Quiet or questioning? Students' discussion behaviors in student-centered education across cultures

Abstract

Frambach et al.-Quiet or questioning? Students' discussion behaviors in student-centered education across cultures 2 Quiet or questioning? Students' discussion behaviors in student-centered education across cultures A tool used in student-centered education is discussion among students in small learning groups. The Western origin of student-centered education,coupled with cross-cultural differences in communication styles,may detract from its crosscultural applicability. This study investigates how in student-centered education, students' cultural backgrounds are expressed in discussions and shape students' discussion behaviors and skills. A comparativecase study was conducted, using problem-based learning as a student-centered model, in three medical schools located in East Asia, Western Europe and the Middle East. Four cultural factors were found to potentially cause students, especially those in the non-Western schools, to refrain from speaking up, asking questions, and challenging others in discussions. Six contextual factors mediated the influence of the cultural factors. The findings were incorporated in a conceptual model. The conclusion seems justified that student-centered education is feasible in different cultural contexts, but across these contexts, processes and outcomes are likely to differ.

Talk, silence and anxiety during one-to-one tutorials: A cross-cultural comparative study of Japan and UK undergraduates’ tolerance of silence

“…Frambach et al 2014), empirical research into cross-cultural interaction within higher education contexts which puts silence at its very heart is scant to say the least. Research attempting to compare how undergraduates from differing cultural backgrounds react to an enforced period of silence is even rarer still, if non-existent.…”

Nursing Teaching Strategies by Encouraging Students’ Questioning, Argumentation and Explanation

“…The analysis included the validation and increase of internal consistence using an iterative process which is similar to that recommended by Frambach et al (2) , presented in figure 2.…”

“…In their research the same authors (2) discuss four cultural factors and six contextual factors which inhibit and increase the eastern and western nursing students' argumentative behaviour. These four cultural factors are: (1) uncertainty and tradition, (2) group relations and face, (3) hierarchical relations, and (4) achievement and competition.…”

“…These few questions are almost exclusively for the purpose of memorising information or lead to yes/no-type answers. Frambach et al (2) attribute this questioning pattern to several factors: "Uncertainty and tradition, group relations and face, hierarchical relations, and achievement and competition were generally found to inhibit students from speaking up, asking questions, and challenging others in discussions. "…”

Research on the Common Problems and Corresponding Solutions for the Chinese-foreign Cooperative Education Management

“…(1) In a sense, Chinese-foreign cooperation in running schools internal system problem is mainly manifested in the independent setting of cooperative education institutions. (2) As a secondary school of Chinese-foreign cooperation in running schools entity is under the leadership of the primary school of education, to a large extent national tradition of our country planned economy mode to do the thinking and way of management of higher education, management mode, education teaching characteristic is bright, the lack of the innovation of the management system and operation mode [5][6]. (3) The development of the discipline of Chinese-foreign cooperation in running schools lack of long-term planning.…”