Towards a Culturally Sensitive and Deeper Understanding of “Rote Learning” and Memorisation of Adult Learners

Abstract

This article aims to provide evidence that “rote learning” or “memorisation” is a complex construct and is deeply embedded in the East Asian culture. An in-depth understanding of this learning approach is increasingly crucial considering the complex demography of contemporary higher education nowadays. Not only is there a rise in the number of matured adult learners but also there is an increase in the number of international students (in particular students from the East). Despite the widening participation, there is an appalling lack of awareness of cultural differences in learning and teaching in Western higher education. International students from the Eastern cultures are often frowned at as ineffective rote learners. The current study, which adopted a culturally sensitive framework, provides verification that when adopting a memorisation approach, learners from the Eastern cultures could learn beyond “rote.” About 1,000 Malaysian Malay and Chinese adult learners who were engaging with professional development were involved in the current study. The data in the current study provides insightful evidence that when memorisation is a culturally ingrained approach, it can lead to deep understanding, even for nontraditional students like the adult learners.

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