Study examines cultural compatibility between teachers and students

Study examines cultural compatibility between teachers and students

A University of Queensland study has found cultural differences between teachers and students can hinder teaching and learning if not adequately addressed.

For her PhD, Asian Languages and Studies Department lecturer Dr Kumi Kato compared the cultural understandings, assumptions and expectations of Japanese and Australian students.

"I interviewed Australian and Japanese students who had completed exchanges in each other's countries for this comparison," she said.

Dr Kato also observed the teaching styles of native-speaking Japanese teachers in Australian primary and high schools, noting the particular teaching strategies and language used.

Her study found Australian students expected greater interaction with teachers and also for teachers to express their feelings to the class.

"These students expected classroom activities such as discussion, debate, games, role-plays and group work as well as the opportunity to express their opinions. They preferred to be given choices and to be responsible for those choices," Dr Kato said.

"These ideas are foreign to most native-speaking Japanese teachers who are used to a teaching culture where lectures are delivered and interaction extends to directing students to pages in accompanying textbooks.

"Many said they feared that if students were allowed more interaction, the class would get ?out of control'."

Dr Kato said the study's results suggested beginning native-speaking Japanese teachers working in Australia would benefit enormously from information on the cultural differences at play in classrooms here. With this information, teachers with cross-cultural experience could provide excellent educational opportunities, she said.

"We don't want to be too prescriptive though because every student and classroom is different and each teacher needs to develop their own style," she said.

Dr Kato said the study underlined the importance of cultural diversity being treated as a curriculum issue in any educational situations not just those in which ethnicity or linguistic issues were involved.

"With university classrooms becoming culturally diverse, curriculum content and teaching methodology can be made more suitable to diverse student needs, and I believe ?cultural compatibility in educational contexts' has a lot of potential for inter-disciplinary research," she said.

For more information, contact Dr Kumi Kato (telephone 07 3365 6810) or Shirley Glaister at UQ Communications (telephone 07 3365 2339).