Studying in Silence: An Autoethnography Study of a Chinese Student in English-Medium University Classrooms

Abstract

This study employs an autoethnographic approach to explore why, as a Chinese international student in English-taught university classrooms in Australia, I predominantly chose to remain silent. Although the phenomenon of Chinese students' silence in intercultural learning contexts has been extensively discussed in existing research, detailed presentations of the subjective experience, immediate feelings, and meaning-making associated with silence from the individual student's perspective remain relatively scarce. Addressing this research gap, this study explored how my silence emerged within authentic interactions and revealed how underlying factors—such as emotional pressure, identity concerns, and classroom interaction rhythms—intertwined to influence my participation as a second language learner.

The findings of this study show that silence can be understood as a contextualised and strategic classroom coping mechanism, rather than a deficiency in ability or lack of willingness to participate. Silence may serve as a way for students to observe classroom norms and understand interaction rules, function as a temporary pause and self-protection strategy during intercultural adaptation, or act as a safeguard for academic identity and self-image when uncertain about the quality of linguistic output. Through this lens, the research demonstrates that silence does not necessarily signify passive withdrawal; it may also constitute a process of self-positioning and identity negotiation within intercultural classrooms.

The study aimed to provide higher education teachers and educators with some insights into the phenomenon of silence from a student’s perspective. The findings challenge the tendency to view silence among international students who have English as an additional language as problematic or deficient, and instead encourage attention to its relationship with classroom interaction arrangements, waiting times, feedback methods, and students' language processing needs. By revealing the multifaceted significance of silence in intercultural classrooms, it is hoped that the findings of this study might inform improvements in participation environments within English-taught settings, potentially fostering greater engagement and more positive learning experiences for international students.