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NEWSLETTER

1

EAST-WEST CENTER 1-1 Culture Learning Institute Oct. 1, 1971

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CLI Attempts Analysis of

Ways to Learn CulturesBy Dr. VemerBIckIey

According to Webster, an insti-tute is an organization forthe pro-motion of art, education and sci-ence; an institution for advancedstudy, research and instruction ina restricted field; a short-termteaching program established fora special group concerned withsome special field of work. TheEast-West Culture Learning Insti-tute can make some claim to beall of these.The Culture Learning Institute

has an international, interdisci-plinary membership of profes-sional participants from theworlds of industry, governmentand the arts in Asia and the Pacif-ic. It has senior scholars fromAsia, the Pacific and the UnitedStates who are already estab-lished in their respective academ-

*Dr. Verner Bickley, recently ap-pointed director of the CultureLearning Institute, has a richbackground of Asian-Pacific ar-ea experience, not only in lin-guistics but also in teacher-train-ing and communications media.

icfields, and their colleagues, stillat the thresholds of their careers,who receive Institute scholarshipsand are attached to several de-partments in the University of Ha-waii.

In the Institute we are attempt-ing to analyze the ways in whichcultures may be learned throughdirect interaction with the peo-ples of those cultures, and by fo-cusing on systematic studies of apeople's artistic and humanisticachievements, their "traditionalideas and their attached values."

Concerned with HowWe are concerned with the

study of how cultures may belearned. We know, however, thatprevious learning affects sub-sequent learning. We must there-fore attempt to facilitate thelearning of other cultures bysearching for means to help peo-ple understand patterns of theirown cultures.But why language? It is a com-

monplace that another culture islearned through personal and so-cial interaction. Language has aninterpersonal function and in ahomogeneous speech communityit is a great force of socialization.We need language to help us inthe learning of a culture. But wealso need the culture to assist uswith the language. We are betterable to understand and manipu-late the systems of another lan-guage if we are familiar with thecultural systems of the peoplewho use that language.Consider, for a moment, Ed-

ward Sapir's and Morris Swadesh'

translation of a story well-knownto the Nootka Indians:"Kwatyat caught sight of the

two girls. 'Whose daughters areyou?' said Kwatyat to the twogirls. The girls did not tell himwho their father was. Many timesdid Kwatyat ask them who theirfather was, but they would nottell. At last the girls got angry.'The one whose children we are,'said they, 'is Sunbeam.' For a longtime the girls said this.And then Kwatyat began to per-

spire because of the fact that theirfather was Sunbeam. Kwatyatbegan to perspire and he died.Now Kwatyat was perspiring andhe swelled up like an inflatedbladder, and it was because ofthe girls. Now Kwatyat warmedup and died. He was dead forquite a little while and thenhe burst. It was while he wasdead that he heard how he burstwith a noise."Persons who have studied Noot-

ka society would have no difficul-ty in understanding the Kwatyatstory. But while we may theorize,the rest of us will not fully under-stand its meaning because thewords reflect Nootka culture; thecontexts are strange to us. Un-less we know contexts, words canbe almost without meaning; un-less we know the cultural back-ground, even the contexts may bewithout meaning.

Developing Training ProjectsThe Institute is developing, in

cooperation with national andprivate departments, agenciesand institutions in Asia, the Pa-cific and the United States, teamresearch and training projects in-volving all its members. Twelveresearch projects have been in-itiated for 1971-72 ranging from

(Continued on page 9)

CULTURE AND LANGUAGE

EFL Administrators

TESOL Teachers

Culture. Language Seminar Assists UnderstandingBy Larry Smith

As part of the training for EFL(English as a Foreign Language)Administrators and TESOL(Teachers of English to Speakersof Other Languages) TeacherTrainers, the Culture LearningInstitute is providing an indi-vidualized culture and languageseminar to assist each participantas he develops a broader under-standing of American culture andincreases his proficiency in Eng-lish.

Individualization is based uponthe assumption that participantsdiffer in language and culturalbackgrounds, in scholastic apti-tude, in cultural interests, in ed-ucational needs, in styles andrates of learning, in language abil-ity, in thresholds of boredom andin needs to participate in de-cisions affecting their own activ-ities and evaluation. By individ-

ualizing we are able to presenteach participant with opportuni-ties to decide which of the lan-guage skills he will work on, withwhom, and for how long, or whichof the cultural "adventures" hewill take part in. Each partici-pant keeps a record of his lan-guage and cultural activities andhelps to evaluate them.

