Introduction

Brazil, China, and the Arabian peninsula are all a long way from Wisconsin and Minnesota, where we teach, but students from these vastly different geographic locations are increasingly likely to find themselves sharing a classroom in academic English programs (AEPs) and intensive English programs (IEPs) in the upper Midwest. While many university ESL students share common goals like increasing their English language proficiency and moving on from ESL classes to credit-bearing courses in their majors, the specific challenges that they face to achieve those objectives depend, to varying degrees, on where they are coming from as well as their previous educational experiences. Regardless of country of origin and besides the general aim of improving their linguistic skills, students must adapt to classroom dynamics and teaching styles that are as foreign to them, or even diametrically opposed to what is customary in their home countries, as the language they are studying.

Though we recognize that we run the risk of overgeneralizing or stereotyping whole populations by providing these insights, through our observations and anecdotal evidence we have identified/highlighted a handful of key characteristics and cultural norms that can be especially useful for an ESL instructor who is unfamiliar with these demographics. We have focused on these three groups of students as they happen to be particularly well represented in our IEP and AEP at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities (U of M) and the University of Wisconsin-River Falls (UWRF), respectively.

Our findings summarize a MinneTESOL College Interest Section Coffee Hour held in Roseville, MN, titled “Increasing Your Influence and Effectiveness with ESL Learners” (A. Bidegaray, C. Lavin, K. Kong, & Z. Canestorp, personal communication, April 26, 2014), where four presenters spoke about their experience with students from Brazil, China, and the Arabian Gulf. Strategies were given on increasing one’s influence and effectiveness with students from these regions.

Gulf Arab Students

According to Sharp (2011), Gulf Arab students come from what is often described as a shame-based culture in which public criticism and embarrassment are powerful influences that may lead to the avoidance of risk-taking/experimentation with the second language (L2) in the classroom and can cause teacher-student conflicts if a teacher criticizes or even calls on students to perform (i.e., makes them vulnerable to embarrassment) in front of the class. Though this type of discord may arise in the classroom, once the conflict is resolved (e.g., the teacher states the rule and/or consequence of an action), Gulf Arab students tend to move on without holding a grudge or continuing to press the issue or question the teacher’s decision.

The art of negotiation is so prevalent in Arabian Gulf cultures that it is reasonable to expect it to manifest in the ESL classroom as well. Middle Eastern students may try to negotiate rules, deadlines, tardiness, or other classroom expectations with the teacher. Tardiness, in particular, is often an issue, as students, without explicit instruction, may not fully comprehend that coming late to class causes interruption and may negatively impact their grades. The amount of time expected to be spent on studying out of class can also be problematic. According to some Omani students in the Minnesota English Language Program, because they are accustomed to spending their after-school time with friends and family, they may have difficulty adapting to the intensity of homework and projects that are assigned in ESL classes. To combat these issues, it is advisable to set specific classroom rules and expectations at the beginning of the semester, which are then reinforced throughout the semester.

While the problem areas in Gulf Arabs’ English language skills may not be as evidently characterized as for other student populations, there are some predictable areas of difficulty in phonetics (such as differentiating the phonemes /b/ and /p/) as well as orthography (i.e., adapting to a new alphabet) for these students. They are generally more advanced verbally and enjoy social listening and speaking more than reading and writing; therefore, they may seem to undervalue activities that emphasize accuracy as opposed to fluency.

A final topic that was addressed during the Coffee Hour was interaction between male and female students from the Arabian Gulf countries. Though we were concerned that female students may initially feel uncomfortable, we were assured that this is usually a quick adjustment, and there are rarely issues of this nature in the classroom. Gulf Arab students, both male and female, almost always receive some sort of cultural orientation/training session before leaving their countries regarding appropriate behavior in the ESL classroom.

Chinese Students

Like our students from the Arabian Gulf, Chinese students also come from a shame-based culture ((Li, Wang, & Fischer, 2003). Because the teacher is generally regarded with the utmost respect, students may avoid eye contact with the teacher and refrain from disagreeing or even stating their opinions. Consequently, Chinese students usually need more time to become comfortable sharing their ideas publically. In general, they are more comfortable sharing with peers than directly to the teacher or in front of the class, so pair/group work is a feasible compromise when eliciting Chinese students’ opinions.

