Adult South Sudanese students in Australia : The significance of congruence between student and teacher expectations

In a study of South Sudanese adult student participation in Australian learning environments, it was found that student expectations in the areas of classroom behaviours, teacher monitoring of learning and student competition in a formal learning context were consistent across contexts, despite entry level of education. However, teacher expectations varied according to the learning environment, and this gave rise to differences in student participation. The qualitative study relied on data from an Adult Migrant English Program group, a university group and a women’s community group. Using Volet’s (1999) four types of learning transfer, this paper discusses the interdependence of student and teacher expectations and subsequent differences in student participation related to learning context.