Following written directions

[Senket]

Okay, you lovely, insightful linguists, I have noticed a problem in my classes over the past year that I think is a discourse or semiotics problem. I would appreciate any insights you might have.

The students I'm concerned about are all east African (Somalia, Eritrea, Ethiopia, both male and female). In my class I always have written directions on the board for students to follow when they enter the classroom. I do this because I'm teaching at night and most of my students are coming from their day jobs and trickle in over the first half hour. For the first week or two I make a point of establishing this as a routine.

For this set of students, this never seems to become routine. I have to say to each of them individually, "Read and follow those directions." It's as if written directions have no legitimacy without an oral introduction. It's the same with my standard formatting checklist for written work (proper heading, double-space, etc.) and worksheets. They may come up to me or I may be circulating and see that they are just staring at the paper or doing something else or they hand in papers with nothing but a first name somewhere at the top, no margins, single-spaced. Again, I say, "Read and follow these directions'" and everything is okay.

There is something going on here that I am just not understanding and don't know how to address. I'm very concerned because without the ability to independently follow written directions, their continued education is in serious jeopardy.

Any ideas?

[abufletcher]

Okay, you lovely, insightful linguists,...

First of all, I seriously doubt there are any serious linguists on this forum. Second, I further doubt that "linguists" would have much of anything to say about your problem.

a discourse or semiotics problem.

I don't see how this could possilby qualify as a "discourse or semiotics" problem. It sounds to me like an issues of "classroom culture." In all likelihood these students come from classroom environments where the idea of students working individually outiside of direct control of the teacher is entirely unknown. In a great many parts of the develping world eduction is still something that happens in lock-step and which is intimately connected with choral repetition. In many northern African countries the dominant form of education is still Koranic recitation.

Students from such a background might be unlikely to pay any attention whatsoever of notes written in a foreign language (in an foreign script) on the blackboard.

they hand in papers with nothing but a first name somewhere at the top, no margins, single-spaced. Again, I say, "Read and follow these directions'" and everything is okay.

Since these are adult ed students I assume that they are coming from fairly humble backgrounds in their home countries. When I first started teaching, I had Hmong student some of whom didn't even know how to hold a pencil. You may be assuming far to great an awareness of the "culture of written documents." When I was teaching Arab students how to write and format business letters I found them to be almost blind to formatting errors (things like too many spaces between words or even capital letters in the miDdle of a word. You might want to design a "culture lesson" around how homework papers are traditionally formated in US schools.

My students here in Japan regularly write their names on homework at the bottom as if signing their name on a letter.

[abufletcher]

BTW, you might get more feedback on this on the Adult Education forum. Here we mostly just discuss insignificant grammatical minutae.

[Stephen Jones]

Your problem is directly relevant to applied linguistics. How is it that written instructions are not treated the same way spoken instructions are?

Of course, we will treat it as a problem to be analysed, and not as one to give a solution to. For that you want the Adult Education Forum

We see this in all walks of life, and amongst all cultures. Think how small a proportion of people ever read the instruction manual to something they own. The norm is to ignore written directions, not to follow them.

I wouldn't try to go against the flow. With regard to double spacing and putting in name and number I would specifically explain this, and would do so with anything else in the written instructions that is important.

[Senket]

How is it that written instructions are not treated the same way spoken instructions are?

Exactly.

I have some up with two possible explanations of this phenomenon.

1. Possibly it is a function of being trained in a primarily oral culture. As such, the first (and possibly only) discourse avenue of instruction is oral. Possibly receipt of written instructions is entirely alien.

2. Perhaps it is a matter of textual format. Students from these cultures are unaccustomed to, say, a set of written directions to be applied to the following items. Do the directions apply only to the one item immediately following? Perhaps directions in one section apply to the preceding items? Perhaps they are just hyperbole?

I've gotten students to the point where they can follow written instructions after they are told to do so. But I can't seem to get one step further so they follow written instructions independently. It's very odd to me.

I'm not, BTW, looking for instructional suggestions. Just some input into the analysis of what I find to be a peculiar phenomenon.

Senket

[abufletcher]

Perhaps you could interview them or have them write an essay about education in their home countries. You might find your answer there. I'm guessing that students from this part of the world are just not used to working autonomously.

[Senket]

Thanks very much for your comments. everyone.

In the course of presenting this situation in various places, I have been introduced to the neologism "oracy", obviously a parallel formation with "literacy". While admitting the possible usefulness of the term, the little etymologist in my head screams and collapses in a sobbing heap.

Besides, shouldn't it be "auralacy"?