Improving students’ confidence is a key to helping international students

During the past year, I’ve been teaching international students at Alexander College in Vancouver.  Periodically, I poll them about their course-related concerns and fears so that I can adjust my teaching style and calibrate the course material.

ALL students feel a lot of stress, but do international students actually experience MORE stress than ‘local’ students?  Because international students from Asia pay tuition fees that are generally much higher than ‘local’ students, this group has become a highly sought after target market for educational institutions.  And indeed, it appears that the number of international students from Asia who are travelling to countries like Canada, the US, Australia and New Zealand is sharply on the rise.  

Like all good marketers, these educational institutions are concerned about making sure that international students are successful, and that their experience along the way is something they would ‘write home about’.  

So the question is: do they or don’t they.  Some would argue that, since international students from Asia must learn to function in a different language (English) and operate in a different culture with different academic traditions and norms, it is only a matter of common sense that they would indeed experience much higher levels of stress.  This view is not universally accepted, and some people who have looked into the matter, such as Malcolm Lewthwaite of New Zealand’s International Pacific College conclude that the problem – if it exists – is not nearly as acute as some people would have you believe.

I have no way to resolve the issue.  But I do know that international students I encounter in my classroom suffer from stress.  And I do know that, while all students suffer from stress, there are certain things about the way my international students encounter stress that seems to differ somewhat than the stress I have observed among ‘local’ students I have encountered.  Whether one group’s stress is greater than another’s, i have resolved simply to focus on understanding and addressing the stress my international students are facing.  After all, alleviating stress is what any instructor must do in order to ensure good learning outcomes for students.

As I indicated above, I use a very informal ‘survey’ to gather feedback in order to get a better handle on what I’m dealing with.

A word about the ‘Survey’

The ‘survey’ I use is very informal.  I simply give everyone a piece of paper with three questions on it and a space after each question to write an answer in their own words.  I tell them they can write in point form or in paragraphs, whatever they prefer.

I ask them about what they are most concerned about related to: 1) the course, 2) the assignments, and 3) the final exam. Anticipating that a large number of survey participants would reply to all three questions simply by saying, “Getting a good mark,” I also ask them to explain their answers, or provide additional detail.

So clearly, this questionnaire and this procedure is not going to be sufficient to serve as a basis for a PhD.  (Note: If you want to read a REAL PhD dissertation on this subject, check out Rosemary William Eustace’s detailed and thoughtful 2007 Kansas State University dissertation here.)  As I pointed out above, my somewhat more humble purpose is simply to get some feedback that I can use to calibrate my delivery.

Getting a Good Mark

Hardly a surprise:  “Getting a good mark” is invariably the largest single response international students in my classroom have cited.

But what is the biggest impediment to getting a good mark?  

Is it contending with a different culture?  Being confronted with different academic norms and expectations?  Is it that they simply have not been introduced to the kinds of critical thinking skills instructors increasingly require?  Is it that the international students have been poorly prepared for the subject matter? Or that they have been so well prepared previously that they are bored by my course?

While any and all of these may effect particular individuals, their comments suggest that the common theme is that confidence with their English language skills is the biggest impediment.

Aspects of Student Confidence

There are several aspects to this.  

1. All of the students I encounter have had fairly extensive exposure to English, whether in their upbringing, or in their previous education, or in their preparatory courses when they first arrive in North America.  So all of them are at least competent.  In fact, many are fluent.  
2. By and large, the international students I encounter are bright.  After all, most families would be reluctant to invest large sums of money enrolling a son or daughter who had little chance to achieve ‘academic’ success.  So generally, if they have difficulties, it is not because they cannot grasp concepts.  
3. I frequently get the sense in the classroom (or reading an assignment) that the ‘wheels are turning inside their heads,’ but they can’t readily find the words to express their ideas.  This is most likely to occur when they are describing the kinds of subtle distinctions that are often necessary when engaging in critical thinking.  Of course, with a little encouragement and patience from the instructor, they are generally able to ‘spit it out’.  
4. But I have to admit, I feel badly for them when they find themselves in this position because, being at an age and coming from cultures where how you appear in front of your peers is critical, finding themselves in a ‘verbal train wreck’ in the classroom has to be hard on them.  It has to undermine their confidence, even if by the end of the episode, they are able to make their point.  So it’s not ‘smarts’ and it’s not even ‘vocabulary,’ but rather, it is comfort with the language and its idioms that causes many to be so concerned that they fear written assignments or would rather be shot at dawn than speak in class.  (Note:  I acknowledge that dread of public speaking is far from being unique to visiting students.  There are plenty of studies that have been conducted in cultures around the world that show that sizable numbers of people say they would rather die than have to speak in front of others.  So apparently, this is a ‘universal’ human affliction made worse when you are studying abroad.)