Bank of MaterialsThis approach demands that

there be a large bank of materi-als designed to facilitate individ-ualized programs for all levels ofability in each of the languageskills and a large selection of cul-tural activities. The teacher re-mains an important person bybeing a helper in planning, learn-ing and evaluating and by beingan active learner himself. Ma-chines-the tape recorder, ear-phones, and a typewriter-alsohave a place in this classroom but

the principal position is held bythe participants reacting to thematerials in the classroom, eitheralone, with the equipment, witheach other, or with the teacher.The response from the partici-

pants has been encouraging.When asked to comment on theprocedures of the seminar, fivehad this to say:

Kenji 01, Teacher Counselor,Aomori, Japan: "Every day Ienjoy these procedures verymuch. We Japanese administra-tors are very anxious to im-prove our ability In hearing andspeaking English. I think theseminar procedures are verysuitable for us to do that,"

Miss Rode R. Navarro, Gen-eral Education Supervisor, Ma-nila, Philippines: 'The individ-ual working with the direct helpofthe professorallows each oneto progress on his own withoutbeing hurried or pushed."

Satoshi Ueda, Teacher Con-sultant, Yamanashi, Japan:"The cultural observations arevery useful and Interesting tome. I also like to study using thetapes and other materials In-dividually."

0

A vital part ofthis special languageprogram isrecord keeping ofpersonal progress,as Siwalee Ampalof Thailand shows.

Individual conferenceswith program director

Larry Smith, left, helpresolve problemsand further progressfor Satoshi Ueda of

Japan and other

participants.

(Continued on page 9)

Another importantphase involves goinginto the communityand practicing the

language, as RodeNavarro, left, of

the Philippines andChikanao Yagi of

Japan prepare to do.

.

.

2 Culture and Language Learning Newsletter

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Problem Solving, "Pure" Knowledge

Needs Interdisciplinary CooperationBy Dr. Boonsanong Punyadyana*

Sociologist William Fotte Whiterecently remarked: "If he couldstart from a clean slate today, noone in his right mind would builddepartments of anthropology, so-ciology, or psychology accordingto the lines that history has pro-duced for us." (American Soci-ologist, February, 1969, p. 22).This statement reflects a growingconcern for a multi-disciplinaryapproach to research and schol-arship, an attitude toward learn-ing shared by "members" ofmany disciplines. It is obviousthat the necessity for interdisci-plinary cooperation at the empir-ical and the theoretical levels,both for practical problem-solv-ing and for "pure" knowledge ac-quisition, can no longer be denied.

During my short visit as a sen-ior fellow at the Culture LearningInstitute (February to August,1971), the Institute seemed tohave been geared toward this sen-sible orientation. I refer specifi-cally to the weekly Senior Fel-lows' seminar which initiatedlengthy discussions for about tenweeks among people from fiveEast-West countries who wereconcerned with one or more of thefollowing: anthropology, linguis-tics, philosophy, psychology, so-cial psychology, and sociology.Wediscussed problems of mutualinterest relative to culture learn-ing, discussions far too complexto report in a newsletter thor-oughlyenough to do justice to mycolleagues' contributions.

But take as an example a con-crete problem which, in my opin-ion, involves a process of culturelearning: intergroup conflict andaccommodation. This is how I

*Dr. Boonsanong Punyadyana, so-ciologist from Thailand, giveshis views of one of the seminarsCLI held last year. Other Fel-lows included Ors. E. Afendras,G. Bateson, B. Chatterjee, A.Niyekawa-Howard, R. Taft andJ. Walsh.

would see it in terms of interdis-ciplinary collaboration. An inter-disciplinary approach might befruitfully employed by asking thepsychologist to inform us how"learning" as a behavioral phe-nomenon takes place. Simultane-ously, anthropologists could giveus the ethnographic knowledgeabout intra and intergroup cul-tural and social configurations,perhaps with the aid of linguis-tics. At this stage, a cross-disci-pline collaboration might alreadyinstigate a great deal of exchangeof information, forexample, aboutchild-rearing practices and cul-tural "conditioning" of learning.

