Page 157 - Silence in Intercultural Communication

144 Silence in Intercultural Communication

Table 5.12 Number and length of turns in open floor situations in Curriculum
and Examinations

Participant No. of classes Total number Total turn Average no. of Average turn
included of turns length turns per class length
Tadashi 3 10 15 3.3 1.5
Kylie 3 64 210 21.3 3.3
Tamara 2 23 34 11.5 1.5
Linda 2 4 7 2.0 1.8
Christine 1 2 4 2.0 2.0
Average 8.0 2.0

Table 5.13 Number and length of turns through individual nomination
in Curriculum and Examinations

Participant No. of classes Total number Total turn Average no. of Average turn
included of turns length turns per class length
Tadashi 3 19 45 6.3 2.4
Kylie 3 10 40 3.3 4.0
Tamara 2 13 37 6.5 2.8
Linda 2 1 2 0.5 2.0
Christine 1 2 3 2.0 1.5
Average 3.7 2.5

Regarding participation through individual nomination (Table 5.13), Tadashi had
the highest number of turns, although on average Tamara showed the highest
number of turns per class. It should be noted, however, that nine of Tadashi’s
turns in this category were yes-no responses, as were seven of Tamara’s. As in the
larger Teaching as a Profession class, the students in Curriculum and Examina-
tions had to self-select to make an average contribution, despite the small class
size. It is possible that this turn-taking system in classroom interaction, which
required frequent self-selection, made it difficult for Tadashi to participate to an
average degree, since he had a tendency to participate more by other-selection.
This is also suggested by the lecturer in the Teaching as a Profession class:
(35) [Interview: Ms. Hardy]
[...] he would never volunteer and there’s so many kids in that group that do
volunteer that unless you do, you don’t have a chance.
From the coding results, it can also be inferred that, due to this preference for
self-selection in classroom participation, there seem to be a number of students
who tend to dominate interaction. Kylie, for example, is the most active student
in both of the two classes followed in this case study (Table 5.3 and Table 5.4