Comparing Students’ Turn-taking Behaviour in Group Discussions under Different Cultural Backgrounds

Abstract

In the context of globalization, cross-cultural communication has become increasingly prevalent, with international collaboration and exchange in educational settings. Turn-taking is an essential part of verbal communication, and previous study has shown how it is systematically organized and behaves within a particular cultural group. However, there is still a lack of knowledge on how cultural background affects turn-taking behaviors. Thus, using a qualitative examination of how cultural variations affect these techniques, this research looks at how five turn-taking methods—overlap, interruption, pause, back channeling, and turn-holding—are used in group discussions among Chinese, American, and Indian students. The results of the research show a wide range of turn-taking techniques employed by these three student groups.. In Chinese student discussions, pauses are the most prevalent turn-taking strategy, with others used less frequently. American students, on the other hand, frequently employ overlap and back channeling. Indian students stand out as the only group utilizing interruption and exhibit a rich repertoire of turn-holding strategies. Hence, it can be seen that cultural background has a profound impact on the use of turn taking strategies in group discussions.