Job Discussion Forums

[tubanator]

Dear Community-

I have a couple of questions for the long-haul TEFL folks. My experience abroad is limited to 16 months in a private school in SE Asia. I'm not willing to make a universal claim about the country, but at least in the region where I am, the standard policy is that a student motivated enough to get drool on a desk will pass the class. Standard procedures include passing out "review" tests beforehand and providing ample opportunities for re-testing with the same, multiple-choice tests. Or simply setting the pass curve (a surprisingly low 50%) at the lowest grade--the most remarkable example I've seen being a baseline of 1 out of 20 on a colleague's test.
As an American vested in academic integrity with zero tolerance for plagiarizing, cheating, sharing answers, turning in photocopies of friends' work and similar procedures that seem de rigueur here, I had a rather rocky transition.
The worst part, though, is that the students have no incentive to put forth effort, especially in a once-weekly class taught by a teacher without a cane. They know they will pass, and the only apparent motivation in the system--a bamboo cane--is barely enough for native teachers to keep the students in the classroom. The only thing at stake is "saving face," but since a failing student would make a teacher lose face, and a less-than-ideal teacher would make the school look bad, the system perpetuates.

So my questions are:
-where in the TEFL world academic integrity might be found
-in systems where everybody passes no matter what, where do students find motivation
-and what's at stake if academic integrity is not?

Many thanks!

[tttompatz]

[jpvanderwerf2001]

-where in the TEFL world academic integrity might be found

This is a tough one. Thing is, private TEFL schools/centers/what have you are businesses; they are trying to make money. As a result, there is an uncomfortable tension between the business aspect and the education aspect of language schools.
From the business side, making bigger class sizes while paying teachers as little as possible, and allowing students to continue to higher levels even if they really aren't deserving all bring profits. For instance, I manage a private language school, and have had a good half-dozen people say that they'd leave our school and go someplace else if we didn't move them on to the next level. As a business, what would you do?
On the other hand, from the academic side, it reflects poorly on the school if they simply let people move on even if their language isn't up to snuff; if someone finishes, say, the advanced level but still can't converse, that obviously doesn't look good for the schoool. In addition, smaller group sizes are more effective than classes of 30 or 40 students. And of course teachers are (presumably) happier to work if they get a high wage.
This business-academic tension is present no matter the country in which a private language school is located. Businesspeople want to make money everywhere. Teachers want academic integrity everywhere. It's a very difficult balance. Trust me: I deal with it every working day.

-in systems where everybody passes no matter what, where do students find motivation

This can vary. In my experience, most students are motivated by their personal goals. If someone wants to immigrate and they need IELTS, they will study hard. The same goes for someone who might want to study in an English-speaking country. If someone needs English to keep their job or advance his or her career the motivation is there. Also, adult learners usually pay for the lessons themselves, and know where the money is coming from.
It is hardest motivating children and teens. This has to be a collaborative effort between the educators and the parents.

-and what's at stake if academic integrity is not?

Sadly, for many (if not most) language schools, academic integrity is the loser in the aforementioned battle between business and academics. Depending on the location, there might be very big consequences for a language school if their academics are poor (as the point about advanced students not being able to communcate illustrates); however, in other markets there could be no consequences at all, as competition might not be present.
From what I've seen, marketing and promotion are more important for language schools than academic rigor. In such schools, academic rigor has to come from the teachers and the students (stemming from their needs); it's not likely to come from the owners and other administrators whose jobs are connected with profitability.

So, in the end, if academic integrity is paramount to you, I would suggest teaching at public schools, universities, or international schools that are not supposed to be businesses. These kinds of institutions are surely not perfect (especially depending on the country you're in), but you'd probably find more of what you're looking for there.

[tubanator]

So is the naivete in thinking that just about anywhere I took a job in America would discourage plagiarism and grade padding, or in thinking that similar values would be found in other cultures?
Has anyone had luck inspiring individual accountability in a communal culture?
Also, what has anyone done to justify to themselves passing the lowest performing student?

[naturegirl321]

[Ariadne]

I'm in China at a university. I give the grade the student earns. If some admin person goes in later and changes the grade, I have no way of knowing.

.

[Glenski]