READ | TEACHING @ | INTERNATIONAL | ACADEMIC CULTURE
culture and cross-cultural issues | academic culture | second language anxiety | communication skills
Values & Beliefs
Many international instructors have commented on the fact that U.S. students seem preoccupied with grades. This preoccupation may be due in part to the U.S. cultural emphasis on individual competition permeating all areas of life. Grades are used by admissions offices, financial aid constituencies, scholarship donors, future employers, and even parents to assess and judge the students who earn them.That said, some U.S. students are not overly concerned with their grades. While many students here are quite interested in their classes and want to do well, some students are not particularly motivated to study. For some, competing responsibilities necessitate placing school towards the bottom of their list of priorities. For others, attendance at the university is viewed as more of a social learning experience. It is important to recognize that these factors can shape your students’ motivation in ways that are beyond your control.
Students at all levels may have families and jobs, as well as full-time school responsibilities. Others are finding themselves away from home for the first time and are enjoying their new freedom from parental rules, as well as dealing with feelings of loss, anxiety, and homesickness. They may also be having problems adjusting, such as sharing housing accommodations with strangers, being in a new environment, and meeting all of their new academic responsibilities. In short, they may be going through a culture shock similar to what you may be feeling! There will be issues in some students’ lives that have nothing to do with you or the class material that prevent them from making your class or their grades a priority.
You are likely to have certain academic standards of success for yourself that your students may not share. Students have varying levels of abilities, interests, and priorities that will influence their motivation in your class. Keeping these individual differences in mind will help you accommodate your students’ needs without blaming yourself for “failing” to inspire each of your students to learn.
In many countries, only a very small minority of the population is able to attend a university and these students are generally very committed to the academic enterprise. In the United States during the last 50 years, great efforts have made access to higher education more widely available. Admission to Ohio State is “highly selective” and students must do quite well in high school and on one of the standard admissions exams to attend. However, many students, regardless of their intelligence or prior preparation, attend college because it is the expected next step after high school. Also, it is important to remember that U.S. student culture values collegiate social life and “relevance,” practical application of knowledge in support of career goals, at least as much as scholarship for its own sake. Individual students will shift their primary focus from one of these values to another at various times in their college career and in different contexts. For more information about students at Ohio State see Who Are OSU Students.
 previous page |