Intergroup Specialists

At the same time, intergroupspecialists in sociology and socialpsychology might explicate andinterpret the conditions underwhich conflict and cooperationtake place. How do such condi-tions "impinge" on the person-ality structure of a person con-cerned (for example, in completeaccommodation or assimilation, isit possible for him not to alter hiscultural identity?), or vice versa,how the personality and culturalbackgrounds of individuals im-pede or facilitate the learning ofand adaptation to the culture ofthe social group with which he isin contact.

It seems clear that even asingle concrete analysis such asmentioned above would entail avery complex but very productivecollaboration. I have full confi-dence in the usefulness of thistype of endeavor. My hope is thatit will continue to be the centralpolicy of the Culture LearningInstitute to provide an arena inwhich scholars of diverse fieldsmay meet. For, if that is to be theInstitute's goal, it can even besaid that at the practical, problem-solving level, the type of scholarlyinter-disciplinary activity sug-gested above could be expectedto make a much-needed contribu-tion to the reduction of intra andinternational tension.

EDUCATIONAL

ADMINISTRATION AND

TEACHER EDUCATORS

Twenty-four educators from thePacific Islands arrived at theEast-West Center on August 9 toparticipate in the Culture Learn-ing Institute Educational Admin-istration and Teacher Educationprojects. These projects, whichhave been specifically designedto meet the needs of practicingeducational administrators andteacher educators from the is-lands of the Pacific, have beenconducted on a yearly basis by theCenter since 1968.

Thetraining procedure includesseminars and lectures at the Cen-ter and the College of Educationof the University of Hawaii. In ad-dition, a practicum is conductedin schools and colleges on theisland of Oahu with an extensivevisit to the islands of Maui andHawaii. This field trip is fundedby the participants' governmentsand other sponsoring agencies.

The following were partici-pants: Roger Skilling, Miss Juli-anaTakasi, Peter Elechuus, DavidNgiraterang, Tom D. Kijiner,Marty Jekkein, Misael Setile, To-mo 0. Aisek, Ricardo P. Villa-gomez, John Kaded, loanisAhpel,Johnny David, Fuailelei Mauga,Tuimanino Alailefaleula, VaafatuTunoa, Fagamanu Unutoa, Mrs.Netina Latu, Yukiwo N. Tara,Isiro Choram, Daniel Quitugua,Miss Sadako Sadang, Miss MariaMelaitau, Rosendo T. Roland,Taua Olomua.

They came from such PacificIslands as the Marshal Is, Ponape,Truk, Palau, Yap, Marianas andthe Samoan islands and representsuch educational institutions asthe Teachers Training College ofWestern Samoa, the CommunityCollege of American Samoa, theCommunity College of Microne-sia, the Micronesian OccupationalCenter in Palau and various pub-lic and private elementary andsecondary schools.

Culture and Language Learning Newsletter 3

a111"

iransformational GrammarBy Dr. Mark Lester*

A recurring theme in currentdiscussions of ESL (English as aSecond Language) is the applica-tion (or apparent lack thereof) oftransformational grammar to theteaching of English as a SecondLanguage. It is my belief thattransformational grammar has agreat deal to say to the languageteacher, but that its message hasnot yet been widely understood.

Let me begin by suggestingthat any language teaching pro-gram rests on two sets of assump-tions: (1) how language works,and (2) how people learn lan-guages. The first set of assump-tions pertains to the discipline oflinguistics and the second to whatI will call psycholinguistics. Lan-guage programs (that is, curric-ulums), to the degree that theyare explicit and self-consistent,are based on these two sets ofassumptions. If the assumptionsare changed, the nature of thelanguage curriculum will alsonecessarily change.

How Language Works

The most important ESL curric-ulum in the United States is whatmight be called the audio-lingualcurriculum. This curriculum is de-rived from structural linguistics(a theory of how language works)and from behavioral psychology(which provides a theory for howlanguage is learned). In the lastten years transformational gram-mar has replaced structural lin-guistics as the dominant theory ofhow language works and cog-nitive psychology (within psycho-linguistics at any rate) has re-placed behavioral psychology asthe dominant theory of how lan-guage is learned. If our initial as-

Has Messagefor Language

Teachersumption that language curricu-lums are based on theories oflinguistics and psycholinguisticsis correct, it is only natural thatlanguage teachers should lookforthe emergence of a new languagecurriculum based on transforma-tional grammar and cognitivepsychology.

