Swee Noi Smith

Differences between Chinese and Australian students: some implications for distance educators.

First year undergraduate Business and Computing Chinese students studying on‐campus in Australia and from Confucian cultural heritage societies were compared with first year Australian undergraduat...

Approaches to study of three Chinese national groups

BACKGROUND Although numerous studies have examined the learning approaches of Chinese students, very few comparative studies have been carried out with Chinese students from different nations. AIMS The present research was designed to identify differences in study approach between Chinese university students drawn from Malaysia, Singapore, and Hong Kong. SAMPLES The sample consisted of 192 Chinese students with 89 students from Malaysia (43 males and 46 females), 65 students from Hong Kong (41 males and 24 females), and 38 students from Singapore (12 males and 26 females). METHOD All students completed Entwistle and Ramsdens (1983) Approaches to Studying Inventory by rating on a 4-point Likert scale how well each of the 64 items described their own learning behaviour. RESULTS The hypotheses that, in comparison with their respective counterparts, Malaysian Chinese students would identify themselves as being more dependent in their learning, Singaporean students as being more adept in presenting ideas/concepts in a clear and systematic fashion, and Hong Kong students as being more anxious in their learning approach, were all supported. However, the hypothesis that Hong Kong students would be more strategic in their learning approach than their national counterparts was not supported. CONCLUSIONS Based on the significant differences in learning approaches noted among the different Chinese subgroups, caution must therefore be taken against forming fixed conceptualisations of cultural characteristics and considerable care be given in sample definition and selection in cross-cultural research.

Learning through computer‐mediated communication: a comparison of Australian and Chinese heritage students

Twelve Australian and 12 Chinese heritage students from a third‐year university computer ethics subject completed a Readiness for Online Learning Questionnaire; and six students from each of these two groups participated in a student‐facilitated problem‐solving discussion through computer‐mediated communication. The questionnaire comparisons showed that the two groups of students were equally willing to self‐manage their own learning, but that Australian students were significantly more comfortable with e‐learning. The analysis of student postings in the CMC component showed that, collectively, Australian students posted more messages than did the Chinese students. Both groups participated equally in socialisation online; although Chinese heritage students posted a higher number of messages associated with organisational matters; and Australian students posted a larger number of message components associated with intellectual contributions to the discussion. These results are interpreted in a theoretical context and implications for practice are drawn.

Approaches to Studying of Australian and Overseas Chinese University Students

Abstract This article takes up the question of whether the approaches to study adopted by Australian students and overseas Chinese students differ. Participants in the study consisted of 202 first‐year Australian students and 248 first‐year overseas Chinese students drawn from two Australian universities. The students were tested using the Approaches to Studying Inventory (ASI). The data obtained from the two groups were subjected to factor analysis (with orthogonal rotation). For Australian students, a four‐factor structure in studying approaches, which accounted for 55.6% of the total variance, was obtained. The factors were: Meaning Orientation; Non‐Academic Orientation; Anxious‐Rigid Orientation; and Goal Orientation. For the overseas Chinese students, a four‐factor structure in studying approaches which accounted for 52.8% of the total variance was obtained. The factors were: Anxious‐Surface Orientation; Self‐Motivated Reflective Orientation; Efficiency Orientation; and Comprehension Orientation. Alt...

Supporting Chinese distance learners through computer-mediated communication: revisiting Salmon's model

Salmons (2000) proposed model for the effective development of on-line communication and collaboration between student suggests that on-line socialisation forms an early and important component of establishing required levels of comfort and skill. In this paper we review research with Chinese learners that suggests that some adjustments to Salmons model may be advisable for these students. Specifically, the model is redeveloped to provide a more structured experience, and to use that structure to develop on-line skills, such that the development of comfortable socialisation is seen as an ongoing process rather than only an early enabler.