Tuesday, November 2, 2010

Outliers and PDI


Although the title of chapter seven, “The Ethnic Theory of Plane Crashes” appears disengaged from the previous ones, as Malcolm Gladwell begins to narrate the activities of a tragic Korean Air flight, readers get a sense of how the interactions between pilots and co-pilots relates to the larger discussion of cultural legacies. Gladwell explains that some airplane crashes can be linked to the modes of communication, and lack thereof, among the officers within the cockpit.

In addition to pointing out that airplane crashes are the result of a combination of several factors, Gladwell identifies Geert Hofstede’s concept “Power Distance Index" (PDI) – a measuring system “concerned with attitudes toward hierarchy, specifically with how much a particular culture values and respects authority” – as a crucial issue for understanding why, for example, pilots from some nations may have been at a cultural disadvantage for effective and essential communication in an airplane cockpit.

For those us concerned with academic failures and achievements and not only airplane crashes, perhaps we should take a closer look at the roles of communication in collegiate education and PDI in our immediate context. What is one important way that PDI or a distinct mode of communication comes into play positively or negatively concerning how students here at SIUE interact with professors or the university in general? What makes the issue you address so important to academic success orf failure?

18 comments:

Ke'Asha jones said...

Negatively some students may be more reluctant to correct say a math teacher if they make a mistake because they are a teacher. By not correcting the math teacher students who do not understand the concept are susceptible to fail because they are now trying to understand something that was wrong. As students we often feel that we should not question authority and with that mindset we let some teachers make mistake which can in turn compromise our education. If we are afraid to question a teacher or professor we are allowing ourselves to be ran over in the corporate world because we will not challenge authority when we feel they are wrong or need to be led into a different direction that will help everyone involved in the situation.

Jasmine said...

The negative problem that a lot of students have is communicating a problem with their teacher. If a student is the type of person that doesn't really know how to approach authority then there are a lot of things that they do not get to say. This could lead to many problems.

The student could end up getting bad grades because they did not communicate that they didn't understand something. They could also get things wrong if they are say scared to approach the professor about a mistake that the professor made. Communication is key between professors and students in order for a student to do well in a course.

Eric said...

Some students may be afraid to speak up in class or to correct a teacher because they do not want to disrespect authority or be thought of as dumb if they give the wrong answer. Most students were taught in elementary school that you should always trust your teachers or instrucors and never disrespect them. If someone is going into a business career then they need to be respectful of authority but also have the courage to correct someone or say what they believe.

Bradley Goolsby said...

PDI could be seen both ways. In a negative light, as Ke'Asha has already stated, it could lead to mistakes being made that students would be afraid to call out. It could also lead to a disruption of academics, as some students may feel the need to act out in order to prevent themselves from feeling threatened. On the other hand however, it could positively influence students through the use of viewing the authority as role models, and lead to a friendly interaction, allowing those who do not understand material to raise their hand and question how the actions are performed.

Joe Brown said...

After reading about mitigation and PDI in the book, I have found an example of the (mis)uses of mitigation in my own life.

I live with my parents. Their house, their rules. I look to them for daily guidance, because of my Asperger's Syndrome. Logically it would follow that I respond better to orders than hints. The problem with this is that my mother usually hints.

For the past week, the weatherhas been , at least where I live, cold, so my mother has been saying "It's been really cold out lately." I do not get hints, so I have been walking in the cold without a jacket, at least until today when she finally said "Put on a jacket, it's cold outside."

Dan Chan said...

Perhaps it is not just the professors, but also it could be the way that the students look at the faculty workers, such as the janitorial staff or the lunch-men and women. They mostly look down upon them as opposed to the educational staff. This leads to problems due to the false stereotypes and the perception of the person's life due to their job. Sure a student may speak up against a teacher, but i believe it's more common for somebody to speak down to somebody whom a student may deem as "inferior" to a professor.

Zack Leija said...

In a negative sense, a fair amount of students are timid to take control of their academic life. Many students are intimidated or afraid to approach professors when a problem arises or when they struggle to understand or grasp a concept in a class. A reason for this is because some students feel that people who know more than they do or someone who is older or is an established authoritative figure will not be willing to help them or will make them feel as if they are not smart. More students and people in general need to be able to stand up for themselves when it comes to things such as work and school because it is the only way that they will improve themselves and learn more.

Bryan M said...

