TOPIC: SUCCESS, APTITUDE AND LEARNING STRATEGIES --- EXPLORING THE DIFFERENCES IN THE WESTERN AND EASTERN CULTURES

1. 1 TOPIC: SUCCESS, APTITUDE AND LEARNING STRATEGIES --- EXPLORING THE DIFFERENCES IN THE WESTERN AND EASTERN CULTURES PRESENTER: YANG YUNBAO PhD STUDENT, FACULTY OF EDUCATION, LA TROBE UNIVERSITY Date: DECEMBER 2, 2005 E-MAIL: yangyunbaogeorge@hotmail.com As language teachers, most of us have had the experience that we have in our classes some students who are an absolute joy to teach; they progress quickly; they present no problems; But then there are others who are just the opposite. Teaching them is a struggle and an uphill task all along. Well our research purpose is to understand why some are better than others, � not to ridicule the poor ones As language teachers, most of us have had the experience that we have in our classes some students who are an absolute joy to teach; they progress quickly; they present no problems; But then there are others who are just the opposite. Teaching them is a struggle and an uphill task all along. Well our research purpose is to understand why some are better than others, � not to ridicule the poor ones

2. 2 DIFFERENT LEARNING STRATEGIES Western observers have often observed that Asian students frequently use rote learning strategies. This behaviour has been observed in their home contexts (Murphy, 1987), and while studying overseas in countries such as Australia (Ballard & Clanchy, 1984; Bradley & Bradley, 1984; Samuelowics, 1987). A county-level secondary school usually recruit students from both urban areas and rural areas. A township-level secondary school usually recruit students from surrounding villages, this school can be regarded as community secondary school. Both county-level and township level use same sets of textbooks required by the State Educational Commission.A county-level secondary school usually recruit students from both urban areas and rural areas. A township-level secondary school usually recruit students from surrounding villages, this school can be regarded as community secondary school. Both county-level and township level use same sets of textbooks required by the State Educational Commission.

3. 3 DIFFERENT CULTURES Different cultures have different ideas about language learning success. �The first feature of typical Chinese (and other Asian) learners that evidently strikes the Western is the apparent tendency for rote learning� (Biggs & Watkins, 1996: 270). Biggs & Watkins (1996) found that �success achieved through hard work is valued more highly than that gained by high ability in Confucian heritage, but not in Western culture. Ability itself is perceived by Chinese teachers, parents, and students as an attribute that can be modified by effort. The upshot is that Chinese students are much more likely to accept personal responsibility for their successes and failures than their Western counterparts� (p.275). So there is a problem in learning.So there is a problem in learning.

4. 4 ROTE-LEARNING VS HARDWORKING �In Chinese culture, which stresses hard work, effort, and perseverance, one would expect students to adopt a predominantly deep/achieving approach to learning� (Salili, 1996:96). Both Ballard and Clanchy (1984) and Biggs and Watkins (1996) provide a picture of the road to success of Asian or Chinese students in learning English or any other disciplines based on �rote learning� and �hardworking�. This conclusion lacks an answer as to why this �rote learning and �hardworking� come from.

5. 5 CULTURAL DIFFERENCE Asian students were more likely than their Western counterparts to attribute failure to internal causes such as lack of ability or lack of effort. A more recent study by Kivilu and Rogers (1998) based in Kenyan high schools has suggested, however, that other cultural differences may exist, such as lack of emphasis upon effort as an explanation for success or failure in African societies. Biggs & Watkins (1996) and Marton et al., (1996) all observed that hard work is a characteristic of Chinese or Asian students. �Their backgrounds encourage them to work harder and harder to maximize their likelihood of academic success. They are likely to feel guilty and to be blamed by their teachers and parents if they fail examinations� (Marton et al., 1996:227).

6. 6 HISTORICAL BACKGROUND The tendency within Chinese culture to emphasize hard work may be related to the legends and stories which have inspired people for generations. A well-known story says �tie chu mo cheng zhen� (a determined mind can grind a bar of steel into a needle) which obviously emphasises the �strong determination to carry out a task.� Two stories of �Li Bai� (tie chu mo cheng zhen and �Yu Gong Yi Shan� (the fool moves the mountain) Two versions of intelligence: yes, there are some differences/no, except some extremely low onesTwo versions of intelligence: yes, there are some differences/no, except some extremely low ones

7. 7 CONTRAST BETWEEN CULTURES In contrast, within Western culture, hard work has not been emphasized as contributing to language learning success. Language learning success has been related to aptitude and intelligence. This contrast indicates that the same term �ability� can be understood quite differently according to the cultural background of the learner. �Chinese people believe that working hard and expending effort increases one�s ability. That is, ability can be controlled by effort. This is different from the Western belief that ability is a stable characteristic which is given rather than achieved� (Salili & Hau, 1994). Hard work might be interpreted as �clumsy� because one does not know how to do a job properly, and it is more sensible to say �work diligently.� But does this imply that aptitude is missing in the Chinese context?

