Confronting Asian Concerns in Engaging Learners to Online Education

Abstract

Researchers have theorized that cultural emphasis on education plays a major role in explaining Asian students' achievement. While Asian parents often view education as the main vehicle for upward social mobility, the social and cultural make-up of Asian societies and the context within which education is conducted in Asia often clash with the modern approaches and methodologies adopted into Asian classrooms. Contemporary approaches to education especially in relation to autonomous, learner-centred and online philosophies though theoretically supported and statistically proven successful in the west have been slow to capture Asian learners' interest and engagement. This paper discusses some of the reasons for the problems and challenges that need to be confronted prior to the introduction and effective implementation of autonomous online learning programmes. It further describes an attempt at confronting the above issues through a research project conducted by group of academics from the National University of Malaysia. The paper concludes by featuring some of the principles and strategies employed in the online programme developed for the research and the implication of their use on learner engagement to online autonomous learning programmes.

Effect of active learning using program visualization in technology-constrained college classrooms

“…Empirical studies have shown positive correlation between culture and learning approaches (Sulkowski and Deakin 2009). Asian learners, including Indians, have been shown to possess learning characteristics such as relying on authority figures like instructors to impart knowledge, dislike of ambiguity and uncertainty, being less autonomous, and more obedient and conforming to rules as compared to Western students (Subramaniam, 2009). In our study, the students in both experiments were accustomed to instructor-driven “chalk & talk” classroom teaching.…”

“…These visualizations assist in clearing misconceptions about complex programming topics (Urquiza-Fuentes and Velázquez-Iturbide 2013; Sorva et al 2013), promote conceptual and procedural understanding (Byrne et al 1999; Hansen et al 2000; Laakso et al 2009), improve verbalization of programming concepts (Ben-Bassat Levy et al 2003), and understanding the working of the “notional machine” (Sorva et al 2013) for novice programmers.

Fig. 1Screenshot of example program visualization (PV) used in current study (Student project and University of Pittsburg 2012)

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“…Screenshot of example program visualization (PV) used in current study (Student project and University of Pittsburg 2012)…”

A Comparison of American-Born Chinese and Taiwanese College Students in Approaches to Studying

“…They avoid asking questions, are over-dependent on the teacher, and simplymemorize knowledge from textbooks or class materials rather than trying to gain a true understanding of content delivered by teachers (Tran, 2013). Their learning style is sometimes criticized by scholars as surface learning (Subramaniam, 2008). However, other researchers have shown that CHC students have "a stronger preference for high-level, meaning-based, learning strategies, and avoidance of rote learning, than that of Western students" (Biggs, 1996a, p.52).…”

Distance Learners’ Needs on Interactivity in SMS-based Learning System

“…Reliance on the provided learning system alone does not appear to be the best path for distance learners at present. Within Malaysian context, studies have shown that majority of distance learners are still having low level of learner autonomy (Ng and Confessore, 2011;Subramaniam, 2008). As educational technology and learners' behavior keep evolving and proliferating, there is a need for learning institutions to reevaluate their approaches to pedagogy.…”