I have yet to decide if it is positive or negative, but we are supposed to communicate with our professors if we are going to miss class. We are not required to go to college, unlike high school, it is an option. I don't see how someone can lose points for missing a class because they failed to communicate with the professor. It was our choice to come to college and we pay good money to be here. I don't think professors should be concerned with attendence. If a student wants to succeed then they will show up to class. If they choose not to come then they should have to deal with the consequences of failing. I do not think professors should drop a student out of their class because they missed so many days, but they should let them deal with their poor choices. I mean, it is college, it is time that people learn to deal with the consequences. In order for us to learn to succeed, we need to first learn how to make good decisions. Like I said earlier, I am not sure if it is positively or negatively affecting us students that we have to communicate with professors when failing to attend class.

Gabriel C. said...

The effect of PDI in education, to me, is a negative one. Some students fear that they will be looked at as being less intelligent than other students if they simply ask questions in class. School is there for us to acquire something new, not to hear what we already know. If that was the case every person in the world would be at the same level of education. The point of the matter is there should be no fear of professors by students since they are there to help us in our journey for knowledge.

Jewel_M. said...

I agree with the others who have posted. This is negative. Students are doing a disservice to themselves and their education. The professor already has the education to do what they want to do with their lives. The student should communicate with the professor as much as possible so that they are getting as much from the professor that they can. Professors are human. They are going to make mistakes. Correcting authority should not be avoided. The student is disservice themselves as well as the students around them by letting that happen.

jerraco johnson said...

PDI can definitely be seen both ways like Bradley stated, but I agree that the negative aspect does stand out more. In high school education, it was more likely easier to approach a teacher. They seem less intimidating and more willing to help. But now professors are more strict (most of them) and I will admit that many of them seem intimidating. In the end though, all they probably want to see in their students is an effort to greet them or communicate with them!

Jim Engracia said...

To me I believe that good communication skills are essential for everyone. I also believe that education is key for any person to succeed. There is no wonder why these two things can come together.
Having students communicate in their schools is very important. Interactions between the professor and student is important on the student's education and it let's the professor know what they may need to reteach again. Communication with the school is also important. It lets the school know what they need to do so that more students succeed. It also helps students succeed because the school can give students resources that they could ever imagine.
These are important to academic success or failure because it helps them realize their potential. Schools are there to help people educate themselves and succeed.

Jim Engracia said...

To me I believe that good communication skills are essential for everyone. I also believe that education is key for any person to succeed. There is no wonder why these two things can come together.
Having students communicate in their schools is very important. Interactions between the professor and student is important on the student's education and it let's the professor know what they may need to reteach again. Communication with the school is also important. It lets the school know what they need to do so that more students succeed. It also helps students succeed because the school can give students resources that they could ever imagine.
These are important to academic success or failure because it helps them realize their potential. Schools are there to help people educate themselves and succeed.

Brian Cooper said...

Negatively some students may be afraid to contact their professor if their is an issue because they don't want to seem like they are overstepping boundaries of the authority figure and are challenging the teacher's authority. For example there was a problem in my chem class where the teacher put up our test scores on the wrong scale. Some of the students just sat in class complaining about the issue, rather than bringing up the issue politely to the teacher so that it could get fixed.

But on the other hand the PDI is also a positive thing. If a student here on campus takes the time to constantly interact with a teacher they will feel more comfortable with the boundaries on what is appropriate to say and challenge if there is a problem. For example last yr I visited the campus and took a dance class here. After that I maintained contact with Kristin, the dance teacher. And when I went to sign up for classes and they were all full I was able to comfortably come to her with the issue and she was able to get me into classes that I normally would have had to wait to take.

Quiandez McAfee said...

Its a power struggle. All our lives we been taught that the people instructing us are right and we should listen to them no matter what. Doing that leads to not being able to fully comprehend things and bad grades. We need to question authority to accomplish what we need in a respectful way

Ricky Mahajan said...

When in a large class setting student are often scared to ask questions or correct a teacher because they fear feeling stupid. In reality their question, comment or correction could be extremely beneficial to everyone in the class. Thus it is negitive. Noone should have a fear of being wrong because being wrong is what leads to being right.

Derreck H said...

The negativity some students have are because they feel shy about asking questions because society has placed this act as "being too stupid to know". Others refrain from asking questions because just as Ke'Asha said, they'd be questioning authority. This concept is true and exists outside education. If we can overcome fear of questioning knowledge, then the society as a whole can prosper.

Anonymous said...

I felt as though the problem was with communication and whether or not students were rising up to challenge authority when they may not be correct. This has happened to me before in previous classes and i am sure it happens to other students as well and it can cause terrible results. Students may learn the improper way to do something and this could carry them throughout their lives and hurt them in many more aspects of their education.

-Nile Hamer Bluff hall