Learning Styles of Asian Students in the Social Sciences and Humanities: A Qualitative Study

Although there are numerous studies of the adaptation of East Asian students to the requirements of the Australian university there seems to have been little emphasis on their adaptation to the social sciences and humanities. The difficulties of adaptation for East Asian students in these areas seem to be greater in these areas, not just because of language, but because the students are required to develop their own ideas and concepts and to work in ambiguous learning contexts where there are no clear answers. Using a questionnaire and a series of interviews this paper examines the views of two students, both of mature age, one a postgraduate, the other an undergraduate, in relation to the demands of their courses in these areas at an Australian university. In contrast to the emphasis on formal and prescriptive teaching in their own countries both students emphasized speculation and theory formation as their learning ideal but had difficulty adjusting to their courses. Factors of lack of personal interest in certain theories, criticism of aspects of the courses and failure to understand lecturers' comments contributed to the students' adjustment difficulty.