Classroom Participation by International Students: The Case of Turkish Graduate Students

Abstract

This article explores four Turkish students’perceptions of participation in graduate courses at a U.S. university. Data were collected during one academic semester through in-depth interviews, a focus group interview, classroom observations, and collection of relevant documents. The findings suggest that the participants’ classroom participation experiences were influenced by multiple factors, the major ones being educational factors (e.g., cultural background), environmental factors (e.g., discussion topic), and influence of classroom dynamics (e.g., peer dominance in discussion). These factors, moreover, were intricately interrelated in ways that led to different classroom environments that may be described using a continuum from the most anxiety provoking to the most facilitative.

International Students’ Experience of Western Pedagogy in a British University

“…Although academic staff in the USA encouraged classroom participation, the Turkish international students abstained. They attributed not participating to linguistic barriers, cultural differences, and the attitude that academic staff and local students projected (Tatar, 2005). Tatar (2005) concludes that academic staff and local students should be more proactive in acknowledging international students and more active in including them in class discussions which, in turn, should be should always be closely related to prescribed pre-session reading material.…”

“…They attributed not participating to linguistic barriers, cultural differences, and the attitude that academic staff and local students projected (Tatar, 2005). Tatar (2005) concludes that academic staff and local students should be more proactive in acknowledging international students and more active in including them in class discussions which, in turn, should be should always be closely related to prescribed pre-session reading material. Furthermore, academic staff should adopt more effective strategies for facilitating and managing class discussions rather than relying on spontaneous student engagement.…”

Bridging the Gap in Expectations Between International Students and Academic Staff

“…This and other related research (Salter-Dvorak, 2004;Tatar, 2005;Thomas, 1983) has led Griffiths, Winstanley, and Yiannis (2005) to coin the term "learning shock," which "refers to experiences of acute frustration, confusion and anxiety experienced by some students. These students find themselves exposed to unfamiliar learning and teaching methods, bombarded by unexpected and disorienting cues and subjected to ambiguous and conflicting expectations" (p. 2).…”

“…Participants also pointed out that they found note-taking particularly difficult because they were working in their second or third language. Language difficulties are often cited in the literature as a major factor influencing international students' integration into Western education (Hills & Thom, 2005;Salter-Dvorak, 2004;Tatar, 2005;Thomas, 1983). Participants agreed they would like more pre-prepared notes to assist their learning.…”

Partisipasi Mahasiswa dalam Pembelajaran Kooperatif Berdasarkan Lesson Study

“…Siswa yang berpartisipasi secara aktif dalam kegiatan pembelajaran, memiliki prestasi yang lebih baik dibanding dengan siswa yang pasif [1]. Hal tersebut sesuai dengan pernyataan bahwa partisipasi aktif siswa dalam kegiatan diskusi di kelas memiliki peran penting guna mencapai tujuan pembelajaran efektif [2]. Selain itu, partisipasi adalah suatu keterlibatan mental dan emosi seseorang dalam mencapai tujuan dan ikut bertanggung jawab terhadapnya.…”