Relationship Building and Speech Style Selection by International Students in Science Laboratories

Abstract

In this study, we interviewed four Chinese graduate students who communicate in Japanese about their experiences building relationships in laboratories and the speech styles they chose. The data were analyzed using M-GTA, which found the following five categories in their descriptions: “perception of laboratory environment,” “desired relationship,” “participation in conversation opportunities,” “choice of speech style, ” and “evaluation of the experience.” The students proactively participated in formal/informal conversation opportunities based on their desired relationships, and with a sense of successful/unsuccessful relationship building, but their degree of satisfaction and proactiveness did not necessarily correspond. In addition, there was no single process of speech style selection associated with relationship building. The results confirmed that the choice of speech style reflected not only students’ normative consciousness or limited Japanese language ability, but also their self-directed choice as a means of adjusting their desired relationships by the degree of intimacy and self-presentation in the laboratory environment. The international students cultivated (developed) their own position by coming to terms with their own desires and surroundings, and reached a satisfactory understanding by integrating their experiences with their past, present, and future experiences.