Gayle L. Nelson

Writing Groups: Cross-Cultural Issues.

Abstract It may appear that writing groups, used in many English as a Second Language (ESL) composition classrooms, would be familiar to ESL students from collectivist cultures where group work is common in school both as a means of knowledge acquisition and as a vehicle for reinforcing the group ethic. However, writing groups may be problematic for students from collectivist cultures (e.g., Japan, the Peoples Republic of China) in at least three ways. First, writing groups, as used in composition classes in the U.S., function differently than groups in collectivist cultures: instead of functioning for the good of the collective, writing groups more often function for the benefit of the individual writer. Second, as a result of the dynamics of ingroup relationships in collectivist cultures, ESL students may be concerned primarily with maintaining group harmony at the expense of providing their peers with needed feedback on their composition drafts. Finally, the dynamics of outgroup relationships for ESL students from collectivist cultures may result in behavior that is hostile, strained, and competitive—behavior that is likely to work against effective group interactions.

Directness vs. indirectness: Egyptian Arabic and US English communication style

Abstract This study investigated the similarities and differences between Egyptian Arabic and US English communication style by focusing on the speech act of making refusals. A modified version of the 12-item discourse completion test (DCT) developed by Beebe, Takahashi, and Uliss-Weltz (in: R. Scarcella, E. Anderson, S. Krashen (Eds.), Developing Communicative Competence in a Second Language, Newbury House, New York, 1990, p. 55) was used to elicit data. The DCT consisted of three requests, three invitations, three offers, and three suggestions. Each situation type included one refusal to a person of higher status, one to a person of equal status, and one to a person of lower status. To more closely simulate real-life communication and because Arabic is a diglossic language, an interviewer read the situation aloud and the participants responded verbally on audiotape, Egyptians in Arabic and Americans in English. Audiotapes were transcribed, the Egyptian tapes into Arabic and the American tapes into English. Thirty US interviews resulted in 358 refusals and 25 Egyptian interviews resulted in 300 refusals. The refusals were divided into strategies. Using a modified version of the coding categories developed by Beebe et al., two trained coders categorized the strategies. Intercoder reliability was 89% for the US data and 85% for the Arabic data. Data were analyzed according to frequency types of strategies, the direct/indirect dimension of communication style, gender, and status. Results suggest that both groups use similar strategies with similar frequency in making refusals. They differ, however, in the frequency of indirect strategies with Egyptian males using less indirection than Americans.

The relationship between the use of personal, cultural examples in international teaching assistants' lectures and uncertainty reduction, student attitude, student recall, and ethnocentrism☆

Abstract This article reports the results of an intercultural study that examined the relationship between the use of personal cultural examples by an international teaching assistant (ITA) and uncertainty reduction, student attitude, student recall, and ethnocentrism. The experimental design included two conditions in which the same ITA was videotaped giving a lecture. In one condition, personal cultural examples were used to illustrate the major points in the lecture, whereas in the other, hypothetical examples were used. American university students (N = 160) viewed the 10-minute videotape and then completed a recall of lecture material and questionnaires on uncertainty, attitude, and ethnocentrism. Results demonstrated that the use of personal examples by the ITA significantly reduced student uncertainty and improved student attitude toward the ITA, and increased student recall of lecture material. In addition, certainty correlated positively with attitude, thus providing support for Berger and Calabreses 1975 Axiom 7 of uncertainty reduction theory … decreases in uncertainty levels produce increases in liking. Ethnocentrism did not correlate significantly with attitude or recall.

NNS Performance on Writing Proficiency Exams: Focus on Students Who Failed.

Abstract An increasing number of U.S. universities require students to pass a writing proficiency examination before receiving undergraduate degrees. It is often assumed that these exams present special problems for nonnative speakers of English (NNSs). Johns (1991) reported on a case study of one students difficulties with a writing proficiency exam. The student performed well in other courses but failed the required writing exam twice—and had not passed it prior to publication of the study. In our study, academic records of 191 NNSs who took a writing examination in 1991 were analyzed to assess their performance on the writing examination at Georgia State University (GSU). In addition, profiles of the students who failed were compiled, in part to determine how common the type of student profiled by Johns is at GSU. Of the original 191 NNSs, 16 were shown in the Registrars record keeping system as still not having passed the writing exam by December 1994. The analysis shows that only 3 of these 16 students closely match the Johns profile. Of the remaining 13, 4 have C averages and 9 have failing grade point averages (GPAs). For these nine, failing the writing exam is part of an overall pattern of academic difficulty. Questions remain about the relationship between English proficiency and academic preparation and about responsibilities for academically weak students.

Hispanic/Anglo-American differences in attributions to paralinguistic behavior☆

Abstract This article reports a study of attributions made by Hispanics and Anglo-Americans to paralinguistic behaviors. The study is part of a large-scale program of research on Hispanic-Anglo differences in perceptions and interpretations of behavior. Procedures for five stages of data collection for the larger project involving interviews with persons from both cultures, observations of interactions, and the use of structured questionnaires to obtain episodes of crosscultural interactions and attributions to these episodes are summarized. Analyses of the attributional choices made by teachers and pupils of both cultures for ten episodes focusing on paralanguage elements such as tempo (fast—slow), laughing, yelling, and intensity (loudness) are presented. The Hispanic-Anglo differences found are discussed in terms of their implications for theory and for cross-cultural training.

Identity Construction as Nexus of Multimembership: Attempts at Reconciliation through an Online Intercultural Communication Course.

Using situated learning (Lave & Wenger, 1991) and communities of practice (Wenger, 1998) as our theoretical framework, we focused on two female graduate students in applied linguistics as each attempted to negotiate memberships in multiple communities during an international exchange program. Eleven students at six universities took part in an internet-based intercultural communication course in addition to courses at their host universities, generating data in the form of online postings, final course papers, e-mails to the instructor, and retrospective evaluations. Ines, a Mexican student in Canada, appeared to reconcile her identity successfully as a nexus of multimembership. Adrienne, a U.S. student living in Mexico, attempted to participate in practices at her host university but felt marginalized. Our analysis demonstrates the difficulty, complexity, and sometimes the impossibility of reconciliation as a process for weaving a nexus of multimembership into one identity when encountering new practices across national borders.

The Implications of Schema Theory Reading Research to Technology Transfer in Developing Countries

Little research has been done on the information processing of technology transfer in developing countries (Gonod, 1981). This paper discusses information processing, using the well-researched area of English as a Second Language (ESL) reading and schema theory. In particular, it describes a reading study with Egyptian students who read 4 pairs of matched readings, 4 Egyptian and 4 American readings. Students recalled (i.e. learned) significantly more from the Egyptian readings. The implications of these results to the transfer of technology are discussed.