From the Horse's Mouth: TheWordsWe Use to Teach Diverse Student Groups Across Three Continents

Abstract

Humans adjust how they speak depending on context. Two key facets of this are utilizing different vocabulary and speaking rates depending on the audience. Exactly how we use language while teaching may depend on our students, their backgrounds and needs, and the subject matter. How we speak in the classroom likely affects student comprehension and may affect equity and accessibility. We analyzed audio transcripts of three introductory programming courses delivered by different instructors at different institutions on three continents as well as several sessions of a popular online introduction to CS course. All used the same programming language (C) and had varying percentages of non-native English-speaking students. We investigated the vocabulary used and the rate of speech of each. We found that many qualities of the instructional language used in these courses are remarkably similar. We did observe a striking difference in the rate of speech, a factor known to affect comprehension for non-native English speakers. These findings raise several questions about the speech we use in teaching. This is particularly relevant as the mode of delivery for many institutions is now entirely online, or involves recorded live lectures. These findings may also inform efforts to tailor delivery for non-native English speakers, students of different abilities, and pre-university students.