當西方遇見東方:一位西方外籍教授與臺灣大學生的教室互動初探

Abstract

本研究旨在瞭解一位來自歐洲具有心理學專業背景的外籍教授Alex（化名），在臺灣教學與學生互動的歷程。研究方法包含教室觀察、師生訪談，以及相關文件資料蒐集。研究發現，語言隔閡和文化差異會影響Alex與臺灣大學生的互動。Alex認為大學時期的知識應由對話中建構而來，因此邀請學生與他辯論、甚至挑戰他的權威，然而，臺灣學生對老師威權的順從，以及課堂教室的靜默，令Alex 相當震驚，但他透過個人幽默的教學方式、主動關心學生，逐漸建立起雙方的理解與互信，從教室內的對話延伸至教室外的互動，經過1 年多的磨合，Alex與學生也建立了良好的互動關係。本研究最後針對外籍教授在臺灣的教學提出建議。

This study examined the teaching experiences of Alex, a professor of Greece, who taught in a psychology-related field in a Taiwanese university. This study found that linguistic barriers and cultural differences regarding teaching and learning posed major challenges for Alex. For example,because of his belief in the importance of critical thinking, Alex insisted that the students question his comments. However, the Taiwanese students, used to playing a passive role in the classroom,were initially reticent to Alex’s dialogical style. Through his sense of humor and friendliness inside and outside of the classroom, Alex gradually developed a mutual understanding with the students.