COMMUNICATION IN A FORMAL CLASSROOM

Communication in a Formal Classroom Setting

Acknowledgement

I would take this opportunity to thank my research supervisor, family and friends for their support and guidance without which this research would not have been possible.

Communication in a Formal Classroom Setting

In order to communicate appropriately and effectively with diverse groups of people, one must be competent in intercultural communication. This competence is defined as the ability to "acknowledge, respect, tolerate, and integrate cultural differences that qualifies one for enlightened global citizenship" (Chen & Starosta 2003). Because "culture is the rule-governing system that defines the forms, functions, and content of communication," knowledge of the many aspects of other cultures is necessary for intercultural communication competence (Gay 2003).

By understanding a culture's values, beliefs, communication patterns, and hidden rules of behavior, one is able to communicate more appropriately and effectively with the individuals of that culture.Within the United States only, there are countless amounts of co-cultures comprised of individuals who "hold dual or multiple cultural memberships" (Samovar & Porter 2003). These groups may share "a common religion, economic status, ethnic background, age, gender, sexual preference, or race" (Samovar & Porter 2003). Each specific co-culture often has a "specialized language system, shared values, a collective worldview, and common communication patterns" (Samovar & Porter 2003). Therefore, these individuals are not solely members of the mainstream culture; rather, their cultural influences include many other cultural groups.

Divisions along socio-economic status create the co-cultures of poverty, of the working lower class, of the middle class, and of the upper class. These co-cultures differ drastically concerning values, norms of communication, family structures, attitudes toward education, behavioral expectations, and more.

Within the United States' public education system, many co-cultures exist together. The co-cultures of differing among socio-economic status vary drastically concerning values, The Co-Culture of Poverty 3 behavioral expectations, and communication patterns. Schools "operate from middle class norms and use the hidden rules of the middle class," but these norms and hidden rules "are not directly taught" (Payne 2001). The co-culture of the middle class then becomes the mainstream culture within the school. Thus, the norms of the school greatly contrast the norms of the students' home lives in poverty. Therefore, those students from the co-culture of poverty are not familiar with the underlying assumptions of the middle class that pervade values, behavioral expectations, and communication patterns. Because of the differences between these contrasting co-cultures, students from poverty have more difficulty than students from the middle class when adjusting to the classroom expectations concerning values, behavior, and communication.

In this study, I will discuss the interactions involving the co-culture of poverty in the classroom that is driven by middle class rules. Though the co-culture poverty is generally defined by its socio-economic status, the co-culture of poverty includes those who lack resources other than financial resources, as well. For this study, poverty will be defined as "the extent to which an individual does without financial, emotional, mental, spiritual, physical resources, as well as support systems, role models, or knowledge of hidden rules" (Payne ...