I AM CANADIAN, EH? How Canadians Are Perceived in Reality

TESL Canada Conference, Halifax, Apr. 28th-30th, 2011

Shira Packer & Dana Lynchspacke@yorku.ca dlynch@yorku.ca

York University English Language InstituteToronto, ON

NOT FOR REPRODUCTION OR CIRCULATION WITHOUT THE EXPLICIT PERMISSION OF THE AUTHORS

Warm-up Question!

Think about all the people you’ve met in Canada.

What are 5 personality traits that you immediately think of to describe them?

(Keep in mind, personality traits are those that describe the way that people act, not look.)

Agenda• Research question• Influencing Literature

– Social and Cross-Cultural Psychology– SLA

• Methodology & survey questions• Data analysis & results• Limitations• Possible Implications• Discussion

Research Question

How do

(1) native-born Canadian postsecondary students’ and recent graduates’ (CBs) perceptions

AND(2) non-native-born Canadian postsecondary students’ and recent

graduates’ (NCBs) perceptions

(3) of people living in Canada

DIFFER? (if at all)

TO ANSWER OUR RESEARCH QUESTION, WE CONDUCTED AN ONLINE SURVEY!

Relevant Literature

Social & Cross-Cultural Psychology

• Acculturation & Adaptation (Berry & Sam, 1980)

• Five-factor model of personality (McCrae & Costa, 1987)

• Hofstede (1980)• Katz and Braly & follow up

studies(1933)

SLA

• Autobiography of Intercultural Encounters (Language Policy Division, Council of Europe, 2009)

• Social identity, investment, and language learning (Bonnie Norton, 1995)

• Towards a better understanding of academic acculturation: Second Language Students in Canadian Universities (Cheng & Fox, 2008)

Methodology• Consent and research ethics

– Rec’d consent from York’s Office of Research Ethics

• Platform– Survey Monkey online survey tool

• Outreach1. Video: http://vimeo.com/185468622. Email3. Facebook: page, personal messages, status update4. Twitter

Survey Questions

1. Background 2. Unprompted adjective ranking3. 30 Likert-scale questions (5-point scale)4. E-interview qualitative questions

Adjective Ranking Question

Think about all the people you’ve met in Canada. What are 5 personality traits (characteristics or

adjectives) that you think of to describe them?

1. ____________2. ____________3. ____________4. ____________5. ____________

Likert-scale QuestionTo what extent do you agree with the following statements, where 1 represents strongly disagree and 5 represents strongly agree:People in Canada are…..

• Friendly• Peaceful• Helpful• Polite• Selfish• Respectful• Loyal• Competitive• Open-minded• Caring

• Modest• Funny • Hardworking• Self-confident• Boring• Cooperative• Optimistic• Dissatisfied• Materialistic• Risk-taking

• Easygoing• Patient• Outgoing• Generous• Cold• Afraid• Individualistic• Reliable• Intelligent

Respondent Background Info

Sample Size:

n= 299 (Ss who completed survey)

CBs = 130 (43.48% of responses)

NCBs = 169 (56.52% of responses)

Respondent Background Profile

Canadian Post-Sec Institutions Represented1. Acadia University2. Algonquin College of Applied Arts

and Technology3. Athabasca University4. Aurora College5. Bishop's University6. Brandon University7. British Columbia Institute of

Technology8. Brock University9. Canadian Mennonite University10. Canadore College of Applied Arts

and Technology11. Cape Breton University12. Capilano College13. Capilano University14. Carleton University15. Centennial College of Applied Arts

and Technology16. Collège universitaire de Saint-

Boniface17. College of New Caledonia18. College of the North Atlantic19. Concordia University20. Crandall University21. Dalhousie University (10)22. École polytechnique de Montréal23. Fanshawe College of Applied Arts

and Technology24. George Brown College of Applied

Arts and Technology25. HEC Montréal26. Humber College of Applied Arts

and Technology (10)27. Huron College28. Keyano College

29. Kwantlen Polytechnic University30. Langara College31. Laurentian University32. McGill University (11)33. McMaster University34. Medicine Hat College35. Memorial University of

Newfoundland36. Mohawk College of Applied Arts

and Technology37. Mount Royal University38. Mount Saint Vincent University39. MTI Community College40. Nipissing University41. North Island College42. Northern Alberta Institute of

Technology43. Nova Scotia Community College

(various campuses)44. OCAD University45. Queen's University (14)46. Redeemer University College47. Ryerson University48. Seneca College of Applied Arts

and Technology49. Sheridan College of Applied Arts

and Technology50. Simon Fraser UniversitySimon

Fraser University51. Sir Sandford Fleming College of

Applied Arts and Technology52. Southern Alberta Institute of

Technology53. St. Lawrence College54. St. Thomas University55. Thompson Rivers University

56. Trent University57. Université de Montréal58. Université de Sherbrooke59. Université du Québec à Chicoutimi60. Université du Québec à Montréal61. Université Laval62. University College of the Fraser

Valley63. University of Alberta (6)64. University of British Columbia (6)65. University of Calgary66. University of Guelph67. University of King's College68. University of Lethbridge69. University of Manitoba70. University of New Brunswick71. University of Northern British

Columbia72. University of Ontario Institute of

Technology73. University of Prince Edward Island74. University of Regina75. University of Saskatchewan76. University of Toronto (UofT) (36)77. University of Victoria78. University of Waterloo79. University of Western Ontario

(Western)80. University of Windsor81. Vancouver Community College82. Wilfrid Laurier University83. York University (119)84. Yukon College

CBs Profile (n=130)

NCBs Profile: in Canada (n=169)

NCB Profile: English Education (n=169)

Adjective Ranking Question

Think about all the people you’ve met in Canada. What are 5 personality traits (characteristics or

adjectives) that you think of to describe them?

