Silence as right, choice, resistance and strategy among Chinese ‘Me Generation’ students: implications for pedagogy

Abstract

The topic of silence and ‘the Chinese learner’ has been extensively studied often in relation to cross-cultural adjustment, intercultural issues, learning styles, language ability and differences of classroom expectations. These studies have often led to recommendations to understand silence and ‘the Chinese learner’ in more complex ways. However, there is a real need to go beyond just recognising the complexity and myths underlying these two notions. This article consolidates the need to recognise diversity and fluidity among this group of students and the changing time and space in which silence experiences among them are contextualised and studied. It does so by revisiting established meanings of in-class silence obtained from a qualitative case study with ‘Me Generation’ Chinese students studying in Australia, while contextualising the phenomenon in both Chinese and Australian classrooms. Pedagogical implications building upon the discussion of silence as right, choice, resistance and strategy among these students are provided.