Culture clash

Abstract

Purpose -The purpose of this paper is to investigate a new trend of training mainland Chinese students in Western-style business education in Singapore. The paper examines the influence of the inferred learning effectiveness and cultural dislocation variables when measured across ten commonly used instructional techniques. Design/methodology/approach -The use of consensual qualitative research allowed the data to be qualitatively analysed. The random selection of 20 participants represents mainland Chinese students, from the northern, southern, eastern and western regions. The study reports the level of knowledge acquisition, the relationship between comfort and knowledge acquired and the differences between the active and passive instructional techniques on students' learning effectiveness. Findings -Rote-learning styles of instructional techniques may not be the Chinese students' only preferred choice in terms of acquisition of knowledge and how they learn most effectively.Research limitations/implications -The present exploratory study provides a starting-point for further research into understanding how to teach Western-based business education to mainland Chinese students in Singapore. Practical implications -The findings will give institutions conducting Western-based education programs in Singapore an advantage in providing effective learning pedagogies, and will assist in increasing their quality, which will enable them to nurture well-qualified business professionals. Social implications -The quality of the educational standard and its compatibility with the Asian client base are further enhanced both in terms of contents' intensity and educational services provided to students. Originality/value -The paper offers practical help from the perspective of the curriculum design and development of an effective business educational framework to sustain profitability by offering tailor-made, superior quality course programs.

Learning in Foreign Cultures: Self-Reports Learning Effectiveness Across Different Instructional Techniques

“…Newell (1999), Chow (1995) and Chan (1999) described that Confucian teaching and learning styles to involve challenges such as lack of abstract thinking, constraints on behavior caused by embarrassment, over-emphasis on concrete examples, lack of creativity, and the need to compromise in group situations. These claims were challenged by other scholars (Ryan and Slethaug 2010;Rajaram and Bordia 2011;Shi 2006;Ryan and Louie 2007; who caution not to stereotype Chinese learners' learning approaches and not to describe them as discrete, homogeneous and unchanging. Hence, students generally regard knowledge as "easier to be acquired" via instructional techniques with higher influence of Confucianism (that has shifted its cultural values and beliefs over the recent years due to China's progressive openness and growth).…”

“…However, it can be argued that although the levels of the five dimensions may be shifted more or less, it is the range of shift that needs to be appreciated rather than stating that the complex cultural influences are now totally irrelevant which is similar to maintaining that the traditional cultural values that shape this framework is not totally applicable. Many scholars (Rajaram and Bordia, 2011;Ryan and Slethaug, 2010;Rajaram, 2010;Clark and Gieve, 2006;Gumingyuan, 2001;Nisbett, 2003) highlighted that students should not be labeled and confined by boundaries which causes myths to be generated about the groups of students and create false "reputations", however, explicit behavioral values and norms which influences preference of instructional techniques in terms can be studied through various unequivocal aspects, for example, in terms of comfort (power distance), familiarity (uncertainty avoidance) and ease of knowledge transfer (philosophy of Confucianism).…”

“…An extensive body of literature addresses teaching and learning approaches preferred by mainland Chinese students (Bu & Mitchell, 1992;Biggs 1994;Chan, 1999;Coverdale-Jones 2006;Clarke and Gieve 2006;Jin and Cortazzi 2006;Louie 2005;Liu 2006;Martinsons et.al., 1996;Ryan and Hellmundt 2005;Ryan and Louie 2007;Ryan and Slethaug 2010;Rajaram and Bordia 2011;Shi 2006 andTurner 2006). However, the literature lacks a holistic approach integrating the explicit aspects of cultural dislocation values and learning principles which influences effective learning strategies for Western-based education, at least until these learners have adapted to the differing learning cultures after prolonged period, probably adjusting their preference of learning approaches due to the different assessment modes applied.…”

“…Others suggested (Pun 1989a;Jarrah 1998;Ladd and Ruby 1999) that Western learners accept involvement and learning through their own exploration while Chinese learners expect the teacher to lead, guide, and provide learning points. However, some scholars (Ryan and Slethaug 2010;Rajaram and Bordia 2011;Ryan and Louie 2007;Rajaram 2010) disagree and argue that it is assessment, not traditionally stereotyped and perceived cultural aspects that influences the learning/teaching preference and thereafter, choice in their style/approach of learning approaches. Ryan and Louie (2007) argued that there should not be a fixated perspective that both "western" and "Asian" values can be legitimately described as discrete, homogeneous and unchanging.…”

“…The key challenges in today's international business education are to implement appropriate instructional strategies that facilitate student education (Tan, 2011). Offering quality education for international students entails a good understanding of the cultural aspects and effective methods of knowledge transfer which are integrated with optimal learning processes (Rajaram & Bordia, 2011). Hence, the major issue here is an explicit understanding of effective instructional techniques suitable for mainland Chinese students.…”