1. ____________2. ____________3. ____________4. ____________5. ____________

Comparison CBs vs. NCBs: Total # of Mentions - Top 5

CBs NCBs

‘Weighted Ranking’ Method

We gave adj.s scores as follows:

If a S’s 1st choice: 52nd choice: 43rd choice: 34th choice: 25th choice: 1

e.g. “ACTIVE”

S’s Choice Score

Student 1 5th choice = 1

Student 2 4th choice = 2

Student 3 4th choice = 2

Student 4 2nd choice = 4

Total Score: 9

Comparison CBs vs. NCBs: Weighted Rankings - Top 5

CBs NCBs

Likert-scale QuestionTo what extent do you agree with the following statements, where 1 represents strongly disagree and 5 represents strongly agree:People in Canada are…..

• Friendly• Peaceful• Helpful• Polite• Selfish• Respectful• Loyal• Competitive• Open-minded• Caring

• Modest• Funny • Hardworking• Self-confident• Boring• Cooperative• Optimistic• Dissatisfied• Materialistic• Risk-taking

• Easygoing• Patient• Outgoing• Generous• Cold• Afraid• Individualistic• Reliable• Intelligent

Likert-scale results: Highest & lowest means (n=299)

Significant Differences in Perceptions

Characteristic P-value @ 95% confidence interval

CB mean (n=130)

NCB mean (n=169)

Intelligent <.0001 3.92 3.5

Funny <.0001 3.93 3.44

Caring .0006 3.89 3.48

Hardworking .0009 3.94 3.56

Loyal .0038 3.67 3.34

Reliable .0041 3.76 3.46

Generous .0314 3.68 3.44

Friendly .0351 4.22 3.97

Cold .0126 2.58 2.92

Overall P-value @ 95% confidence interval

CB mean (n=130)

NCB mean (n=169)

Positive Characteristics .1409 3.79 3.63

Negative Characteristics .2239 3.01 3.16

CB & NCB E-Interview Sample Quotes (+ experiences)

CB

“I walk in, wait in line and see that the tellers are pleasant . . . That person took the time to look into my eyes and make a connection even though she didn’t ‘need’ to. She didn’t seem to be worried about the long line behind me and whatever else she had to get done that day.”

“I was walking through my grocery store one day with my mom and we saw a man accidentally bump into a girl . . . The girl explained about the man saying sorry, and the friend just said, “oh, yeah, we have to say ‘sorry’ here, it’s a Canadian thing.””

NCB

“When i came to Canada many people in University helped me to adapt to the environment and to reduce the culture shock.”

“My very first day at york . . . Just as I came to my residence people were there to help. Everyone was a complete stranger yet so friendly. . . . The people helping me did the heavy lifting of my things, yet they seemed to enjoy it. I was a positive experience cause coming from a different continent a different culture this was not expected. It did represent the typical friendly and nice nature of Canadians.”

CB & NCB E-Interview Sample Quotes (- experiences)

CB

“I was at work and someone and someone asked for my assistance on a project . . . I was really confused, but I suppose because I wasn’t very perky they interpreted me as being cold. This is typical of seme general bad things I’ve experienced in Canada—being scared to offend someone else to the point of being overly nice and worried, which makes me feel uncomfortable.”

“. . . many Canadians seem to have an impenetrable wall that keeps them from showing others who they really are”

NCB

“Even though Canadians generally seems to be acceptance of others, deep down the heart, they do not really understand others.”

“I do not really informed of political, historical, and any general knowledge about Canada and Canadians. It is hard to mingle and mix without knowing of these things especially about North American entertainment industry and sports.”

Limitations of Study

• Sample size (n=299)• Sample of convenience • Significant York U representation• Both groups are heterogeneous• Our video may have promoted + responses

Possible Implications

1. CBs may experience “inflated” self-perceptions for specific character traits

2. NCBs may be well-acculturated, but potential exists for further social integration and classroom acculturation of NCBs

3. Canadian content curriculum development

Discussion Questions

1. How, if at all, do you address Canadian culture in your classroom and/or at your institution?

2. To what extent do you feel that your students (and/or students at your institution) have an “accurate” understanding of Canadian culture/perception of Canadians?

3. To what extent can ESL instructors and administers assist acculturation?

Works Cited• Berry, J. W. & Sam, D. L. (1980). Acculturation and adaptation. In J.W. Berry, Segall, M. H.,

Kagitcibasi, C. (Eds.), Cross-cultural psychology: Social behaviour and application (Vol. 3, p. 291-326). Needham Heights: Allyn and Bacon.

• Cheng, L. & Fox, J. (2008). Towards a better understanding of academic acculturation: Second Language Students in Canadian Universities. The Canadian Modern Language Review, 65(2), p. 307-333.

• Council of Europe (2009). Autobiography of intercultural encounters. Language Policy Division.

• McCrae, R. R., & Costa, R. T., Jr. (1987). Validation of the five-factor model of personality across instruments and observers. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 52, 81-90.

• Norton, B. P. (1995). Social identity, investment, and language learning. TESOL Quarterly, 29(1), p. 9-31.

• Paunonen, S. V., Jackson, D. N., Trzebinski, J., & Forsterling, F. (1992). Personality structure across cultures: A multimethod evaluation. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 62(3), 447-456.

• Schumann, J. (1976). Social distance as a factor in second language acquisition. Language Learning, 26, p. 135-143.