I Am Canadian, Eh?: A Study on Canadian Cultural Perceptions

TESOL 2013, Dallas, TX

Shira Packer & Dana Lynchspacke@yorku.ca dlynch@yorku.ca

York University English Language InstituteToronto, ON

NOT FOR REPRODUCTION OR CIRCULATION WITHOUT THE EXPLICIT PERMISSION OF THE AUTHORS

Link to Presentation

http://slidesha.re/14c5BqG

Warm-up Question!

Think about all the people you’ve met from Canada.

What are 5 personality traits that you immediately think of to describe them?

(Keep in mind, personality traits are those that describe the way that people act, not look.)

Agenda• Purpose of study• Research question• Methodology• Data analysis• Implications for ELT

The Social Context of SLA

• Language is not an isolated system but part of daily social communication (Dell Hymes, 1972)

• Sociolinguistic competency as one of the three main linguistic competencies (Canale and Swain, 1980)

Importance of Acculturation for SLA • Acculturation & Adaptation (Berry & Sam, 1980)

=cultural changes resulting from intercultural encounter

• There is a direct relationship between a) a learner’s potential to learn a second language and the

degree of acculturation to the target language group (Schumann, 1978)

b) academic achievement and acculturation process among second language post-secondary (Cheng & Fox, 2008)

Other Relevant Cultural Theories

• Hofstede’s Cultural Dimensions (1980) 1. Power Distance2. Individualism3. Masculinity4. Uncertainty Avoidance5. Long-term Orientation

Current challenges with existing research

• Ambiguity of Canadian culture– Immigration– US influence– ESL/EAP classroom disagreements

• Lack of acculturation studies

Research Question

How do Canadian-born post-secondary students and

recent graduates’ (CBs’) and

internationally-born Canadian post-secondary students and recent graduates’ (IBs’)

perceptions of people in Canada differ (if at all)?

Methodology

Format: 1. Cross-Canada online survey (n=299)

a. Background information questionsb. Unprompted adjective ranking questionc. 30 Likert-scale questions

2. E-interview (n=16)

Social Media Outreach: 3. Video: ttp://vimeo.com/185468624. Email5. Facebook: 6. Twitter

Respondent Profile

• CBs = 130; IBs = 169

• 64% female; 36% male

• Represented 84 different post-secondary institutes across Canada

Canadian Post-Sec Institutions Represented1. Acadia University2. Algonquin College of Applied Arts

and Technology3. Athabasca University4. Aurora College5. Bishop's University6. Brandon University7. British Columbia Institute of

Technology8. Brock University9. Canadian Mennonite University10. Canadore College of Applied Arts

and Technology11. Cape Breton University12. Capilano College13. Capilano University14. Carleton University15. Centennial College of Applied Arts

and Technology16. Collège universitaire de Saint-

Boniface17. College of New Caledonia18. College of the North Atlantic19. Concordia University20. Crandall University21. Dalhousie University (10)22. École polytechnique de Montréal23. Fanshawe College of Applied Arts

and Technology24. George Brown College of Applied

Arts and Technology25. HEC Montréal26. Humber College of Applied Arts

and Technology (10)27. Huron College28. Keyano College

29. Kwantlen Polytechnic University30. Langara College31. Laurentian University32. McGill University (11)33. McMaster University34. Medicine Hat College35. Memorial University of

Newfoundland36. Mohawk College of Applied Arts

and Technology37. Mount Royal University38. Mount Saint Vincent University39. MTI Community College40. Nipissing University41. North Island College42. Northern Alberta Institute of

Technology43. Nova Scotia Community College

(various campuses)44. OCAD University45. Queen's University (14)46. Redeemer University College47. Ryerson University48. Seneca College of Applied Arts

and Technology49. Sheridan College of Applied Arts

and Technology50. Simon Fraser UniversitySimon

Fraser University51. Sir Sandford Fleming College of

Applied Arts and Technology52. Southern Alberta Institute of

Technology53. St. Lawrence College54. St. Thomas University55. Thompson Rivers University

56. Trent University57. Université de Montréal58. Université de Sherbrooke59. Université du Québec à Chicoutimi60. Université du Québec à Montréal61. Université Laval62. University College of the Fraser

Valley63. University of Alberta (6)64. University of British Columbia (6)65. University of Calgary66. University of Guelph67. University of King's College68. University of Lethbridge69. University of Manitoba70. University of New Brunswick71. University of Northern British

Columbia72. University of Ontario Institute of

Technology73. University of Prince Edward Island74. University of Regina75. University of Saskatchewan76. University of Toronto (UofT) (36)77. University of Victoria78. University of Waterloo79. University of Western Ontario

(Western)80. University of Windsor81. Vancouver Community College82. Wilfrid Laurier University83. York University (119)84. Yukon College

Adjective Ranking Question

Think about all the people you’ve met in Canada. What are 5 personality traits (characteristics or

adjectives) that you think of to describe them?

1. ____________2. ____________3. ____________4. ____________5. ____________

‘Weighted Ranking’ Method of Analysis

The score for each adjective is determined as follows:

If a S’s… 1st choice 52nd choice: 43rd choice: 34th choice: 25th choice: 1

friendly polite helpful kind nice open-minded0

0.2

0.4

0.6

0.8

1

1.2

1.4

1.6

1.8

2

1.681.57

0.72 0.75

0.3 0.34

1.83

1.05

0.83

0.36 0.4 0.37

CBs IBs

Perc

enta

ge o

f Res

pond

ents

Results: Top Adjectives Average Score per Respondent

Results: Adjectives with the Greatest Differences

Adjective Difference in points per respondent

CB points per respondent

IB points per respondent

Polite .52 1.57 1.05Kind .39 0.75 0.36Caring .25 0.34 0.09Friendly .16 1.68 1.83Generous .05 0.23 0.08

Likert-scale QuestionTo what extent do you agree with the following statements, where 1 represents strongly disagree and 5 represents strongly agree:People in Canada are…..

