[Vocabulary] A bad student

[bunicchi]

When you hear the sentence "I was a bad student," what type of students do you think the speaker was? A student whose grades were bad, or a students whose behavior was bad such as breaking the school regulations? Of course, it depends on the context, but I would like to know what native speaking people think if they hear the sentence alone.

 

[MikeNewYork]

My first thought is that the student did not perform well and got bad grades.

 

[Eckaslike]

(Not a Teacher. BrE first language speaker)

I would agree with MikeNewYork. The first impression seems to be the same for AmE and BrE.

It may also mean that the student was disruptive in class, but that is really an assumption. It might also mean that they had a short attention span or found it hard to study at home because of other things they'd rather do.

It doesn't make me think about breaking school regulations other than those perhaps within the classroom.

 

[bunicchi]

In Japan, when you say a "bad student," it usually means a student who is disruptive in class AND often breaks school regulations. It might be because in our society, observing regulations or rules is highly regarded and teachers put emphasis on it and students have to obey strict rules in many schools. Those "bad students" tend to do poorly in their schoolwork, but the word "bad studeents" in Japanese equivalent is usually associated with their bad behavior, such as breaking rules and being disruptive in class.

 

[emsr2d2]

If someone behaved badly in class, I would call them a "naughty student" or a "badly-behaved student".

 

[MikeNewYork]

Also a disruptive student.

 

[bunicchi]

It's interesting that in Japanese, a "bad student" is almost a synonym of a "disruptive student."

 

[MikeNewYork]

What do you call a student who gets bad grades and doesn't perform well?

 

[bunicchi]

We call him/her a "student whose grades are bad" or a "academically weak student." In Japan, teachers generally put more emphasis on behavior than grades or academic ability.

 

[MikeNewYork]

That should be "an" academically weak student.