In my last journal, I mentioned that writing e-mails to professors in an appropriate manner can be a daunting task for non-native-speaker students. However, the article (above) that I read for this week’s assignment suggests that even native speaking students are not always confident of their e-mail communications with their professors. In “Communication Topics and Strategies in E-mail Consultation: Comparison between American and International University Students,” author Sigrun Giesenbach-Lucas points out that composing e-mail messages to professors can be challenging work for both native and non-native speaking students. One reason is that students are often unsure about what constitutes “status-congruent language” in e-mail communication with professors. Students and professors are unequal in their institutional positions; professors as faculty members have higher status than students and the professors are experts in their fields. In addition, they have authority over students and grade the academic work of the students. This unequal status makes it difficult for students to write e-mails that initiate a dialogue and express confidence and independence, while also showing sufficient respect and deference to professors. The difference in status between students and professors also leaves students with some uncertainty regarding the topics that are acceptable to address with faculty via e-mail. Communicating with professors via e-mail can also be challenging because of the absence of paralinguistic features such as gestures, facial expressions, and tone of voice. In addition, although e-mail has become a primary communication tool in the academic world, it is still a new arena in which style and other linguistic characteristic are not yet well defined.
The goal of the study described in this article was to identify the various purposes of the e-mail messages of American and international students that were sent to an American professor over the course of one semester. The participants in the study were students in a TESOL teacher training program at an American university. The study examined a total of 125 e-mail messages, which included 71 e-mails sent by American students and 54 e-mails sent by non-native speaking students from several Asian countries (Korean, Japan, Taiwan, and Thailand). The non-native speaking students had all achieved the required minimum TOFEL score of 550 and their English proficiency levels were low-advanced or above. The two main areas investigated in the study were the communication topics and communication strategies used by the students.
The study found that there were quantitative and qualitative differences in the student-to-faculty e-mails sent by the American and international students. One striking difference in e-mail practice between the two groups, which concerns me greatly, was the fact that, in comparison with the native speaking students, the non-native speaking students lacked the ability to use e-mail in ways that might have contributed to their academic success. For example, non-native speaking students used e-mail largely as a means of submitting the final drafts of essays and reports, while native speaking students used e-mail to submit earlier drafts with requests for feedback. It was also found that native speaking students used e-mail more frequently and more efficiently in negotiations with professors on project topics.
When I first chose this journal, my initial interest was in how I might take advantage of information and communication technologies (ICTs) to enhance my teaching and learning of ESL. It is still an interesting topic to me because now I have become more aware of the pedagogical potential of ICTs. However, the two articles that I have studied thus far tell me that it is also important to consider how to teach language so that students can make effective use of ICTs.
Joann
Thanks, Joann, for reporting on these interesting conclusions. For those of us who teach classes and learning communities which include non-native speakers, knowing the different ways in which native and non-native speakers might use e-mail in contacting a teacher will allow us to encourage non-native speakers to make more extensive use of e-mail for ongoing discussions with their faculty members. I think, too, that the issues both groups faced in finding the appropriate tone for those of different status reminds us that while e-mail (and now texting) are very common, they also do pose considerable rhetorical challenges to students when communication shifts from family and peers to teachers, employers, etc.
Are you focusing too much on the ICT aspect and not enough on the overall communications skills and methods of non-native speakers? I have had similar experiences with non-native speakers when they interact with me personally. Instead of contacting me via phone or email for an appointment, they will show up at my door with a resume expecting an instant interview or job offer.