Roles in Group Work
Author: Karin Nishimoto, Kwansei Gakuin University
Review/editing: Aaron Rotsinger, University of St Andrews
Situation: A group of Japanese and international students were tasked with making a video about shopping in Japan. All of the Japanese students just started working on their own right away. However, the international students were confused and they didn’t interact much. At the end of the class, the international students hadn’t really done any work. In the next class, when they sat down to continue the project, one of the international students gently pointed out that it might have been better to discuss the structure together before anyone started working. They weren’t upset, but seemed to be a bit uncomfortable, and this made the group uncomfortable. Nobody really enjoyed working together much, and the international students didn’t contribute very much.
Question:
Why did the international students not participate? How could this have been avoided?
The international students were angry that the Japanese students didn’t discuss roles first.
The international students didn’t understand Japanese very well and didn’t know what was happening.
The Japanese students didn’t care about the international students’ feeling or cultural expectations.
The Japanese students were more hardworking.
The teacher didn’t give them proper directions.
How can we better understand and appreciate working styles from people with different cultural backgrounds?
What strategies can we use to reduce negative effects when misunderstandings happen in a group?
In international groupwork, what communication methods can help everyone work together smoothly and openly?