friday, October 24, 1980
page 6
daily nebraskan
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By Doreen Charles
Communication problems with bilingual students may
influence a professor's judgment of their ability, according
to UNL bilingual students.
Although foreign students must meet a certain level
of competence in English before being admitted to the
university, there are various adjustment problems that can
cause difficulties, according to Linda Becker, an interna
tional student adviser.
"Students sometimes mention they have problems ad
justing their ear to the American accent," she said. "Most
of them have been taught the British pro lunciation."
Listening and comprehending lectures also may
become a problem when professors mumble or use col
loquialisms or slang expressions.
Other problems arise because of the technicalities
within the university system, Becker added.
Abbreviating terms relating to feet and inches may
confuse a student who has been trained in the metric
system, she said.
Slower reading rates because of translation and un
familiarity with certain types of testing also can be ob
stacles for foreign students.
"Some professors are sensitive to the problems, some
aren't," she said.
"If a person didn't stop to think about it, they might
perceive a student as less intelligent. It can damage
students' self image. They know they're intelligent, but
they fail tests."
Biased perceptions
Professors in areas such as engineering and agriculture
who come in contact with a lot of foreign students need
to understand various cultures, she said.
Instructors with biased perceptions of foreign students
as being less intelligent may expect them to cheat on
exams, said Alberto Aponte, a junior from Puerto Rico
studying pre-medicine.
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Bilingual students who have learned English in their
home country didn't get a chance to practice it as often
as if they had learned it in America, he said.
"That's like when you take a Spanish class here. After
you leave the classroom, you speak English," he said,
Professors tend to judge American-born bilingual
students differently than foreign students, according to
Kumaldo Lovato, Chicano graduate student majoring in
sociology.
"They have two different sets of values for foreign
bom and American-bom people," he said. "People expect
American-born bilingual students to understand more,
the native of Scottsbluff said.
Although the university is a multilingual society,
Spanish-speaking students sometimes are discouraged
from speaking Spanish in American grammar schools,
Lovato said.
"They (school officials) seemed to feel that these
groups (Spanish speaking people) were a threat to the
system," he said.
Growing up with a particular language may cause a
person to lack certain information about a second
language, preventing full participation in certain
situations, he said.
"There is absolutely no correlation between a person's
second language and their ability to learn," he added.
Negative perceptions
Assumptions that foreign students have not been
exposed to modern technology also can cause a profes
sor to have negative perceptions of them, said Mets
Motoboli, an agriclture student from Lesotho, Africa.
"These assumptions are based on propaganda. I'm
studying machinery in agriculture, and professors don't
expect me to have been exposed to those types of
machines there (in Africa)," he said.
"Professors see us as less intelligent," Tanzanian stu
dent Reggie Gidey said.
"Professors are used to 'American' English. We are
used to "pure" British English.
"There are always a lot of corrections on our papers.
Professors shouldn't correct the English usage, but the
content of the material."
Professors assume that American pronunications and
spelling is the only standard, Motoboli said.
Some professors may be helpful and take extra time
with a foreign student, but there also is a tendancy to
overcompensate for what they perceive as a student's
inability to understand English, Katayoon Amirdeifan,
a junior medical technology student from Iran said.
"They explain things more, talking slow and loud,"
she said.
Professors at the university should have more educa
tion about foreign people because of the large number
of foreign students that attend the school, she said.
Lack of interest or lack of concern may make educa
ting people about foreign bilingual students difficult.
Motoboli said.
"Would offering education do them any good? Do they
want to know'.' People have their own preconceived ideas.
They need appreciation, awareness of interational people,"
he said.
76
o Piorro Cardin o Sasson o Jordacho o Calvin Klain o Cherokee
SPORTS
NEBRASKA
New series showcasing Nebraska
collegiate, high school and amateur
sports events.
LIVE FROM LINCOLN!
1980 BIG EIGHT
Women's volleyball
Championships
8 PM (7 MT) SATURDAY,
Oct. 25
r-W Ch. 1226
NEBRASKA
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