INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS
AND ORAL PRESENTATIONS.

Academic staff who teach international students can
contribute significantly to the students’ individual
learning and provide a bridge into Australian
academic culture
Oral Presentations



Daunting for many students
Hold particular challenges for international students,
both in terms of language and culture
Research - 54 ACU students
Discussion

What problems have you observed with your own
students?
The challenges identified by
students I
Confusion with regard to criteria used by
academics to assess their work
 Lack of confidence in putting their own ideas
forward
 Fear of making errors or any grammatical
inaccuracies
 Concerns related to negative judgement by
peers

Donna Cook 2008
The challenges identified by
students II
Unwillingness to “show off” or push
themselves forward in front of both peers and
teachers
 Fear that their accents will not be readily
understood
 Perceived inability to structure their work
appropriately

Donna Cook 2008

International students, especially those from Asian
backgrounds, come to us with a number of
embedded cultural assumptions that influence the
way they view and perform in our classes
The cultural assumptions underpinning
these obstacles



“ The nail that sticks up must be hammered down”
Many students found it challenging to stand out in
front of their peers, and found that confidence may
be confused with “boasting”
Conformity and humility are highly valued in
Confucian based cultures
The cultural assumptions underpinning
these obstacles I


“Who am I to change what is already perfect?”
The concept of plagiarism is quite a western
concept
The cultural assumptions
underpinning these obstacles II


“An open book with blank pages”
Their role as a student is to be directed by their
respected teacher and be shown the way to the
truth
The cultural assumptions underpinning
these obstacles III


“Culture is vulture”
Many students form Confucian based cultures
believe that it is the student’s role to absorb
information and show quiet respect for the teacher
– not push forward their own ideas, this would
equate to daring to challenge a respected teacher
or scholar
The cultural assumptions underpinning
these obstacles IV
“Get to the point, what point?”
Donna Cook 2009
So a mental check list may look like
this:



I must not stand out too
much and appear
proud
I must look down to
show my respect
I must not put forward
any of my own ideas
as my teacher has
already given me the
knowledge I need


I must give detailed
background
information so that
everyone can
understand my points
I will use verbatim the
words of great
scholars
Content and Organisation



Is the information
cohesive?
Is there an introduction,
body and conclusion?
Does the introduction
succeed in highlighting
the central points?

Does the conclusion
adequately summarise
the main points?
Presentation Skills



Is the pace of delivery
suitable for audience?
Is the speaker audible
and expressive?
Does the speaker
maintain eye contact
and engage with the
audience?

Does the speaker
interact with the slides?
Slide Design & Content



Is there an overall
design?
Are the slides clear?
Are the main points
presented, without too
much detail?

Are the images
relevant to the topic?
Language and Format



How accurate is the
sentence structure,
grammar and spelling?
Is paraphrasing used
appropriately?
Is the presentation
within the time limit?


Is referencing correct
and appropriate?
Are images
referenced?
A challenge – but not an
impossibility

Students from Asian backgrounds are often very
eager to learn new cultural norms – and these
differences in cultural background do not mean that
they lack to ability to adapt and excel in a western
academic environment
How can we help?

What do you think academics can do to ease the
transition for some of these students?
How can we help?



As academics we need to make our rules and
expectations explicit and clear from the beginning
Nothing can be taken for granted as we are not
always aware of the students perspective or
understanding
Model for the students what you consider “best
practice”
How can we help?



Provide a number of “non threatening”
opportunities for oral interaction in class prior to the
task
“Reframe” the task
It may be culturally impossible for a recently
arrived international student to ask for help – so we
need to empower them to do this or offer help when
there is a need is suspected



A mentor or “buddy” can be invaluable.
Use video camera on mobile phone to practice and
self critique
We can be more forgiving when what is expected is
not always what is delivered e.g. “cut and pasted”
slides – but we need to ensure that it is understood
so that it becomes a learning opportunity
How can we help?



Provide detailed feedback on tasks – but be
careful to acknowledge the positive
Do what you can to build the students’ confidence so
they come to believe that they can deliver what is
expected of them
Recognise what they bring to class, affirming their
own past experience
How can we help?


We can direct students to the range of services the
university provides - students may not do this on
their own
http://dlibrary.acu.edu.au/research/orals/
References



Ballard, B. & Clanchy, J. (1991). Teaching students from
overseas. Melbourne: Longman Cheshire.
Biggs, J (1997). 'Teaching across and within cultures:
the issue of international students'. In Learning and
teaching in higher education: advancing international
perspectives. Proceedings of the Higher Education
Research and Development Society of Australasia
Conference, 8-11 July 1997, pages 1-22.
Benn, R. (2000). Exploring Widening Participation in Higher
Education: Targeting, Retention and ‘Really Useful
Knowledge’, Seminar Presentation, University of Southern
Queensland, 15 March.
Chandraratna, D. (1997). What’s in a name?
In conversation with international students. Curtin
University of Technology, Perth, Western
Australia.
 Hasling, J. (1998). The audience, the message,
the speaker. New York: McGraw-Hill.
 Nunan, D (1991). Language teaching
methodology. UK: Prentice-Hall.
