“We Participate, Silently”: Explicating Thai University Students’ Perceptions of Their Classroom Participation and Communication
https://doi.org/10.17583/qre.2021.7159
Keywords:
Downloads
Abstract
This study explores Thai university students’ perceptions of their reluctance in verbal classroom participation especially in situations where English is used as the medium for instruction. It is generally perceived that non-native learners particularly from high context cultures such as Thailand have the tendency to remain silent during discussion sessions or when they are asked to participate in activities related to expressing their opinions. By investigating this phenomenon through focus group meetings with Thai university students, this study reveals reasons that cause students to be hesitant speakers in class through the eyes of students themselves. The results confirm that though students agree to the common perception of Asian students being quiet learners, they did not agree that they were passive learners; they emphasized the fact that they used ‘silence’ as a tool to quietly yet attentively participate. The study also highlights that students’ silence can be seen as a way to harmonize with the environment and situation which is the cultural norm in the Thai context.Downloads
Download data is not yet available.
Downloads
Published
2021-02-28
Almetric
Dimensions
How to Cite
Chung, J. H. J. (2021). “We Participate, Silently”: Explicating Thai University Students’ Perceptions of Their Classroom Participation and Communication. Qualitative Research in Education, 10(1), 62–87. https://doi.org/10.17583/qre.2021.7159
Issue
Section
Articles
License
All articles are published under Creative Commons copyright (CC BY). Authors hold the copyright and retain publishing rights without restrictions, but authors allow anyone to download, reuse, reprint, modify, distribute, and/or copy articles as the original source is cited.