ANÁLISIS DE LA SITUACIÓN ACTUAL

All the participants recounted their vivid memories of sitting quietly listening to lecturers and taking notes in the Vietnamese context. Only occasionally could they ask questions during the class, and then only with certain lecturers. For example, Toan explained “I only asked questions from young, easy-going lecturers. Other lecturers didn’t like students to ask questions in their lectures, so I did not dare to do so” (Toan, Int. 1). The interactions between lecturers and students in the learning process were minimal, as described by Lan: “students mainly listened, took notes, but rarely asked any question” (Lan, Int. 1). There were various reasons put forward as an explanation for this. For example, students did not dare to ask questions as they thought they would be looked down upon, and they were expected to behave formally and follow what lecturers said obediently.

We didn’t want to ask questions because we were worried of bothering lecturers or making other students think that we were stupid. (Huyen, Int. 1)

When there was something I didn’t understand, I had to consider whether it was problematic enough to ask and if it was, I waited until the recess to ask. If I did ask when the lecturers were talking, I would be marked down in terms of behaviour in class. (Tri, Int. 1)

The limited interaction was also a result of the distance that the participants felt between lecturers and students which made the students feel reluctant to get close to or discuss learning issues with their lecturers. For example, Phung stated:

I think lecturers play a very important role because they are the main and even sometimes, the only knowledge resource. Without them, students could not know what to do and what to study. However, the importance of the lecturers

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deterred the students from communicating or discussing things with them. (Phung, Int. 1)

The participants also linked the expectation of students being quiet during the lecture to the method of delivery:

In my opinion, the most important thing was that students had to be quiet and keep silent, to not interrupt the lecturers and other students. Secondly, they had to listen to the lecturers carefully… Lecturers did not ask students’ opinions but just concentrated on knowledge transfer. (Khanh, Int. 1)

…the lecturers just cared about their presentation without caring about students’ understanding and interest, so sometimes, students really wanted to ask but they dared not. (Phung, Int. 1)

…the teaching method mainly focused on communicating knowledge; the interaction between lecturers and students was limited. (Thu, Int. 1)

Khanh thought that the lack of interaction between lecturers and students, specifically lack of feedback from students to lecturers, was one of the remarkable weaknesses in teaching in Vietnam (Khanh, Int. 1).

However, in the Australian context, it was generally reported that the participants discussed learning issues with lecturers more often because they felt more confident and comfortable asking questions. All the participants were appreciative of this opportunity; they felt it was not something they were used to, but because they had support, they engaged more in communicating with lecturers in this new environment because of the close relationships with lecturers. Four participants expressed their experiences of having a close relationship between lecturers and students, which they did not have when they were studying in Vietnam. For example, Thu explained: “In this Australian University, the relationships between lecturers and students were fairly equal, in comparison to that in Vietnam” (Thu, Int. 3). In more detail, Tri described: “It is quite different here [In Australia] when I meet the lecturers; they tend to be more open and closer to students, just like a friend, an older brother or sister” (Tri, Int. 1). The close relationship made students feel comfortable and respected when communicating or

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discussing learning issues with their lecturers. For example, Phung and Huyen explained:

Lecturers and students [In Australia] have a close relationship. Ideas or arguments of students were respected by lecturers, so students felt comfortable to ask their lecturers if necessary. … Sometimes, I had foolish questions but the lecturers still answered happily, so I did not feel embarrassed. (Phung, Int. 3)

The lecturers here are so friendly, we can talk like friends; we can ask whatever questions we feel confused or do not understand during the lecture time and they never look down on us even with simple questions. (Huyen, Int.3)

Three participants also noted that, in addition to various opportunities for discussion with Australian lecturers and their approachability, the lecturers likewise always paid close attention to students’ learning, and were always ready to provide support if needed and encouraged the students to ask for help (Tri, Int. 2; Ha, Int. 3 & Truong, Int. 3).

Seven (out of nine) participants described various opportunities to discuss learning issues with their lecturers when studying in the Australian blended context, which influenced their learning habits, for example:

In this environment students could ask their lecturers in the lecture hall, in tutorial class, on the forum, in consultation time with lecturers and via emails etc. (Lan, Int. 3).

