Cover not available

Article published In: Journal of Asian Pacific Communication
Vol. 27:1 (2017) ► pp.85–98

Get fulltext from our e-platform
JBE logo with link
PDF logo with download linkDownload PDF
authorization required

Investigating why Japanese students remain silent in Australian university classrooms

The influences of culture and identity

 | Monash University
 | St. John’s University, USA
Published online: 23 May 2017
DOI logo with link
https://doi.org/10.1075/japc.27.1.05sas
Abstract
While Australian academic contexts generally prioritize verbal participation, Japanese educational environments expect students to participate silently. This research project explored why Japanese students remain silent in Australian classrooms despite knowing the expectations of western universities. Contrary to prevailing conceptions of silence in classroom contexts, findings revealed that some participants’ silent in-class behavior does not necessarily suggest reluctance or inability. Rather, participants assumed that verbally contributing to the class would impede the teacher’s lecture and their peers’ learning. Additional findings indicated that while cultural, identity traits, and previous education in Japan may have shaped their silent in-class behavior, some participants acknowledged the need to participate verbally to satisfy their teachers and peers in Australian classrooms. Peripheral factors such as the size of classrooms and lack of genuine rapport between classmates also influenced their classroom behavior. The findings expand upon existing literature which shows that Japanese students’ silence in Australian classrooms is often juxtaposed with teacher and student expectations.
Article outline
  • Contextual background
  • Research design
  • Findings and discussion
    • Costly pragmatism
    • Silent barriers
      • Maintaining cultural identity
      • Cultural integration
      • Learning environment
  • Conclusion
  • References
References (39)
References
Aubrey, S. (2009). A cross-cultural discussion of Japan and South Korea and how differences are manifested in the ESL/EFL classroom. Asian Social Science, 5(5), 34–39. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Block, D. (2006). Identity in applied linguistics. In T. Omoniyi & G. White (Eds.), The Sociolinguistics of Identity (pp.34–49). London: Continuum.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Campbell, J. A., & Li, M. (2008). Asian students’ voices: an empirical study of Asian students’ learning experiences at a New Zealand university. Journal of Studies in International Education, 12(4), 375–396. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Cheng, X. (2000). Asian students’ reticence revisited. System, 28(3), 435–446. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Creswell, J. W. (2008). Educational research (3rd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson/Merrill Prentice Hall.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
(2012). Qualitative inquiry and research design: Choosing among five approaches. New York: Sage.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Davies, R.J., & Ikeno, O. (2002). The Japanese mind: Understanding contemporary Japanese culture. Vermont: Tuttle Publishing.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
DeVito, J. A. (2004). The interpersonal communication book (10thed.). Boston: Pearson Education.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Denzin, N. K., & Lincoln, Y. S. (2011). The SAGE handbook of qualitative research. New York: Sage.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Ellwood, C., & Nakane, I. (2009). Privileging of speech in EAP and mainstream university classrooms: A critical evaluation of participation. TESOL Quarterly, 43(2), 203–230. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Gilgun, J. F., & Sussman, M. B. (2014). The methods and methodologies of qualitative family research. New York: Routledge. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Hammond, C. (2007). Culturally responsive teaching in the Japanese classroom: a comparative analysis of cultural teaching and learning styles in Japan and the United States. Journal of the Faculty of Economics, KGU, 171, 41–50.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Hao, R. N. (2011). Rethinking critical pedagogy: implications on silence and silent bodies. Text and Performance Quarterly, 31(3), 267–284. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Harumi, S. (2011). Classroom silence: voices from Japanese EFL learners. English Language Teaching, 65(3), 260–269. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Hung, H. I., & Hyun, E. (2010). East Asian international graduate students’ epistemological experiences in an American University. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 34(4), 340–353. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Jandt, F. E. (2000). Intercultural communication: An introduction (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks, California: Sage.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Jaworski, A. (1993). The power of silence: Social and pragmatic perspectives. London: Sage. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Kato, M. (2010). Silence as participation: The case of Japanese students. The Journal of Multiculturalism in Education, 6(2), 1–18.