8. 8 CHINESE UNDERSTANDING OF APTITUDE Chinese people rely on metaphor and descriptive characterisation to understand aptitude. Ancient Chinese scholars accepted intelligence as an attribute with which we are born and an original gift from heaven and the concept of �heaven is often included in terms for intelligence: tiancai (??), tianzi (??), and tianfu (??), translated as �ability emanating from heaven�, �resource coming from heaven�, and �endowment bestowed upon us by heaven�� (Chan, 1996: 95). Traditional Chinese learning success doesn�t seem to support this. Negative responses towards �aptitude� are obvious in the Chinese context, dating back to Wang Anshi�s work of �Shang Zhong Yong� in the Song Dynasty.

9. 9 WESTERN VIEWS OF LANGUAGE LEARNING SUCCESS In Western culture, language learning success is always associated with one�s intelligence and language aptitude. �The term �intelligence� and in particular its semantic associates �clever,� �smart,� �able,� �bright,� �good,� and so on (Winch, 1990:7) have passed into common usage and are used more or less synonymously in certain contexts. Fry and Ghosh (1980) found that students in Western societies were most likely to attribute their successes to internal causes.

10. 10 APTITUDE AND EDUCATION Dornyei (2005) argues that �in educational contexts such as second language learning, ability is often used to mean �learning ability�, that is, the individual�s potential for acquiring new knowledge or skill. Thus, �language aptitude� means exactly the same as �language ability� and is typically meant to denote �language learning ability.� Intelligence is yet another synonym for �ability�. Although some scholars distinguish between ability and aptitude, in typical practice the two are used synonymously� (p.32).

11. 11 DIFFERENT UNDERSTANDINGS By looking at aptitude, different perspectives are provided. In Western culture, aptitude is regarded as an important factor for learning success while in Eastern culture it is not emphasized, or is even looked down in deference to hard work. Then the question here is why are Chinese students learning strategies different from their counterparts in the Western culture.

12. 12 SECOND LANGUAGE LEARING OR FOREIGN LANGUAGE LEARNING The reasons for the Chinese students use different strategies might be related to their learning of Chinese, in which �reading�, �memorization� and �recitation� are essential for learning success. Besides the cultural and historical background, it is important to understand the differences based on the context in which English is being learned. Some research (Stern, 1975; Rubin 1978, Oxford 1990) on language learning success refers to English being learned as a second language and this has significant implications for contexts in which English is treated as a foreign language. In a context where English is being learned as a second language, the learners are provided with a context which is ready for them to use. However, in a context where English is being learned as a foreign language, learners tend not to have the privilege of accessing an environment where they can interact with the native English speakers. Consequently, the two dimensions largely determine the characteristics of language learning success.

13. 13 CONTEXT & STRATEGIES Taking learning English as a foreign language in the Chinese context, where English is not used by any community for communication, learners at different levels have to seek their own ways to maximize their potential in learning English and very likely they will apply their learning strategies used in Chinese to English learning. Characteristics like reciting and reading aloud are used to reinforce the information they pick up. �They would use any strategy, be it rote memorizing lots of facts, or understanding basic principles, that they perceived would maximize their chances of academic success� (Entwhistle & Ramsden, 1983).

14. 14 CULTURAL DIFFERENCES Some researchers (Biggs & Watkins, 1996) regard Chinese students as rote-learners, implying a lack of creativity in learning activities. As Lee (1996:25) demonstrates, �culture and attitudes towards education play a role in language learning success.� Three learning strategies commonly used by the students in the Chinese context are illustrated below. These learning strategies are rarely mentioned in Western cultures. Learning strategies. Cao (1999:16) states that �reciting is stressed in Chinese teaching, and it is regarded as an effective measure to reinforce one�s memory�. Yang (2004:110) explains that �students concentrate on �reading aloud� the texts and dialogues they have learnt; �loud� symbolizes practice and attention. �Reading aloud� reinforces understanding of material. It involves a blending of reading and speaking�.

15. 15 WHY MEMORIZATION �The reason that Asian learners are believed by Westerners to be orientated towards rote learning is due to the notion that the teaching philosophy and practice in Asia (and particularly in Chinese culture) is directed towards memorization� (Marton et al., 1996:70). From a Chinese perspective, a good memory is regarded as always offering an advantage in foreign language learning. Simply, one is required to memorise lots of words and expressions which are foreign and strange to Chinese learners, memorising the vocabulary is essential, as Hu (1996:16) indicates that �if students can not pass the hurdle of �vocabulary�, then there is no point training them for reading ability�. In the Chinese education system, Learning progress is solely judged through the students� understanding and ability to analyse English grammar. By using large numbers of exercises, learners try to understand how language operates and how expressions and phrases are put together because these are the points and areas tested in examinations.

16. 16 CONCLUSION Different cultures have different interpretations on success, aptitude and learning strategies. Concepts or ideas valued in one context may not be appreciated, even be denied in another. Cultural perspectives are different and it is fundamental to understand key via their cultural and historical dimensions.

17. 17 THANK YOU VERY MUCH