I think such a curriculum is e-merging, but in somewhat unex-pected ways. Perhaps the mostimportant difference between theaudio-lingual curriculum and the"new" curriculum based on trans-formational grammar and cogni-tive psychology is in the relationbetween the curriculum and thetwo sets of theories the curricu-lum is based on. At one extreme,structural linguistics and behavi-oral psychology gave explicit di-rection to the language curricu-lum. Structural linguistics pro-vided the basis for the materialsof the curriculum and behavioralpsychology provided the method-ology. At the other extreme aretransformational grammar andcognitive psychology. Both ofthese theories hold that languageis an enormously abstract capaci-ty. Its very abstractness insulatesit both from conscious awarenessand from being easily manipula-ted. It follows from this thattransformational grammar andcognitive psychologywill not pro-vide explicit guidance for the de-velopment of a language curric-ulum in the way that structurallinguistics and behavioral psy-chology did.

Saying the Same Thing

*Dr. Mark Lester is Chairman ofthe English as a Second Lan-guage Department of the Uni-versity of Hawaii. He recentlyedited the anthology "Readingsin Applied TransformationalGrammar" published in 1971.

Anotherwayofsaying the samething is that there is a strong andweak relationship between lin-guistics and psycholinguistics onthe one hand and the languagecurriculum on the other. Thestrong position is that linguisticsand psycholinguistictheories spe-

cifically determine both the con-tent and methods of the curric-ulum. The weak position is thatthe content and methods of thecurriculum are merely compatiblewith linguistic and psycholinguis-tics theories; that is, these theo-ries define the parameters of thecurriculum without giving specificguidance on particulars withinthe parameters. It follows fromthe weak position that differentorganizations of language materi-al and different methods of ped-agogy (within very broad limits)will not show substantial differ-ences in rates of learning. By andlarge, what evidence we have onthis score (admittedly skimpy)tends to support the weak po-sition.

The biggest difference betweenthe audio-lingual curriculum andthe "new" curriculum, then, isthat the audio-lingual curriculumis dominated by linguistics andpsycholinguistics in a way thatthe "new" curriculum is not. The"new" curriculum suggests thatpsychological and sociologicalfactors may play as large a roleas linguistic and psycholinguisticfactors in language learning. The"new" curriculum, therefore, willbe much less technical than theaudio-lingual. The "new" curric-ulum will pay more attention toquestions of student motivationand need, and less to controlledpresentation of language data andshaping of linguistic behavior.

One Specific Point

I would like to examine onespecific point as a way of makingthe difference between the twocurriculums more concrete. In theaudio-lingual curriculum therewas specific direction from lin-guistic theory as to the relativesequencing of the four skills:speaking and listening came first;reading and writing were post-poned as being of secondary con-cern. The reason for this was thatthe spoken language was felt tocontain information that was nec-cessary to the interpretation ofwords and sentences. The writtenlanguage was felt to be not muchmore than a somewhat Wntrust-

(Continued on page 9)

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4 Culture and Language Learning Newsletter

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THE

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GROWS LARGER ...ASYOU OPEN IT

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Transformational Grammar...

worthy reflection of the spokenlanguage.

In certain situations this as-sumption about the ordering ofskills works tolerably well-for ex-ample, when students are learn-ing a language with no historicalwriting system and where the stu-dents are concerned with gaininga command over the spoken lan-guage. However, in other situa-tions this assumption has hadsome very unhappy consequen-ces. For example, in Japan one ofthe main motivations for learningEnglish is to gain control over thewritten language. Many studentssee little need to ever use thespoken language. Moreover, theactual teaching situation makesteaching the spoken languagevery difficult: the teachers arenot native speakers of Englishand are more or less uncertain oftheir own pronunciation. Thenumber of students in a class is

I so great that the individual stu-dent has virtually no opportunityfor individual performance andcorrection. Under these circum-stances the audio-lingual curric-ulum has not been very success-ful.

