Abstract Example

Why are the Asian-American kids silent in class?

Author: Carol A . Tateishi

Abstract 1

This study examined why Asian students don’t participate in the active talk of a class. Two questions were proposed in this study: (a) what role might their cultures and home language practices play in their nonparticipation? (b) how can teachers encourage their participation in the oral language activities of the class? The participants (N = 5) were five Asian students (2 Japanese, 2 Chinese, 1 Korean) from a high school in Bay Area in San Francisco. The methodology used in this study was observing a small group discussion, a whole-class discussion led by an Asian student, and group interviews (starting from one-to-one interviews). The results indicate that Asian students believe that too much talk in public can cause disrespect and negative feelings, especially in women, and keeping silence and solving their problems for themselves is a sign of self-reliance and strength in their cultures. They all show different expectations for speaking in the home and the classroom and they need an external authority for permission to speak. They also feel comfortable with a clear set of rules or protocols for speaking. This study illustrates the feasibility of promoting participation in oral activity of the class of all students as well as Asian students by making the rules and purposes governing classroom talk as visible and explicit as possible: (a) being aware and knowledgeable of the cultural barriers or differences some students face, (b) taking time and effort to teach effective classroom talk or any kind of classroom collaborative work, (c) modeling discussion groups, (d) creating stable discussion groups using designated group leaders , (e) developing clear guidelines and protocols with students for how the group works and how talk is conducted and why, and (f) debriefing the workings of small-group talk regularly to help students develop greater understanding of the dynamics of classroom talk.