Cultural Attitudes to Learning

gradually, university students are encouraged to move on to the third approach: to speculate and to develop independent research, which is the purpose of postgraduate and advanced studies.

Of course these learning styles are never totally separate at any stage: in school the more senior students will probably be asked to think critically as well as to memorize, to do some independent reading as well as copy teachers' notes from the board. And at uni­ ve rsity, particularly in science and mathematics, there will be times when students must learn facts and formulae by heart, as well as developing their critical judgement by analysing, questioning and evaluating the information and results they are working on.

Are there other contexts-apart from the level of education-in which certain learning strategies are preferred over others? Do some cultures, for example, tend to value questioning and criticizing more highly than others? Are there cultures in which the emphasis in education given to preserving traditional knowledge (the conserv­ing attitude) is very much greater than that given to testing and questioning that knowledge (the extending attitude)? And if so, what difficulties face the student who moves from one culture to another?

Consider these comments by three Asian students who found the Aust ralian university system of teaching and learning very different from their previous experience:

Studies: generally, many of us are trained in a system where you don't contribute much to class discussions, some even hesitated to ask question from lecturers. One must do it properly, i.e. fully conscious and forever calculating to ask questions or not. Here you are encouraged to ask anything that bothers you. This drawback is related to our culture of respect to others, especially the elderly and the better qualified - but it inhibits the fullest development of oneself. In my country There is no `openness' of discussion and learning.( Singapore undergraduate)

student must learn

these learning styles

Indonesian postgraduate student