This learning environment could help the students choose to discuss learning issues with their lecturers at their convenience, thus they increasingly engaged in such discussions. For example, Phung, Truong and Ha explained that because the tutorial classes were most suitable for talking to lecturers (small size, furniture arrangements, as described in Chaper 4) they felt comfortable and engaged in discussions (Ha, Int. 3; Phung & Truong Int. 3).

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However, seven participants acknowledged that even though the environment was encouraging and friendly, they felt that the learning habits they had gained in Vietnam held them back when studying in Australia. Their engagement in discussions with lecturers was improved compared to their study in Vietnam; however, they were still much behind their Australian counterparts in this respect. For example, Toan and Huyen described:

In class, as a Vietnamese person, I didn’t want to bother lecturers. So at the beginning I mostly listened to discussions of lecturers and other students. Then I did participate more later on but not much (Huyen, Int. 3)

Even though lecturers often encourage students to raise questions and give personal opinions in classes, I still rarely participate or don’t contribute much compared with the local students. This may be because of my learning habit, but I really like the learning environment. (Toan, Int. 2)

Similarly, Truong confided that he was not used to communicating in public: “Due to my habit I often think that lecturers are always correct; hence, in case of not understanding, I spend more time searching for the answer” (Truong, Int. 3). He also admitted that “international students did not participate much in class discussion with lecturers… because they were not confident in communicating in English (Truong, Int. 3).

Interestingly, ICT-based environment in Australia helped the students to compensate for these learning habits obtained in Vietnam. The participants felt that the online environments were convenient and safe for communicating with their lecturers - similar to how they felt in participating in discussion with their peers (as described in previous section). Communication with lecturers via email or the on-line forum was considered by all the participants as the most frequently used means for their participation in discussions because of the safe and considered nature of this environment. For example, Huyen felt shy and hardly joined in discussions with her lecturers in class, but she often communicated with the lecturers via email or forum because she thought “it was quite easy, convenient and formal” (Huyen, Int. 3). Likewise, Toan said:

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The learning environment helped me be more confident. I was not embarrassed to ask questions. Good facilities and application of ICT in teaching activities made learning more comfortable and easy. Communication via email or forum enabled me to discuss much more, because I had enough time to prepare for giving questions and was not embarrassed like in direct communication. (Toan, Int. 3)

The participants’ experiences revealed in the above quotes show that, with ICT support, students were able to overcome the obstacles and difficulties of face-to-face communication. They therefore could, and did, discuss learning issues with their lecturers more frequently in the ICT-based learning environment.

5.2.4 Summary

This section has described the ways that the participants gradually started to more actively participate in their study by undertaking learning activities offered by the

Australian ICT-based environments such as investigations, group work, and discussion

with peers and lecturers. This is in contrast to learning in Vietnam where they did not really participate or engage actively in hands-on learning activities because of the environments they encountered there: They were not expected or encouraged to get involved in such activities but expected to follow and comply with what was provided and taught by their lecturers, and were discouraged from extra investigations. Additionally, they were not given a chance (or were not required) to participate in group work or in discussions with peers or lecturers. Therefore, in class they were silent, passive learners who mainly listened to and followed predetermined knowledge from the lecturers. Some participants felt restricted by this style of learning, but others admitted that they were used to being “spoon fed” and felt comfortable and safe with that style.

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Studying in the Australian ICT-based context allowed the participants to undergo a significant change in their study habits. They participated and engaged more in hands- on activities. This was because in this blended learning environment the students had ICT support for convenient participation in learning activities. They were provided with opportunities to access various learning materials and to join face-to-face group activities as well as online forums. The students were informed and challenged by the lecturers, who were encouraging and friendly, making them feel more confident and comfortable in their study. The local learning culture experienced in classes was also encouraging for these international students. Nevertheless, the learning habits that the students developed from Vietnam were at times considered to be initial obstacles in increasing their participation in this new blended environment.