Examining Classroom Negotiation Strategies of International Teaching Assistants

Authors

Gwendolyn M. Williams, University of Nevada, RenoFollow

Abstract

From a constructivist point of view teacher identity evolves as the teacher interacts and negotiates with others. However, before negotiation can occur, instructors must establish their own teacher identity as a starting position. This narrative study analyzes how international teaching assistants negotiated with their American undergraduate students. Twenty participants engaged in two individual interviews and a videotaped classroom observation where the negotiation strategies were discussed and observed. Findings revealed that although experience improved their negotiation skills, many international teaching assistants struggled with negotiating with students because they did not understand the students’ background. Furthermore, cultural norms influenced how participants approached the negotiating process. The implications of cultural norms in cross-cultural teacher negotiation are discussed.

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.

Recommended Citation

Williams, Gwendolyn M. (2011) "Examining Classroom Negotiation Strategies of International Teaching Assistants," International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning: Vol. 5: No. 1, Article 21.
Available at: https://doi.org/10.20429/ijsotl.2011.050121