Dissatisfaction with lower-than-expected grades may lead Chinese students to argue or negotiate with the teacher. This type of dissonance stems from the students’ belief that poor grades bring shame on their families; nevertheless, Chinese students may react stoically to feedback, whether critical or constructive, out of respect for the teacher (A. Bidegaray, C. Lavin, K. Kong, & Z. Canestorp, personal communication, April 26, 2014).

Chinese students may also be hesitant to individually discuss class-related issues with the teacher. The students’ reluctance can be mitigated by meeting with students in a group setting, or in pairs, initially; Chinese students tend to be more willing to state feelings and ideas if they are with a classmate.

In terms of English language learning tasks, Chinese students work very well on individual activities such as reading, but they have less experience collaborating in groups in which they must share ideas and learn from each other. Additionally, creative exercises such as free writing may be such a foreign concept to Chinese students that they may be viewed as unstructured and thus less effective.

Lastly, we discussed certain social behaviors (such as same-sex hand-holding) that may be misinterpreted by Americans as well as a particular concern for Chinese students in regard to the pragmatics of names in American culture. Because Chinese students often adopt English names, they should be aware that certain names are exclusively used for males or females, some names may be outdated or unfashionable, and others may just be inappropriate translations of Chinese names (such as Autumn Rain or Smart Super).

Brazilian Students

Brazilian students seem to have a propensity for verbal activities and be highly motivated to learn English through classroom participation. We have found that Brazilian students tend to enjoy activities that involve cooperation and group work. Because this type of dynamism is on the opposite end of the spectrum from the stereotypical Chinese classroom, a disparate atmosphere could result in a classroom composed of both Chinese and Brazilian students (which is the norm at UWRF); however, we have found that these two cultures complement each other well in the ESL classroom and create a mutually beneficial synergy.

Regarding English language skills, most Brazilian students have predictable, and often treatable, phonemic pronunciation problems that correlate directly to their first language, Portuguese. Their writing skills vary so greatly, it would be imprudent to prescribe tailored-for-Brazilians advice, even in this generalized summary; however, it should be noted that the Brazilian students at UWRF are all a part of the Brazil Scientific Mobility Program and as such are STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) majors. Therefore, these students come with extensive knowledge of scientific concepts and vocabulary (which are often cognates and/or Latin based) but need reinforcement in English pronunciation and grammatical usage. As such, our Brazilian students often arrive with relatively strong reading skills and need more time developing their listening skills.

As with the Chinese students, there are some notable differences for Brazilians in terms of pragmatics of U.S. culture (Crabtree & Sapp, 2004) that should be introduced to newly arriving Brazilian ESL students. Their perception of appropriate public displays of affection (e.g., what may be seen as draping themselves on their friends) and greetings (e.g., kissing and hugging) may be misinterpreted by Americans or other international students.

Conclusion

Our MinneTESOL Coffee Hour discussion revealed several of the unique and differentiating factors among our respective ESL student populations. Although we recognize that every student is an individual, acknowledging the diverse cultural norms and general characteristics of our student populations (and their educational backgrounds) is a crucial step toward understanding their specific learning styles and effectively engaging them in the learning process. In our quest to optimize our ESL teaching/facilitating abilities, we have found this kind of reflection to be an exceptionally practical and collaborative form of professional development.

References

Crabtree, R., & Sapp, A. (2004). Your culture, my classroom, whose pedagogy? Negotiating effective teaching and learning in Brazil. Journal of Studies in International Education, 8(1), 105–132.

Li, J., Wang, L., & Fischer, K. (2003). The organization of Chinese shame concepts. Retrieved from http//www.gse.harvard.edu/~ddl/articlesCopy/ShameRevisnFinalFigs.pdf

Sharp, A. (2011). Tackling the tough issues. In The Everything Guide to the Middle East (pp. 247–256). Retrieved from books.google.com/books?isbn=1440529019

Amrit Bidegaray is an associate lecturer in the English Language Transition Program at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls, where she teaches courses in speaking and listening, grammar, reading, writing, and vocabulary for specific purposes.

Charlie Lavin has been teaching ESL/EFL since 2006. He is currently an associate lecturer in the English Language Transition Program at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls.