The Effects Body Language, Verbal Responses, and Cultural Attitudes
Of ESL Students have on Determining Authority in the tutoring
Session?
The acquisition of language is a social process that includes comprehension, verbal ability and writing. The mastering of these areas relies greatly on the relationship established between the instructor and the learner. This is especially important when instructing ESL adult students. In order for tutors to enhance the quality of a Writing Center session with ESL students, the instructor should monitor their clients’ personal cues such as body language, verbal responses and cultural attitudes so as to design an individual strategy of coaching. Since experiences with education in Spanish countries differ from the American experiences of education, the body language, verbal responses, and cultural attitudes demonstrated during a coaching session may affect the establishment of authority and in turn the outcome of learning during the writing session. The purpose of the study is to examine if body language, verbal responses and/or cultural attitudes of ESL students toward writing have an impact on the establishment of authority. ESL students will be observed during a regular writing center session and the latter cues will be documented. These cues will be analyzed and the data will be evaluated to confirm their validity in determining authority during a writing session.
In 2006, 43% of the nations’ students enrolled in public school were children whose primary language was not English (Administration for Children, Youth and Families, 2007). By the year 2030, the estimated amount of these students will increase to more than 25% of the nation’s total student population (U.S. Census Bureau, 2000). Considering the high number of English Language Learners (ELL) in public schools and the effects it has on college enrollment, ESL students will ultimately outnumber native English language speakers. Taking into account this information, the need to implement a more specialize method of coaching writing in college writing centers is essential. One way of accomplishing this is to observe what is actually happening during a tutoring session.
In a typical college writing center, the tutor’s goal is to support the learner with improving their writing process through the use of reader feedback, asking questions and a cooperative method of instructing. Elementary education sustains this foundation of learning and serves as a catalyst for higher college expectations. For this reason, coaches who instruct ESL students find it difficult to understand their role during a writing session. Many of these coaches do not have the training needed to handle the cultural differences, unfamiliar grammatical errors, different rhetorical patterns and conventions in other languages (Harris & Silva, 1993).
Cultural experiences in the educational instruction of ESL students differ greatly than that of native English speakers. ESL students tend to be highly motivated and seek extra assistance in writing to improve their skills of their own free choice. ESL learners view the instructor as a figure of authority and their own role as one of listener (Barnett & Cohn, 2004) and attend the writing center to learn from the expert in the field. They take notes and seldom question the opinions of the coach. As a sign of respect, an ESL student may avoid looking directly into the eyes of the instructor and instead lower their glance. These cultural expressions demonstrated by the learner may come across to some American coaches as signifying a lack of interest or academic ability during the writing session. This is far from the truth. In order to improve the quality of a writing session, a tutor should observe and decide what kind of writer the learner is and how this effects the session as a whole. There are 3 characteristics of an ESL student, a United States ESL High School graduate, an International/ Visa college professional and International Graduate student.
The first characteristic group is an undergraduate ESL student whose home language is not English but has attended ESL classes in a US high school. These individuals have issues that involve grammar (Bruce & Rafoth 2009). These students may be proficient in speaking and listening in the target language of English but have not applied proper English grammar and vocabulary usage in their writing. Their writing skills demonstrate a merging of both Spanish and English writing aptitudes (Bruce & Rafoth 2009). These students have had some exposure to the American view of learning. They have experienced lessons in cooperative learning and readers’ feedback but still hide behind the lack of English proficiency.
Writing tutors can service these students through the use of the Rhetorical Approach which walks the learner through each step of the writing process ( Brisk & Harrington 2007) This type of scaffolding support, ensures that the process of writing is understood by the writer. Simply correcting the ESL student’s essay may seem an easier route to take but facilitating in organizing proper English grammar foundations and focusing on self correcting strategies will give the learner a wealth of power in their writing. The next subgroup is the International/Visa college student who has attended college in another country that is not the US.
International /Visa students are individuals that do not intend to stay in the United States and have chosen to complete their college degree here. These students have a good work ethic, are very proud of their home language and have the flexibility of operating their home language with the target language (Bruce & Rafoth 2009). These professionals are academically successful and have acquired the basic rules of writing in their home language. These students have less grammar concerns but demonstrate a difficulty in developing ideas and concepts in the English language. These students have cultivated an “ear” for grammar but still may lack the instinctive correctness that many native English writer have (Writing Matters #6 2010). These students are most likely to portray the learning behavior of traditional foreign learners. They may hesitate to ask questions and expect to be told exactly what their mistakes are. Assisting them in the writing process requires a different form of strategy than that of the first ESL student characteristic.
To aid these students, writing center tutors can concentrate on the content of the essay and move towards grammar correctness within the frame work of the writing. Their essays have academic merit and only require an understanding of different rhetorical patterns and conventions by the coach. This method of coaching will promote learning and independence in the ESL student’s writing style. The last groups of ESL students are professionals that have completed an undergraduate degree in their home country and are pursuing a graduate level of study.
International Graduate Students are less likely to attend Writing Centers. They seek the direct assistance of advisors, professors and academically equivalent peers. They are very concern with the structure and formatting of their essays. They write and rewrite in order to achieve a sense of perfection (Bruce & Rafoth 2009). When these students do come to a Writing Center, they basically know exactly what they need help in. These students are more adapt to ask a lot of questions. They seek the guidance of the experts, in this case the writing coach. These groups of ESL learners do not have time or the patience for reader feedback or cooperative conversation. The most effective way the Writing Center can service these students is by using their strengths and academic excellence in self correcting their essays. Establishing the learner’s academic ability is not the only means supporting their writing. Understanding the cultural differences through direct observation of body language, verbal responses of each client can improve the quality of the teaching during a writing session.
Method:
Research was conducted at Kean University’s writing center. Three writing center observations were observed. Each session lasted an average of 45 minutes. Prior to the observation, the researcher explained to the student being observed the purpose of the observation and gained approval by having the student sign an informed consent form, agreeing to participate in the study. Upon leaving the session, the student was given a copy of the consent form along with a debriefing form. After the writer agreed to participate in the study, the tutor and writer proceeded with their writing session while the researcher took notes. In order to safeguard the identities of both the tutor and the student each will be referred to by a letter, T for tutor and S for student. The data demonstrated in this study is taking from three writing center observations.
Writing Center Observation 1:
Introduction:
In this observation, the tutor has never coached this student before. It is also the first time the student attends the writing center. The student has come to the writing center for help in writing her teaching philosophy. The student has come prepared with the outline her professor has given her but has not developed an outline of her own. Throughout the writing session the student demonstrates through her actions and verbal responses that she wants the tutor to instruct her how to actually do her paper. The tutor ultimately teaches the student how to develop an outline by asking her questions
Participants Nationality
Tutor: USA
Student: Hispanic (Ecuadorian)
ESL: Undergraduate/ attended High school in US
Body Language observations and analysis:
T: signals student to sit down by motioning his hand to sit across from his
Analysis: by showing S were to sit T is establishment of his authority during WC session
S: shrugs shoulders “I have started that’s why I’m here. I need you to explain it to me….”
Analysis: S again asks for guidance, S looks for T to tell her how to do it
S: In response to being asked to turn off cell phone, S gives surprised look and follows T request
Analysis: S doesn’t question request. Accepts T authority in WC session by following request without question or remark
T: moves his chair closer to student, S backs up and straightens up in her chair
Analysis: S seems to show being uncomfortable with T closeness
S: moves left hand towards face and scratches forehead
Analysis: doubt/ inability to figure out what to do next giving up authority
S: shakes hand as if hand was asleep
Analysis: cueing T that she needs a break, needs T to determine when they should break
Verbal Responses observations and analysis:
T: begins talking first asking why S has come to WC
Analysis: Asking opening question is very teacher directed giving T dominant authority
S: “I don’t know where to start”
Analysis: S gives up authority by stating inability to do task
T: reads outline a loud and asks S what she thinks the professor wants
Analysis: very teacher directed
T: suggests S to turn off cell phone
Analysis: seems like T is reprimanding S
T: “now back to this outline”
Analysis: control of what is to be done next, demonstrating control of session
S: reads last direction looks up “ok so how should I start?”
Analysis: looking for guidance from T giving T authority on the topic she is writing
T: points to first direction, looks directly into eyes of S and asks question
Analysis: T controls the asking of all questions. Eye to eye contact, shows no fear or doubt in his ability as a coach
T: “Why don’t we take a break…”
Analysis: T decides when it is time for a break.
S: “Ok, I think this is enough writing”
Analysis: S attempts to determine where the WC session should go next
T: in response to S remark about finishing “let’s look at the rest of the questions”
Analysis: T redirects S and ignores S request to stop working
T: “I’m going to let you work…”
Analysis: gives permission to student to work on her own work
Cultural attitude observation and analysis
S: “I have started that’s why I’m here. I need you to explain it to me….”
Analysis: S tells the T the reason why she is there. This characteristic is common for ESL students who have had some experience in American education but still needs extensive guidance.
Conclusion: Throughout the WC session the tutor held the authority. The student demonstrated though body language and verbal responses that the expert was the tutor. The tutor determined from the beginning of the session what needed to be worked on and when the student could work independently. The student’s body language reflected the behavior one would have with a teacher. The student relied greatly on the tutor’s cues and limited herself to brief facial expressions to demonstrate her confusion with the commands given by the tutor. Likewise was observed during the verbal feedback that was given during the session. The student waited for direct instructions. She offered no opinions or remarks confirming or denying any of the suggestions given by the tutor. In several occasions the student even reminded the tutor why she was there, “I need you to explain to me…” This behavior is common for ESL students who have attended ESL services in previous schools. In high school especially, ESL students are given direct instruction on reading and writing. They are told how and what to write as well as an accompanied bombardment of grammar rules that are too long to actually remember. In this observation, the tutor clearly demonstrated the authority. The tutor was the teacher and the student allowed him to direct her writing.
Writing Center Observation 2:
Participants Nationality
Tutor: USA
Student: Hispanic
ESL: Undergraduate/ attended high school in home country of Costa Rica
Introduction:
In this observation, the tutor had previous coached this student the week before. The student is in her senior year of Kean and is an English major. She is writing her senior survey research essay on Dante Inferno, a topic that the tutor has little knowledge in. The tutor stated that after their first WC session he searched online a little on Dante’s Inferno in order to further help this student. The tutor further stated that the student had developed a good outline in their last session. This student never attended a US high school and attended a traditional high school in her home land of Costa Rica. She has taking several remedial courses in a community college before transferring to Kean.
Body Language observations and analysis:
S: Hear it is. I followed the outline we did and I was able to right the introduction and body of my paper. I picked out some quotes from the Bible and compare them to the different levels of Dante’s hell. Look. S points to a page in her notebook.
T: scans the page and nods his head.
S: looks at T as he reads her notes. S seems to be waiting for a response from T..
Analysis: Student takes the lead in the WC session. She seems confident in what she has written and shows her writing to tutor. The tutor acknowledges the students confidence by given a nod of approval. Even though the student leads the beginning of the WC session, she still needs confirmation from the tutor about her writing.
T: follows student writing with if finger. “This is a great comparison”.
S: smiles and continue to observe the T.
Analysis: This observation serves as both body language and verbal. The student demonstrates her pleasure in pleasing the tutor with her writing by smiling. She continues to watch for signs of praise from the tutor.
S: takes notebook from T and flips some more pages. S stops and presents T with notebook.
Analysis: Student needs to demonstrate to the tutor her knowledge in the subject she is writing. By showing the tutor the notebook, she has written documentation of this knowledge.
T: leans back in his chair and begins to listen attentively while S states her point.
Analysis: Tutor seems to let his guard down. By leaning back in the chair and allowing the student to take the lead, he is giving up his authority and handling to the student.
T: maintains eye contact with S as she speaks
S: looks away from T and glancing toward her notebook as she continues to speak
Analysis: Tutor demonstrates that he has not lost interest by maintaining eye contact. The student seems to feel confidence with her ownership of the topic and looks away from tutor. Student has embraced her authority in the WC session.
T: signals S to stop speaking by slowly leaning forward again in his chair and pointing to a section in her notebook.
Analysis: Tutor regains authority in the WC session by this behavior.
T: “Can we take what you just told me and add it to this body of your paper. The reader might not be familiar with the Genesis section in the Bible so it is better to include a good amount of details”.
S: looks at her paper and points, I could put it in here, S move notebook to show T.
T: waits for S to jot down some notes
S: looks up to signal she is done
Analysis: This interaction of directions given by the tutor and accepted by the student demonstrates a type of balance in authority. The tutor gives a suggestion and the student decides if and where it fits in her essay.
Verbal Responses observations and analysis:
Tutor: Hi xxx how are you?
Student: Great, I am almost finished with my paper.
Analysis: The student has established that she has accomplished a great deal of work. She seems confident and in charge of her essay.
T: I am glad to hear that. Let’s take a look at what you have so far.
Both the T and S sit facing each other. The S takes out her notebook and flips the pages until she stops and points to a page.
Analysis: Tutor acknowledges the student progress and they both look at her work. They sit facing each other. There seems to be a balance of authority.
S: Hear it is. I followed the outline we did and I was able to right the introduction and body of my paper. I picked out some quotes from the Bible and compare them to the different levels of Dante’s hell. Look. S points to a page in her notebook.
Analysis: The student has decided the direction the WC session will take. She tells the tutor what she has done and expects the tutor to respond to her direction by turning her notebook so he can read.
T: follows student writing with if finger. “This is a great comparison”.
Analysis: Tutor gives praise by acknowledging a job well done response. This is very teacher directed.
T: “Can I see how you worked this part into your essay?”
Analysis: Tutor demonstrates is lack of knowledge on the topic and request the assistance of the student. He has given up his authority.
T: “This part seems confusing to me. Can you tell me what you mean here?” T points to a session in the notebook.
S: reads out loud, “Oh, this is where I compare how the book of Genesis reflects a form of new beginning, a fresh start with Dante’s description of heaven.
T: asks S “I’m not familiar with that section can you give me more details?”
S: proceeds to tell T the details of the story
Analysis: Has shown in the previous example, the tutor gives the student the authority in the WC session by requesting her help in better understanding the topic. The student shows her authority by taking the lead and “teaching” the tutor about her topic.
T: “Can we take what you just told me and add it to this body of your paper. The reader might not be familiar with the Genesis section in the Bible so it is better to include a good amount of details”.
Analysis: Student remains in authority.
T: “That will be a good start”
Analysis: Tutor offers praise. This type of praise helps give the student more encouragement in completing the task at hand.
T: “Let’s look where else you can add more details”
Analysis: Tutor suggests where the student can concentrate on next. Tutor is demonstrating his authority.
Cultural attitude observation and analysis
S: Hear it is. I followed the outline we did and I was able to right the introduction and body of my paper. I picked out some quotes from the Bible and compare them to the different levels of Dante’s hell. Look. S points to a page in her notebook.
T: follows student writing with if finger. “This is a great comparison”.
S: smiles and continue to observe the T.
Analysis: This behavior at the beginning of the WC session, demonstrates that the student intends to lead the session. She knows what she needs help in and is confident that she can achieve this. The tutor acknowledges this by allowing her to take the lead.
S: reads out loud, “Oh, this is where I compare how the book of Genesis reflects a form of new beginning, a fresh start with Dante’s description of heaven.
T: asks S “I’m not familiar with that section can you give me more details?”
S: proceeds to tell T the details of the story
Analysis: Student is confident in her ability to compare both literature samples. This is typical of a student who is use to taking ownership of their work.
Conclusion:
Throughout the observation, the student clearly demonstrated authority. She came to the session well prepared with an outline, introduction and samples of her notes. The student lead the direction of the session and the tutor encouraged this by pausing several times and allowing her to point out specific areas in the essay that he had no knowledge of. At times, the tutor did redirect the student and encouraged her where she could next with her writing but overall give her the freedom to instruct him. The session seemed very productive. The student came into the session very sure of herself and left knowing which direction to continue in order to finish her paper. In a lot of Hispanic countries, traditional education requires the student to work on their own. Students are given instructions, and guidance in where to look for help but ultimately the student is on their own. This method works well because most classrooms in Hispanic countries have over 30 students in them. This student demonstrated her ability to work well on her own. She also had the maturity to accept positive feedback and use it to improve her writing. Writing Center Observation 3:
Participants Nationality
Tutor: USA
Student: Hispanic
ESL: Graduate/ completing certification in Education
Introduction: In this observation, the tutor has a very limited time to assist the student. The tutor has never coached this student before and does not know what she is working on. Upon questioning by the researcher, the tutor learned that the student had earned her BA in her home country of Colombia and is working on fulfilling her requirements to be licensed as an elementary teacher in the US. The student is currently working as a teacher assistant in a public school district in Hudson County. As per the request of the student, the session is cut short because of personal issues.
Body Language observations and analysis:
S: thank you (sighs) I will
Analysis: In this WC session I only observed this body language behavior. When the student gave this sigh, she seemed to be disappointed in her inability to be able to stay for the rest of the session. It seemed that she had no control in what was happening. It seemed that control was given to a third party which was her circumstance with her son.
Verbal Responses observations and analysis:
T: Hi nice to meet you my name is xxxx.
S: Hi my name is xxxx.
T: Why have you come to the WC?
S: I am writing a Multicultural paper on the results of a questionnaire I administered to a student in my school. On the paper I have to include background information on the student and her academic level. I know how to do this. I am having problems with relating the research I to what I found during the interview.
T: Ok, let me understand. Your essay must contain research?
S: yes, I have a lot of academic research in curriculum, academic levels and background information of the student.
T: Can I see what you have?
S: sure. S opens up her binder and takes out several photocopies.
S: These are the ones I found for curriculum, these for age appropriate benchmarks and this are what I found on Peru. The little girl comes from Peru.
Analysis: This back and force feedback between the tutor and the student seems to be for informational purposes only. Both the tutor and student are working hand in hand to set up what is going to be worked on during the lesson.
T: You have a great deal of research that’s good.
Analysis: encouragement and praise/ tutor is leading the session
T: Have you read the research?
S: Some of it. But it’s a lot to digest.
Analysis: tutor seems to doubt the student knowledge on the research and questions her. The student is honest and confesses that she has not read all the research. The student seems to be offering an excuse. This behavior shows that she sees tutor as the authority in the WC session.
T: Why don’t we try and break it down even more. You have divided into areas of interest. What are the questions you are trying to answer?
Analysis: Tutor redirects student and instructs her on how she should break down her paper. Tutor is taking the lead.
S: First I have to provide background information. That’s not hard. Second, according to the objectives, provide materials used and how this affected the student’s academic ability and finally an analysis of the results I found.
T: Since you said the background is easy, do you want to work on that or take on the other sections?
Analysis: Student displays her knowledge of the requirements of the questionnaire. She has control of what needs to be done.
S: I need help on separating what I can use from the research and what I don’t need.
T: Ok let’s look at your research.
S: hands T the group of papers.
Analysis: The student is asking for help. She seems to know what to do but lacks the confidence to do the work on her own. She looks to the tutor for direction and guidance giving him the authority in this part of the session.
Cultural attitude observation and analysis
At this point S cell phone goes off.
S: I’m sorry I have to get this it’s my son.
T: No problem.
S: spoke in Spanish into the phone
S: I am so sorry; I have to go pick up my son from practice. His dad had to work overtime.
S: can I come back another day?
T: Ok I’m sorry to hear that you have to go. Look at the research when you can and highlight what you can use. Make another appt. I have some time next week.
S: thank you (sighs) I will.
Analysis: This behavior seems to be very common in adult Hispanic women who have to balance professional goals with that of personal obligations. The student genuinely seemed to want help with this questionnaire but seemed helpless to continue.
Conclusion: This observation did not show much in the areas of body language or verbal response but demonstrate a wealth of cultural attitude. In many Hispanic countries the role of parenting outweighs the need to succeed professionally in life. This student had the desire to progress professionally in completing the requirements to attain her certification but not at the expense of her parenting. To some, this lack of dedication to ones studies might seem unacceptable but to the Hispanic culture expected. The student seeks out assistance and the tutor seemed to begin to give the student the guidance she needed until the cell phone rang. This student seemed overwhelmed and tired. I can relate to this because many times I have been this student. I have had to choose between my desire to succeed and the reality of being a Hispanic mom.
Discussion:
Throughout all the observation, the establishment of authority was determined by the behaviors demonstrates by both the tutors and the students. In the first observation, the student was willing to give up authority and be lead by the tutor. This behavior is common in students who have attended ESL classes in high school were everything is laid out for them. Even if these students have opinions and want to contribute to their learning, they have been programmed to receive instructions. In high school ESL classes, the teacher possesses all the authority and students just follow their lead. The objective is to write in English properly and quickly enough to move on. This is the attitude that these ESL students bring with them when entering college. The second observation was very different.
In the second observation, the student had previous experience in working independently. Traditional Hispanic education expects their students to be very focus and develop skills that will allow them to use the teacher’s guidance and direction to work on their own. Classroom sizes in many of these countries are very large and scaling back learning for all students to keep up with the curriculum is not cost effective. I believe that this foundation of learning benefited the second WC session. The student was prepared to work hand in hand with the tutor and not like a follower but as an equal. They both held the authority during the WC session. The third observation had many attributes that can be demonstrated by many Hispanic women with the difference in family responsibilities.
This observation as very short and lacked the back and forth feedback of the first two observations. One thing it did show was the foundation and importance college education has in relationship to family life. Many Americans may think that achieving professional and financial success should be the goal of all individuals living in the US. You can say this is part of the American dream and anyone who does not strive to achieve this is un-American. This type of thought can cause stereotypes to form among many in society. It is not that ESL students lack the desire or the academic ability; they just have a different set of ideals. This should be taking into account before judgment is placed on these students. In this observation, authority was given to the tutor but in a sense forfeited because of unforeseen circumstances.
Recommendations:
Many tutors in Writing Centers do not have the benefit or the time to get to personally know their clients. They are not there to analyze their clients or give them advice on the realities of life instead the goal of a tutor is to support the learner with improving their writing process through the use of reader feedback, asking questions and a cooperative method of instructing. As a result of this study, it is clear that even though personal background information on WC clients should not determine the success of a WC session, know why and how a student learns does. The following is a list of best practices that should be taking into account before coaching ESL students in a Writing Center:
- Tutors should foster an environment of mutual respect between themselves and their clients by encouraging them to share their educational and cultural experiences.
- Coaches should avoid constant error correction and be democratic in their support in writing. They should speak slowly and clearly when giving directions but not too slow for this will insult the ESL student and making him feel inferior.
- Tutors should never underestimate the knowledge or skills of on ESL students because of the lack of their English proficiency.
- Tutors should monitor body language of their clients to ensure that interest hasn’t been lost.
- Whenever possible, tutors should use visual aids and read aloud to support the positive exchange of knowledge during a WC session.
Most important, tutors should try to become more culturally aware and be sensitive to the difficulties ESL students my face. Following some of these suggestions, will help Writing Center coaches give ESL student the appropriate support they need to improve their writing abilities.
References
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Second-language writing. Cambridge:University Press.
Connor, U. & Kaplan, R. (Eds). (1987) Writing Across Languages:
Analysis of L2 Text. Reading, Massachusetts:Addison Wesley Publishing Company.
Harris, M, & Silva, T. (1993). Tutoring ESL Students: Issues and
Options. College Composition and Communication, 44(4).
Panetta, C.G. (Ed.). (2001). Contrastive Rhetoric Revisited and
Redefined. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum
Thonus, T. (2004).What are the differences?: Tutor interactions with first- and second-language writers . Journal of Second Language Writing. Volume 13, Issue 3, September 2004, Pages 227-242
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