Here is much similar. but not much time for students to discuss questions. If we want to discuss questions with other students to get other students’ opinion, we must use other time to do that, not in the tutorial, this is s imilar.
CZ Who will do the summary?
Gordon In China, summary of the tutorial work, the teacher normally do that, the teacher will summarise for students. Following summary, give them particular question and show students how to do that.
CZ What about students, do students participate and discuss in China?
Gordon Normally students just do some questions, similar as here. If you find some questions you can’t get the solution, you just present the question and ask the teacher to give you the solution.
CZ So you find that similar.
Gordon Yes, this one is similar. Another one I find different is that in China, if students are preparing for exam, not like here. Here students prepare for exam, they normally just find past exam paper. Then they just focus on specific questions, prepare some answers, then they got confidence. But in China, it’s different, you must review the whole book, doing summary by yourself. And later you can try to find some particular questions in past exam paper and try to get it. This makes yourself familiar with the question, which type of question the teacher will give to you. It’s very different.
CZ You mentioned the teaching style, learning style, preparing for exams. Is there any other area?
Gordon Here study is easier, more relaxed, free. Easy does not mean the normal way, no people push you to study. Some subjects are easy to pass, if you want to get a good mark, it’s not easy. But in China, if you are given some question, you must finish that, otherwise you fail badly for tutorial. But here, if you say, ‘Sorry, I haven’t got time to finish that, can I pass that’. Normally here it is very friendly.
CZ Will the teacher push you in China?
Gordon Yes, the teacher in China push you, ‘You must do that, If you don’t do that, I give you a special mark.’ But the rule is the same. Here there is attendance mark, but in China, there is also attendance and tutorial question mark. If you don’t do very well, I maybe just give you seven, six or five out of ten.
Appendix C: Transcripts
C 36
Gordon Here is different. I just compare reference and text book. In China, students only need one text book. If you can understand this text book, you can get good mark normally. But here is different, no particular text book, maybe some chapters from this book, some chapters from that book. The text book also got a lot of reference books, you must read that. A lot of work you must do by yourself, get summary, get main points through reading by yourself, not just following the lecturer. The lecturer just show you what reference you need to do yourself at your own time, you must do that. If you don’t do that, maybe your opinion is very narrow. If you are given some questions, you can’t answer properly, you can’t get good mark here. It’s different. Here it’s much broader, in China it’s much narrower.
CZ Some students may not realise that.
Gordon Some students haven’t realised that. This is a problem for overseas students I think. Sometimes maybe because of the language problem, overseas students h aven’t got enough time to read, especially for some subjects like law and core subjects like accounting. I study accounting and banking. It’s basic knowledge how to set accounting standard. You must read a lot of references and know some organisations and know some procedures.
CZ How do you compare students and students relationship?
Gordon The relationship I think is loose, not close. There are normally no other people want to spend a lot of time on other students. If you have a problem, you want to wai t for other students to come and ask you: ‘Have you got a problem?’ Not this way. If in China, you want to ask other students for help, other students may be more caring for you. But here is different. I think maybe because people here are very busy, haven ’t got spare time for other people. The other thing maybe they expect you to know. So here if you have a problem here, in my opinion, you must actively ask somebody. Don’t feel shy and discuss. If you couldn’t understand, just say: ‘I couldn’t understand, can you explain it again?’ But here you can’t get too much from the lecturer. The relationship between students and lectures just lies at very high position, it’s not very low. They don’t want to talk to you too much. Some lecturers I find very hard, if you have a particular question and if you bring that question to ask a lecturer, actually you expect the lecturer to explain it to you. The lecturer will say: ‘You should know, you can read by yourself. It’s very clear in the book, you can read that and understand that’. So it makes the student not feeling good, next time maybe the students don’t want to go there and ask again. But some lecturers are very good, it depends on different person and personality.
CZ Have you come across any situation that you went to ask and was told to go home and read?
Gordon Yes, I got this experience, especially I got some very difficult subjects. It’s not just me got the feeling, a lot of students got the same feeling. If one teacher is good or not good, easy to talk to or not, students always got the same opinion. From last year, students told me this lecturer is hard to talk to, don’t go there and ask him, don’t ask something. Maybe it’s just other people’s opinion, you want to go there and try, you got the same feeling.
CZ What did you do then?
Gordon If I got that problem, I just go back home and try to read again. If I can’t find that, I try to ask other teacher, and also ask my friend and discuss it.
CZ How did you feel?
Gordon You just waste money to come sometimes. It’s not good to come here. You got responsibility to students. It’s quite different. Not a lot of local students went there to ask the lecturer and discuss some questions.
CZ Well we compared some of the similarities and differences. Obviously the previous and current study experiences are different. What did you do to make the changes?
Appendix C: Transcripts
C 37
Gordon I just find it different. I got friends coming from Indonesia and Malaysia. We study the same