Active verbal participation in U.S. classrooms: perceptions of East Asian international graduate students

Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Kim, Soonhyang
Language:English
Published: The Ohio State University / OhioLINK 2007
Subjects:
Online Access:http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1174408526
id ndltd-OhioLink-oai-etd.ohiolink.edu-osu1174408526
record_format oai_dc
spelling ndltd-OhioLink-oai-etd.ohiolink.edu-osu11744085262021-08-03T05:52:04Z Active verbal participation in U.S. classrooms: perceptions of East Asian international graduate students Kim, Soonhyang East Asian Students International Students Verbal Classroom Participation English for Academic Purpose Graduate Education, Silence Active Classroom Participation Speaking Academic Oral Classroom Discourse East Asian international graduate students (EAGS) report frustration and isolation while interacting with university instructors and American classmates. Not much attention has been paid to matriculated ESL students beyond the language classroom in spite of the growing expectation of all students for verbal classroom participation in content classrooms in U.S. higher education. The purpose of this study is to explore the perceptions of EAGS’s academic oral communication needs and verbal participation in U.S. graduate courses. The two-phase design approach is applied by surveying 139 EAGS and interviewing 15 EAGS at a large Midwestern research university. The survey findings revealed that EAGS believe that raising questions and participating in whole-class discussions are the two most frequently expected oral tasks in graduate courses. EAGS were most concerned about leading class discussions and participating in whole-class discussions. EAGS considered listening comprehension and participation in whole-class discussions to be the most important skills for academic success, and pronunciation and note-taking, the least important. Most EAGS in the two group interviews shared similar views with their university instructors and American classmates, associating active class participation with verbal participation. At the same time, some EAGS argued that remaining silent, but attentively listening is another way to actively engage in class. Some wanted to remain legitimately silent through peripheral participation, especially at the early stages of their academic life in the U.S. EAGS in both the survey and group interviews reported the importance for all parties–content-area university instructors, domestic students, and international students–to be aware of linguistic and cultural diversity of EAGS and to share the communication burden in order to promote EAGS’s verbal classroom participation in linguistically and culturally diverse classrooms. Several important issues and specific pedagogical suggestions for English for Academic Purposes course planning and material development have emerged from the current study. These can help better prepare ESL students with oral communication skills that they need in order to succeed in university content classrooms. The present study also provides teaching strategies for all university instructors to create more inclusive classroom environments, where linguistic and cultural diversity of EAGS is appreciated. 2007-03-27 English text The Ohio State University / OhioLINK http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1174408526 http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1174408526 unrestricted This thesis or dissertation is protected by copyright: all rights reserved. It may not be copied or redistributed beyond the terms of applicable copyright laws.
collection NDLTD
language English
sources NDLTD
topic East Asian Students
International Students
Verbal Classroom Participation
English for Academic Purpose
Graduate Education,
Silence
Active Classroom Participation
Speaking
Academic Oral Classroom Discourse
spellingShingle East Asian Students
International Students
Verbal Classroom Participation
English for Academic Purpose
Graduate Education,
Silence
Active Classroom Participation
Speaking
Academic Oral Classroom Discourse
Kim, Soonhyang
Active verbal participation in U.S. classrooms: perceptions of East Asian international graduate students
author Kim, Soonhyang
author_facet Kim, Soonhyang
author_sort Kim, Soonhyang
title Active verbal participation in U.S. classrooms: perceptions of East Asian international graduate students
title_short Active verbal participation in U.S. classrooms: perceptions of East Asian international graduate students
title_full Active verbal participation in U.S. classrooms: perceptions of East Asian international graduate students
title_fullStr Active verbal participation in U.S. classrooms: perceptions of East Asian international graduate students
title_full_unstemmed Active verbal participation in U.S. classrooms: perceptions of East Asian international graduate students
title_sort active verbal participation in u.s. classrooms: perceptions of east asian international graduate students
publisher The Ohio State University / OhioLINK
publishDate 2007
url http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1174408526
work_keys_str_mv AT kimsoonhyang activeverbalparticipationinusclassroomsperceptionsofeastasianinternationalgraduatestudents
_version_ 1719426819834249216