differences between American and international students' class participation in the observed graduate classroom setting. The first main difference involved the short answer/example and explanation categories, the second main difference involved the questions to the instructor/classmates for clarification/repetition and the questions to raise discussion categories, and the last main difference involved the answer/explanation assigned by the instructor category.

�Pandemic Pedagogy� as a Framework for DIY Professional Development

“…were based both in the team's own experiences (both teachers' and students') and in their shared discussion of relevant scholarship. Drawing on Xuan Zheng (2010) and Ozgur Yildirim (2017), for instance, the second video unpacks the purported "silence" of international students in U.S. classrooms, as it portrays the ways in which instructors might contribute to this seeming non-participation: e.g., the speed at which the teacher speaks and the limited time they give students to read (much less process) articles assigned for in-class discussion. Instead, our video suggests that teachers intentionally scaffold class material and provide readings ahead of class-time so that all students can more fully participate.…”

Education Inequality and Difficulties Encountered by Chinese Students in the United States Discuss the Situation of Chinese Students

“…As for academic writing, it may take American students one hour to complete the task, but Chinese students need to spend twice or more time to complete it. Furthermore, Professor Ozgur Yildirim did a class participation experiment [9]. There were seven students in total.…”

Class Discussions Based on Cultural Aspects to Foster the Speaking Skill Among High School Students

“…In relation to class discussions based on cultural aspects, Yildirim (2017) developed an exploratory research study to analyze the differences in class participation between international and American students. The author affirms that class discussions aid students to increase their involvement in the classroom as culture in this study was seen as a relevant component in the participation of the discussions.…”

“…The author affirms that class discussions aid students to increase their involvement in the classroom as culture in this study was seen as a relevant component in the participation of the discussions. Consequently, Yildirim (2017) states that mastering a foreign language not only implies learning vocabulary and grammar but also the cultural aspects that have a wide range of uses for oral communication. The findings reflected the need of raising awareness of the different cultural aspects immersed into the classroom since this influences the development of class discussions, and at the same time in learners' oral participation and proficiency.…”

“…The findings reflected the need of raising awareness of the different cultural aspects immersed into the classroom since this influences the development of class discussions, and at the same time in learners' oral participation and proficiency. Also, Yildirim (2017) found culture as a resource that can either make students more or less participative in the classroom. For that reason, the researcher suggests using class discussions focusing on stereotypes and cultural differences to create an integrated learning environment.…”