Order of Skills

(Continued from page 4)

der of skills emerges? I wouldargue that there are two factorsthat contribute to the level of dif-ficulty of a skill: (1) Active versuspassive skills-it is easier to reada foreign language than it is towrite it, and it is easier to listen toa foreign language than it is tospeak it. (2) Real time versus owntime-reading a foreign languageis easier than listening becauseyou can read at your own rate ofcomprehension. Also when youread, you can stop and look upa word, something that is im-possible when trying to follow aconversation. For the same rea-sons, writing is easier than speak-ing. If we combine these two fac-tors on a chart, using + for"easier" and - for "harder," thefollowing picture emerges:

Active! Real time!Passive Own time

Reading + +Listening + -

Writing - +Speaking -

-

From the standpoint of sequen-cing the four skills in terms oflevel of difficulty, reading shouldbe taught first and speaking last-just exactly the opposite orderfrom that prescribed in the audio-lingual curriculum.

What is the order of skills inthe "new" curriculum? I am notsure that transformational gram-mar or cognitive psychology givesany strong suggestion here be-yond the observation that thewritten language represents animportant level of linguistic ab-stractness. In other words, thewritten language is as "real"as the spoken language. This initself does not dictate any par-ticular ordering of reading andspeaking skills; however, it doessuggest that the ordering of skillsis an open question that can beapproached empirically.

One of the basic assumptionsabout any teaching is that materi-al should be presented to the stu-dent in an order that moves fromleast difficult to most difficult.Using this consideration, what or-

In summary then, transforma-tional grammar and cognitivepsychology will provide the basisfor an ESL curriculum that ismuch less linguistically struc-tured. It will tend to be lesstheoretical and more practical. Itwill move towards organizing lan-guage material around situationsand away from reliance on lin-

guistic structures as the basesfor content. It will tend to bemuch more individualistic andless controlled. It may not workany better, but it will be lots morefun.

.(Reactions to this controversial

conclusion may be submitted byletter, and will be considered forthe next issue of this newsletter.)

Seminar Assists...

(Continued from page 2)

Miss Remedlos T. deLeon,English Supervisor, Manila,Philippines: "For teaching Eng-lish and culture i think the cul-ture and language class proce-dures are excellent, especiallyfor those who need much helpin developing communicationskills."

Mrs. Siwalee Ampal, EnglishDepartment Head, VocationalTeachers' College, Bangkok,Thailand: "The cultural obser-vations provide us with oppor-tunities to see real situationsand surroundings which read-ing cannot do."

It is hoped that this seminarwill provide an example of howan EFL 0rTESOL class can be in-dividualized and demonstrate themultiple benefits to those in-volved. The Culture Learning In-stitute is eager to assist others inestablishing such classes.

CLI Analysis...(Continued from page 1)

an analysis of differential percep-tions of filmed events, objects andactions to a study of the relevanceof role-playing in language learn-ing. These projects will be coordi-nated by Fellows and staff mem-bers. Carefully structured fieldstudy experiences will relate di-rectly to the research projects.The fifteen training projects for

1971-72 include a nine-monthcourse for trainers of teachers ofEnglish to speakers of other lan-guages from seven countries inAsia and the Pacific and a nine-month course on stagecraft tech-niques for professionals from Ja-pan, Korea, the Philippines andTaiwan. Details of all these proj-ects are given in the institute'sAnnual Bulletin, published initial-ly in September, 1971.This is the first issue of the

Newsletter, a quarterly publica-tion for the dissemination of in-formation on the Institute'sachievements, activities, and as-pirations.

Culture and Language Learning Newsletter 9

After Six years Returns as Fellow

Former Grantee Conducts EWC Evaluation

By Dr. Stephen Bochner*

I return to the East-West Center,after an absence of six years, withalmost the same feelings I hadwhen I first came here as agrantee graduate student in 1963.I stood then, as now, somewhatin awe about the new enterprise Iwas embarking on, vastly excitedabout the opportunities for crea-tive work and self-development,and totally enamoured of themulti-cultural setting of both theCenter and the wider Hawaiiancommunity. But my task in 1963was a relatively easy one-basic-ally to survive two years of aca-demic course work. All the in-tangible benefits-close friend-ships with people from diversecultures, a chance to travel toexciting new places, a greater in-sight into one's own culturallybound cognitive and emotionalprocesses, gaining expertise inconcocting exotic rum punches-all these were optional extras tobeenjoyed or endured dependingon one's predisposition.

