Why Don’t They Participate? A Self-Study of Chinese Graduate Students’ Classroom:Involvement in North America

Chunlei Lu,Wenchun Han

doi:10.26522/brocked.v20i1.147

Abstract

China is now the world’s largest source of international students. In terms of learning performance, Chinese graduate students studying in North America exhibit distinct differences from students who are born and raised in North America. Conflicting cultural values compel Chinese students to reconcile East-West cultures, and put an onus on North American instructors to implement culturally-sensitive pedagogy. Employing the theoretic framework of yin-yang theory, this paper examines Chinese graduate students’ classroom performance against the backdrop of East-West cultural negotiation, and specifically seeks to identify which factors inhibit Chinese graduate students’ participation in North American classrooms. Drawing from their own living experiences, the authors employ self-study in the methodological form of narrative inquiry – in conjunction with references from existing literature – to investigate Chinese graduates’ classroom challenges. Results reveal six factors impacting students’ classroom performance: language; knowledge of the education system; knowledge of the social system; personality; influence of traditional culture; and social/economic/political changes. Future research directions are also suggested.Key words: Chinese graduates, East-West, cross-culture, North America, classroom involvement, self-study

Highlights

Transformations in education arising from migrational international development have transcended national boundaries and highlighted genuine global phenomena (MacPherson & Bekerman, 2008)
The rapidly increasing ratio of Chinese students in North American classrooms changes the landscape of institutions in North America, enriches its diversity, and sustains graduate programs; yet, it presents certain challenges for both instructors and students (Xu, 2008)
This paper examines Chinese graduate students’ performance against the backdrop of East-West culture conflict, negotiation, and reconciliation in North American classrooms, and investigates what factors cause Chinese graduate students to hold back from becoming actively involved in classroom activities in North America

Summary

Introduction

Transformations in education arising from migrational international development have transcended national boundaries and highlighted genuine global phenomena (MacPherson & Bekerman, 2008). In the years between the initiation of China’s Open-Door policy in 1978 and the end of 2007, more than 1.2 million Chinese in more than 100 countries have engaged in higher education – many of whom were graduate students (Huang, 2008). The rapidly increasing ratio of Chinese students in North American classrooms changes the landscape of institutions in North America, enriches its diversity, and sustains graduate programs; yet, it presents certain challenges for both instructors and students (Xu, 2008). Higher educational institutions in North America welcome Chinese students, who bring a rich cultural heritage to their host campuses; in order to accommodate the needs of these students and facilitate their learning, it is essential for the schools to understand that Eastern values and learning practices are dramatically different from those in the West. This paper examines Chinese graduate students’ performance against the backdrop of East-West culture conflict, negotiation, and reconciliation in North American classrooms, and investigates what factors cause Chinese graduate students to hold back from becoming actively involved in classroom activities in North America

Objectives

Results

Conclusion