• Friendly• Peaceful• Helpful• Polite• Selfish• Respectful• Loyal• Competitive• Open-minded• Caring

• Modest• Funny • Hardworking• Self-confident• Boring• Cooperative• Optimistic• Dissatisfied• Materialistic• Risk-taking

• Easygoing• Patient• Outgoing• Generous• Honest• Cold• Afraid• Individualistic• Reliable• Intelligent

Results: Are there significant differences in perceptions?

Overall P-value @ 95% confidence interval

CB mean (n=130)

IB mean (n=169)

Positive Characteristics .1409 3.79 3.63

Negative Characteristics .2239 3.01 3.16

Overall, no significant differences in perceptions between CB and IB groups

Characteristic P-value @ 95% confidence interval

CB mean (n=130)

NCB mean (n=169)

Intelligent <.0001 3.92 3.5Funny <.0001 3.93 3.44Caring .0006 3.89 3.48Hardworking .0009 3.94 3.56

Results: Extremely Significant Differences in Perceptions (cont.)

CB & IB E-Interview Sample Quotes Positive experiences

CB

“I was walking through my grocery store one day with my mom and we saw a man accidentally bump into a girl . . . The girl explained about the man saying sorry, and the friend just said, “oh, yeah, we have to say ‘sorry’ here, it’s a Canadian thing.””

IB

“When i came to Canada many people in University helped me to adapt to the environment and to reduce the culture shock.”

CB & IB E-Interview Sample Quotes Negative experiences

CB

“. . . many Canadians seem to have an impenetrable wall that keeps them from showing others who they really are”

IB

“Even though Canadians generally seems to be acceptance of others, deep down the heart, they do not really understand others.”

Implications for ELT1. Sociolinguistic forms of politeness should be carefully

attended to by both language teachers and learners

2. IBs students may have a different understanding of: a) “intelligent” responses to classroom discussions b) expectations of work quality and quantity

3. Lessons that explore cultural humour may help IBs adjust to foreign cultures

4. While there is some evidence of a positive acculturation process for IBs, potential exists for further social integration; therefore, the acculturation process should be explicitly addressed in ELT programs.

Works CitedBerry, J. W. & Sam, D. L. (1980). Acculturation and adaptation. In J.W. Berry, Segall, M. H., Kagitcibasi, C.

(Eds.), Cross-cultural psychology: Social behaviour and application (Vol. 3, p. 291-326). Needham Heights: Allyn and Bacon.

Cheng, L. & Fox, J. (2008). Towards a better understanding of academic acculturation: Second Language Students in Canadian Universities. The Canadian Modern Language Review, 65(2), p. 307-333.

Council of Europe (2009). Autobiography of intercultural encounters. Language Policy Division.

Katz, D., & Braly, K. W. (1933). Racial stereotypes of one hundred college students. Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology, 28, 280-290.

McCrae, R. R., & Costa, R. T., Jr. (1987). Validation of the five-factor model of personality across instruments and observers. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 52, 81-90.

Norton, B. P. (1995). Social identity, investment, and language learning. TESOL Quarterly, 29(1), p. 9-31.

Paunonen, S. V., Jackson, D. N., Trzebinski, J., & Forsterling, F. (1992). Personality structure across cultures: A multimethod evaluation. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 62(3), 447-456.

Schumann, J. (1976). Social distance as a factor in second language acquisition. Language Learning, 26, p. 135-143.

Link to Presentation

http://slidesha.re/14c5BqG

Q & A

Discussion Questions1. How, if at all, do you address Canadian culture in

your classroom and/or at your institution?

2. To what extent do you feel that your students (and/or students at your institution) have an “accurate” understanding of Canadian culture/perception of Canadians?

3. To what extent can ESL instructors and administrators assist acculturation?

EXTRA SLIDES

Culture is……

“[the] practices, beliefs, values, symbols and traditions, with particular ways of understanding the world. Cultures can be understood as the fixed, inherited features of different national, ethnic and religious groups…Cultures can also be understood as dynamic and changing, continually being redefined by individuals and groups as they interact with others of different backgrounds or respond to changing circumstances ”

(Byram, Barrett, Ipgrave, Jackson & Méndez García, 2009, p.9)

Respondent Background Profile

CBs Profile (n=130)

IBs Profile: in Canada (n=169)

IB Profile: English Education (n=169)

friendly polite helpful kind nice open-minded0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

50

3941

24

20

10 10

45

28 28

1012

10

CBs IBs

Perc

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pond

ents

CBs vs. IBs: Top Adjectives as a % of Mentions

Adjectives with less than Extreme Significance

Characteristic P-value @ 95% confidence interval

CB mean (n=130)

NCB mean (n=169)

Loyal .0038 3.67 3.34

Reliable .0041 3.76 3.46

Generous .0314 3.68 3.44

Friendly .0351 4.22 3.97

Cold .0126 2.58 2.92

Results: Highest & lowest means (n=299)

Limitations of Study• Sample size (n=299)• Sample of convenience • Significant York U and other urban

representation• CBs and NCBs are heterogeneous groups• Our video may have promoted positive

responses• Respondents with frequent social media

access may be more likely to respond