An imaginary case study (3)

In Chapter 2 we looked at an imaginary case study of a student from Nepal. We noted that, apart from the subject to be studied and any language difficulties, there were other factors to be considered. These involved differences in academic environment, study modes, expectations and aspects of the whole culture.

To continue our case study a little further, in the UK, Gopal attends an eight-week pre-sessional EAP course prior to starting his studies in Development Economics. One day he attends a lecture on the system of government in Britain: it is given by a guest lecturer from the Department of Government. After the plenary session, the course tutors will be discussing the lecture and its particular difficulties with the students in their classes. Meanwhile, Gopal is feeling confused because of interweaving and conflicting thoughts and observations.

During the lecture, Gopal tries, with difficulty, to write down almost everything the lecturer says and writes on the blackboard. But he notices that some students only write brief notes, while one or two others are writing notes in a kind of diagram. He is rather surprised when one student asks a question. Still others, he notices, are talking together quite a lot. Gopal does not find the lecture easy to follow: the lecturer seems to make jokes, but Gopal cannot understand them.