So what does this tell us?  I find that students seem to be more comfortable engaging in discussion if I introduce activities like role plays and ‘think-pair-share.’  In both these techniques international students are able to engage with small groups (or even one other person) face-to-face, rather than in front of the entire class FIRST, prior to a class-wide discussion.  This apparently gives students a chance not only to form their ideas, but also, to work out a way of expressing them to others in English.

Note: The post prior to this one in this blog provides a step-by-step example of a role play used in this context.

A scan of ‘the literature’ on the subject would lead anyone (including myself) to conclude that the approach I have suggested for working with international students is, at best, only a partial answer and, at worst, naive. The now-Dr. Eustace would likely say that it is simply the case that it takes a long time for international students to ‘acculturate’ and, until they do, they will remain under tremendous pressure and stress, regardless how well they can express themselves.  To which I would reply: “Undoubtedly true.”  

But since the duration of most post-secondary courses runs from nine to fourteen weeks (not long enough for international students to acculturate fully), better to utilize at least a few techniques that help build up their confidence step-by-step.  You want to be able to show your international students that you realize they are smart and have good ideas and are working hard to acquire critical thinking skills, and that you are on their side by providing mechanisms that they can practice in a safe environment.

Humour

And of course, as pointed out by Dyeseka Budac – a Community Outreach Specialist at Open Colleges – humour can be an especially useful tool.  Dyeseka has very helpfully identified a practical article written by Lisa Chester, who lists 50 ways to use humour to set students at ease so you can begin helping them build their confidence.  

Note:  Of course, because humour is universal it can be very useful in building bridges with international students.  But because humour can also be effected by cultural filters, it is also risky business, especially with a classroom full of international students whose cultures may differ not only from yours but also from each other.

So why does humour appear on a list of techniques intended to help international students with their self-confidence in English?  In my view, the explanation relates to the concept of rendering the classroom a ‘safe’ place in which to learn. If it’s okay to laugh out loud, if it’s okay to be yourself, if it’s okay to make a very human connection with other students and with your instructor, it’s probably okay to try to express yourself – even if you aren’t sure what you want to say when you begin, and even if you haven’t quite succeeded to your satisfaction when you finish.

For me, it’s a truism:  when there’s laughter, there’s learning.  (And if the Chair of your department questions you about reports of frequent, loud and unruly thunderstorms of laughter emanating from your classroom, you can tell them you are experimenting with the Leach Laughter Technique – LLT.)

Does it Work?

My international students tell me that these techniques actually help.  (Well, okay.  Not all of my international students.  Some would clearly prefer an approach in which the instructor flips through the pages of the textbook indicating which sections are on the exam, reinforcing the point by reproducing the key points in bullet points on a power point.  That way, they would know what to memorize.  But this perspective is not unique to international students.  I have encountered lots of ‘local’ students whose mantra is, “Just tell me what’s on the exam.”)

I actually discuss the issue briefly in class from time to time.  I explain the various reasons why I use techniques such as role play, and hope I hope the techniques will help them.  From time to time I check in with them and ask if the techniques do in fact help.  If certain techniques aren’t contributing, I try alternatives, or modify the technique.  I invite them to be involved in deciding which techniques to use. (This drives the memorizers crazy, as you can imagine.)  In education theory this is referred to as metacognition.

I’m not sure whether it is because I acknowledge that they are under stress because they aren’t fully confident in their English-language skills, or whether the techniques themselves actually help, or whether the fact that they have some say in deciding which techniques to use – but it seems apparent by the middle of the course that most of the students in the class have taken responsibility for acquiring skills not only in the subject area (marketing) but also, in their ability to express their ideas and articulate their reasoning.  And since they seem to feel at least somewhat ‘in charge’ of their learning process, they seem to be more confident.  The engage in the role-plays more enthusiastically by engaging in longer debates longer with their role ply adversaries.  By mid-term, I can sense that the ‘deer in the headlights’  syndrome has all but disappeared.  And while it is ot my desire to turn the classroom into a comedy club, by mid-term there is laughter.

Your Turn

I have mentioned three techniques to deal with with issue.  I now invite you EITHER to describe how you have made use of these techniques OR to describe other techniques you’ve experimented with.  What has worked or not worked for you, and why do you think that is?

Next Post

I will post on this blog on the first Tuesday of every month.  The next post will be on the topic of “Teaching New Tricks to Old Dogs” and is about giving courses on the use of Google AdWords – and how businesses can incorporate this new Target Marketing technique into their existing marketing program.

The post will appear on Tuesday, 6 May 2013.

Please feel to add comments at any time.