Six years later I return, with anexplicit brief to engage in re-search on the psychological im-pact of the Center on its students.Apprehension at what I have gotmyself into is mixed with the ex-citement of having been given anunusual opportunity to do work ina unique setting. The term "u-nique" is frequently overworked,but applies quite literally to theCenter, which is unlike any otherinstitution in the world. At thesame time, the very singularityof the Center means that there arevery few direct guidelines abouthow to approach the beast, and isprobably one of the reasons whythe Center has not done very

S S I

*Dr. Stephen Bochner, a formerEast-West Center grantee in1963, is returning to the Centeras a Fellow, assigned to the Cul-ture Learning Institute. He willbe conducting an evaluation ofEast-West Center alumni and stu-dents.

much research on itself during theten years of its existence. It isalso true that the Center, like anylusty young infant, has been toobusy becoming, to bother wastingits time and resources on intro-specting. But after a decade ofsturdy growth, the Center is nowphysically and psychologicallyready to take a long, hard look atitself, wherein lie two specialproblems common to all psycho-logical investigation.

Psychology differs from thephysical sciences in that whereasa geologist studies objects exter-nal to himself, such as rocks, thepsychologist's concern is with thebehavior of people, with himself.Several things happen when weobserve people, which are lesslikely to happen when geologistsobserve rocks. First of all, the be-havior of people tends to changewhen they know that they arebeing observed, whereas by andlarge a rock just sits there anddoes not blush, tell lies about it-self, or jump up and bite youwhen it is being scrutinized. Butpeople and organizations do.They try to paint themselves inthe most favourable light. Theycan become defensive if you gettoo close to a sensitive area, andthey will show you the door ifthings get really sticky.

The second distinguishingcharacteristic of the behavioralsciences is that ultimately the

measuring tool or instrument ofthe discipline is the psychologisthimself, because even when he isusing fancy questionnaires, "ob-jective" tests, computerized scor-ing techniques and the like, theseprocedures were developed andstandardized by other researchpsychologists. And in the main,despite some evidence to the con-trary, psychologists are humanbeings, and are therefore prone toall the biases, distortions, misper-ceptions, and illogicalities thatcharacterize the human condi-tion. Thus whereas an electronmicroscope is unlikely to fall inlove with the light rays it issorting out, the psychologist as ameasuring instrument is likely tobe affected by the attitudes heholds toward his subject matter.

IntrospectingIf we relate these two points to

the issue ofthe Center introspect-ing on itself, we can see that thetask is not all beer and skittles,or Primo and poi, for that matter.But I am an optimist at heart (or Iwould not be here) and there arecertain precautions that one cantake, and certain techniques andstrategies that one can employ,which make it feasible to embarkon such research.

My own experiences at the Cen-ter should at least qualify me toknow what kinds of questions toask. This is not a trivial point, formuch research founders becauseof an unclear formulation of whatthe research problem is.

My independence from theCenter is another positive point-I am on sabbatical leave from theUniversity of New South Wales inSydney, and dearly as I love theCenter, I am not dependent on itfor my daily bread. Again this isnot a trivial issue, for it is oftenthe case that internal researchworkers are consciously or un-consciously influenced in thesorts of questions they ask, andthe way in which they ask them,by career and peer-group loyalty

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10 Culture and Language Learning Newsletter

considerations. I, on the otherhand, can afford to be a properbastard, even though this goes

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very much against my sweet na-ture, as everyone knows. Myownformal and informal relationswith the administration are, sofar, excellent and I will in partmeasurethesuccess of my stay atthe Center by the number offriends I will have retained andmade during my sojourn here.

Effect on Output

In formulating our researchplan,and then activating it, we in-tend to use a technique that hasworked rather well with my grad-uate students in Sydney. We planto gather togethera group of like-minded graduate students, Fel-lows, and University and East-West Center faculty and staff.Thesefolk will be made to under-stand that their task is to do re-search on the effect of the East-West Centeron its output. Beyond

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that, they will receive no furtherspecific instructions. Rather,there will be the assumption thatthe group itself will have the in-tellectual and technical resourcesto developand activate cogent re-search.