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Kim, H. S., & Markus, H. R. (2002). Freedom of speech and freedom of silence: An analysis of talking as a cultural practice. In R. Shweder, M. Minow, & H. R. Markus (Eds.). Engaging cultural differences: The multicultural challenge in liberal democracies (pp. 432–452). New York: Russell Sage Foundation.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Kimmel, A. J. (2009). Ethical issues in behavioral research: Basic and applied perspectives. New York: John Wiley & Sons.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Lebra, T. (1987). The cultural significance of silence in Japanese communication. Multilingua, 6(4), 343–357. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Lee, W., & Ng, S. (2010).Reducing student reticence through teacher interaction strategy. English Language Teaching Journal, 64(3), 302–313. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Liu, N. F., & Littlewood, W. (1997). Why do many students appear reluctant to participate in classroom learning discourse? System, 25(3), 371–384. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Mertens, D. M. (2014). Research and evaluation in education and psychology: Integrating diversity with quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods. New York: Sage.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Nakane, I. (2006). Silence and politeness in intercultural communication in university seminars. Journal of Pragmatics, 38(11), 1811–1835. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Norton, B. (2000). Identity and language learning: Gender, ethnicity and educational change. New York: Longman.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Ollin, R. (2008). Silent pedagogy and rethinking classroom practice: structuring teaching through silence rather than talk. Cambridge Journal of Education, 38(2), 265–280. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Omoniyi, T. (2006). Hierarchy of identities. In T. Omoniyi & G. White (Eds.), The sociolinguistics of identity (pp.11–33). London: Continuum.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Saville-Troike, M. (1985). ‘The place of silence in an integrated theory of communication’. In D. Tannen & M. Saville-Troike (Eds.), Perspectives on silence (pp. 3–18). New York: Ablex.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Sifianou, M. (1997). Politeness and off-record indirectness. International Journal of the Sociology of Language, 126(1), 63–79. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Tatar, S. (2005). Classroom participation by international students: The case of Turkish graduate students. Journal of Studies in International Education, 9(4), 337–355. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Van Manen, M. (1990). Researching lived experience: Human science for an action sensitive pedagogy. New York: State University of New York Press.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Vassilopoulos, S. P., & Konstantinidis, G. (2012). Teacher use of silence in elementary education. Journal of Teaching and Learning, 8(1), 91–105. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Wadsworth, B.C., Hecht, M.L., & Jung, E. (2008). The role of identity gaps, discrimination, and acculturation in international students’ educational satisfaction in American classrooms. Communication Education, 57(1), 64–87. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Ward, C., Bochner, S., & Furnham, A. (2001). The psychology of culture shock. East Sussex, UK: Routledge.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Yoshikawa, M. J. (1987). The double-swing model of intercultural communication between the East and the West. In D. L. Kincaid (Ed.). Communication theory: Eastern and Western perspectives (pp. 319–329). San Diego, CA: Academic Press. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Yue, Y., & Le, T. (2009).Cultural adaptation of Asian students in Australia. AARE 2009 Conference Proceedings (pp. 1–14). Retrieved from [URL]
Zembylas, M., & Michaelides, P. (2004).The sound of silence in pedagogy. Educational Theory, 54(2), 193–210. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Cited by (3)

Cited by three other publications

Kabir, Russell Sarwar, Brandon Kramer, Mayu Koike & Aaron C. Sponseller
2022. Modeling personality antecedents and second language self-efficacy constructs with emerging adults in Japan: Domain-specific matching for assessing global competence in applied contexts. Frontiers in Psychology 13 DOI logo
Healy, Sandra
2021. Participation, inclusion, and success in emergency remote online teaching and learning. In CALL and professionalisation: short papers from EUROCALL 2021, ► pp. 132 ff. DOI logo
Ortlieb, Evan, Yolanda Majors, Yolanda Majors & Evan Ortlieb
2018. Cultivating Literacies: New Lenses and New Possibilities. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy 61:6 ► pp. 687 ff. DOI logo

This list is based on CrossRef data as of 13 november 2025. Please note that it may not be complete. Sources presented here have been supplied by the respective publishers. Any errors therein should be reported to them.

Mobile Menu Logo with link to supplementary files background Layer 1 prag Twitter_Logo_Blue