Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Derrek]

Something I just don't understand.

When I give my classes a test, if the student doesn't know the answer, they leave the question BLANK!

After I noticed this happening the first time, I went to great lengths to explain that they should at least GUESS at the answer. Maybe then, they will get lucky, and the one or two points they get might mean the difference between a favorable grade.

They just keep on leaving the answers blank if they don't know them.

Do Koreans not understand logic or statistical probability?

[turtlepi1]

If they "think" they know an answer they can make some kind of a guess.
If they have no idea, they may feel like the answer they guess will make them seem completely stupid. (thus losing more "face" than a low score.)

or perhaps in some multiple choice tests in this country they are penalized more for wrong answers than for blank answers. I know I have written many tests in that format in Canada.

or perhaps they just don't give a damn...enough points to pass.

From your post it sounds like you assume they just don't get it, but if you think about your attitude towards it, perhaps it is you who just doesn't get it.

(not meant to be nasty...it was meant to be funny...but without the intonation of sppech I'm not sure it came across that way...)

(I actually think it is a good question to discuss.)

[crazylemongirl]

I find even in classroom exercises that my boys have a tendency to give up the minute they don't understand a word. I'm trying to get them to take more risks and also not worry about understanding everything, but rather getting enough to make an educated guess.

Part of that is having my 'candy questions.' For example I did a lesson on linking countries with nationalities. I then asked this question: It's a fruit it also means a person from new zealand' Good chance for them to link bits of knowledge together. But also they love them as they will take a risk for a bit of candy. If they get a wrong answer I say that's ok, thanks for guessing and I might give them a bit of candy later for taking an educated guess.

It drives me crazy that when a kid or two doesn't understand a small passage the koren teacher will translate the whole thing for them. A word or two is ok, but it kind of defeats the purpose of what I'm trying to teach them if they translate every word.

[sadsac]

That is the big down side of having Korean taeching staff, I have kids ask if they can go and see the Korean teacher for an explanation when they don't understand something. It can be very frustrating. Blank answers are common. They will not try to answer a question if they are not 100% sure that the answer they give will be correct. Koreans are not risk takers, they just follow the lead of the strongest in the class.

[Manner of Speaking]

From a purely pedagogical point of view, doesn't it make more sense if the student leaves the answer blank?

After all, if the student doesn't know certain answers, by leaving them blank the student lets YOU know what THEY don't know, precisely. Then you can tailor your remedial teaching after the test to cover what they may have forgotten or not understood in class.

It depends on what you think is more important: having them learn and understand a certain body of knowledge, or getting a high numerical rating on a test.

[Demophobe]

Is it a multiple choice test? If so, then yes, they should choose something. However, if it's a long answer test or translation-type stuff, then it makes sense to me. Perhaps the really have no idea or don't really care because you class isn't part of their real grades....the ones that matter to their future.

[OiGirl]

[d503]

I used to leave answers blank on language tests when I didn't know them. I did this with the idea that sometimes working through the test will trigger the answer for the one I didn't know, and also because it takes more time to think up a plausible answer than to answer a question you know. My motto answer what you know and fill in what you have time for.

That being said my students do it on non-timed oral spelling tests, so to encourage guessing how to spell a word, I give half points for semi correct answers. This is only applicable for the oral tests. I still haven't figured out how to get them to guess on the translation tests. But I figure that is due to the fact that the tests are in the same format as their list so the students just memorize the lists by rote. I remember being shocked and confused on the first set I graded because one student had filled in a slot that had neither the Korean nor English word, then imagine my surprise when about two thirds of the class came up with the same response. So if your word list goes Cat, Dog, Goat. And as you are filling in you can't think of dog but you know a word goes between cat and goat you skip it and move on. I suppose you could guess, but why would you write car when you know that's not what goes there. Not sure if that's applicable to your situation but that's what I see in my classes.

I do agree with the statements that guessing helps, when my students guess on oral spelling tests I can see what spelling rules and sounds we need to review, so I can tailor my lessons to their needs. I don��t fret over blanks to much though because a blank answer also tells me that this students doesn��t know this concept, so I know to review that too.

[Derrek]

[OiGirl]

[Derrek]

[gajackson1]

FYI, I was informed by students/staff/parents a few years ago that blank answers are not counted as wrong on 'certain tests' - private school AND public!!! (so, opposite of western, a guess here is not beneficial)

I quickly instituted a rule at my school - at least where English was concerned - that blank=wrong, and made the Korean staff enforce it as well.

We had 4 weeks of standard 'Western-style' test taking skills. Pretty useful stuff, and a lot of misconceptions cleared up.

Regards,

Glen

[TJ]

I learned French at High school and Indonesian at university. In both instances, if I didn't know a word or even a phrase, I would rather write something than leave a blank.

[ Now that I am older I continue to be a firm believer that it is better to have tried something and failed than not to have tried at all. Of course, common sense should be a vital part of the decision making process ]

However, before I 'guessed' I would look for clues in the preceding or following questions. I would look at the topic and the context. Often I would pick up the answer that way.

Unfortunately this type of logical searching (if you can call it that) is uncommon in Korean students. Frequently I see students miss picking up the answer from the line directly above the question. This even happens when the two questions are worded in an almost identical manner.

That's why, in my own small way, I am trying to do more with my students than just teach them english. I AM TRYING TO ENCOURAGE THEM TO THINK !!!

[ajstew]

I'd rather the students leave their answers blank... then try to look on other students' tests and copy 'wrong answers' word for word.