My task, as I see it, will be: a.)to provide expert backgroundknowledge (acquired in the Li-

brarythe night before); b.) to sim-

plify the proposals that emerge(groups like these inevitably come

up with projects that would cost amillion dollars and take a decadeto carry out); c.) to organize the

personnel into compatible groupsof twoor three, such that they cannurture and support each otherwithout getting in each other's

way; d.) articulate my belief thatresearch is best done in small

manageable chunks rather than

trying to solve all the problems ofthe world in one go; e.) to influ-ence different groups to selectdif-ferent chunks or aspects of the o-verall phenomenon, such that a

'programmatic, coordinated re-search activity ensues, with threeor four small groups all workingon distinct projects but with acommon theme, thus providingsupport both within and across

groups; f.) to coordinate the vari-ous research groups without toomuch intrusion, and without go-ing mad; g.) to coordinate the re-search results by writing up thevarious studies as part of one in-

tegrated report; h.) to make the

groups self-generating so thatwhen I leave, they will heave a

sigh of relief at my departure,and continue with their work; i.)but not to make them too inde-pendent, so that I can have an ex-cuse for coming back.

The last point is not just a trueword spoken in jest, but also veryrelevant to doing research at in-stitutions like the East-West Cen-ter. Good research, as I have ex-

perienced it, is done by small

groups of people,each involved inits own aspect of a common or

super-ordinate goal:Wethus havea need for the kind of coordina-tion I have been describing. But

continuity over time is also a vitalneed, because quality research islike a tree that needs a few yearsbefore a full harvest can be

reaped. With existing patterns of

mobility, continuity is a problemeven in more permanent institu-tions such as Universities; at theCenter,whereall the students andFellows are transients, continuityis a critical issue. One of my ma-

jorconcerns as a coordinator willbe to tackle the continuity prob-lem, and propose some solutionsto it.

In conclusion, we are going to

study ourselves, wartsand all, butwe are not frightened of what wewill find. We intend to combine

training with research, in that thestudents in our group will learnaboutresearch by doing it, and bywatching their elders fumbling atit. We intend that all the research-ers, from the students down, de-fine theirown research problems,on the theory that self-commit-ment is a more effective moti-vator than external reinforcers.And we have interpreted the

problem-centered approach toinclude agroup-centered philoso-phy, in the hope that the links

originally forged through grap-pling with acommon task will ex-tend to lasting personal relation-

ships that transcend disciplinary,generational, and cultural gaps.

THE EAST-WEST CENTER-for-mally known as "The Center forCultural and Technical Inter-

change between East and West"-was established in Hawaii bythe United States Congress in1960. As a national educationalinstitution in cooperation with the

University of Hawaii, the Center'smandated goal is "to promotebetter relations and understand-ing between the United Statesand the nations of Asia and thePacific through cooperativestudy, training and research."

Each year about 1,000 degreestudents, research-minded Fel-lows and nondegree students, in-cludingthose in technologicalde-

velopment and training programsat the mid-career level, comefrom more than 35 countries andterritories to study and work to-

gether at the East-West Center.

They are supported by federal

scholarships and grants, supple-mented in some fields by contri-butions from Asian/Pacific gov-ernments and private founda-tions. Several hundred more menand women receive training an-nually at field workshops and re-fresher courses conducted in theAsian/Pacific area by East-WestCenter instructional teams co-

sponsored by local governmentsand agencies.

A fundamental aim of all East-West Center programs is to foster

understanding and mutual re-

spect among people from differ-

ing cultures working together in

seeking solutions to common

problems. The Center draws onthe resources of U.S. mainlanduniversities, and Asian/Pacificeducational and governmental in-

stitutions as well as organizationsin the multicultural State of Ha-waii.

Center programs are conducted

by the East-West CommunicationInstitute, the East-West Culture

Learning Institute, the East-WestFood Institute, the East-West Pop-ulation Institute, and the East-West Technology and Develop-ment Institute. "Open" grantsprovide scope for flexibility andinnovation.

Culture and Language Learning Newsletter 11

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