Classroom Behaviors in US Universities

In this day and age, there is an increase in the number of students who travel to the United States for studying purposes. In other words, the United States has faced a high inflow of students in recent years. Students study at numerous universities around the country and contribute to the internalization and diversity in these classes, the campuses, and the communities they settle in (Wu, Garza, and Guzman, 2015). They present new and different perspectives in these classrooms and promote the understanding of the various cultures around the world.

To that end, it is important to include these students in American colleges and universities, given their positive contributions to student populations across the country.

The presence of international students in American colleges and universities has made us realize the major differences between the cultures of American classrooms and those of other countries. These differences are identified in how students conduct themselves in the classroom, the relationships shared by students and their instructors, and classroom communication and participation.

There are many cultures in the United States, which means that classroom cultures attached to student conduct are rich in diversity. From my observation of a Calculus 1041 class session, these differences were evident. For instance, there were differences between the dress codes of Muslim female students and American students. While the Muslim ladies wore long dresses and hijabs, the American students wore simple T-shirts and jeans, as well as short skirts accompanied with knee-length boots. Moreover, how students from each culture conduct themselves in the classroom differs greatly. For example, some students start scrolling their mobile devices once seated, while others sit on tables talking to their friends. Muslim female students tend to speak in low tones, only speak to other females, and isolate themselves from the rest of the class. The contexts of the conversations differ, but they result in a lot of noise.

The relationship between the instructor and students plays a vital role in determining the culture of the class. Some cultures encourage the interactions between students and their professors while others do not. For instance, in the Chinese culture, students are trained to obey their instructors (Wu, Garza, and Guzman, 2015).

In an interview conducted with a Chinese student studying at Temple University, the result showed that Chinese classroom culture does not encourage interaction between students and their professors. Chinese students are not expected to disrupt their professors, and if they call their teachers by their first name, it is considered rude. In contrast, American students can interrupt their professors in the middle of a class to ask questions. Moreover, they can call their professors by their first names.

Classroom participation is another major difference between American classroom culture and that of other countries. The reason there are many differences in how students participate in the United States classes is that these classes have a high level of diversity.
From my observation notes, I could tell that the behavior of the students in the classroom was friendly and casual, characterized by smooth interactions between the students. The American students did not completely focus on the professor, and some of them were sleeping during the class. Furthermore, some Arabic students also lacked focus, with one of them using his smartphone during the entire class. On the other hand, the rest of the students were attentive and paid full attention to what was discussed and written by the professor. This issue of reduced attention in the American and Arabic students highlights the difference in classroom participation between the American and Chinese classroom culture. In my interview with a Chinese student, it was confirmed that students not always participating in the classroom was true. Unlike American students, who are taught to have independent thoughts and approach a subject personally, Chinese students are trained to memorize the instructor’s content. As such, it’s normal to find Chinese students silent for the entire semester (Bista 2011). Similarly, when students wish to ask questions, they’re encouraged to raise their hands and wait to be picked by the instructor.

To sum up, it’s apparent that American classroom culture differs from that of other countries. The increased diversity in American classrooms creates varied classroom behaviors. Arabic and Chinese students tend to be more silent and attentive, while American students are not. Moreover, American students tend to participate more in classes, unlike the Chinese students who refrain from participation in some classes. Also, the relationships between students and their professors in United States classrooms are more relaxed and friendly than those in Chinese classrooms.

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