Glimpses of the Global Coral Gardens: Insights of International Adult Learners on the Interactions of Cultures in Online Distance Education
Open Access
- Author:
- Shattuck, Kay
- Graduate Program:
- Adult Education
- Degree:
- Doctor of Education
- Document Type:
- Dissertation
- Date of Defense:
- April 27, 2005
- Committee Members:
- Daniele D Flannery, Committee Chair/Co-Chair
Michael Grahame Moore, Committee Chair/Co-Chair
Kenneth M Kyle, Committee Member
Dennis Ray Lott, Committee Member - Keywords:
- distance education
culture
interaction
global learning
instructional design
international learners - Abstract:
- Expanding global communications over the past decade in the form of the World Wide Web and the Internet increased the possibility of cultures meeting cultures within distance education courses taught from American colleges and universities. Cultural differences can be understood as those ways of interpreting and of responding to teaching and learning that have been influenced by a worldview. The purpose of this study was threefold: First, to provide thick, rich descriptions of insights of international adult learners of the interaction of cultures in online distance courses designed and provided by an American university; second, to provide learners’ insights into the emerging discussion of the impact of teaching and learning cultures; and third, to foreground the philosophical discussion of culture, in particular how the dynamically interacting cultural layers might relate to access and equity in postmodern distance education, especially if concerned with meeting the needs of the individual learner This study was guided by the question: What can international adult online distance learners tell us about the impact of culture on their experiences in online distance education courses designed and delivered by an American university? In-depth, semi-structured online interviews with twelve participants (ten who identified with specific Asian cultures and two who identified with specific Middle East cultures) were guided by questions developed from the literature. Participants, unencumbered by Western cultural expectations of education, used their vantage point to expose hidden cultural intrusions of broader cultural conflicts. The dynamics of interacting cultures raised by the participants mirrored those described in Holliday’s (1994) host culture complex model – classroom cultures, student cultures, host institution cultures, professional-academic cultures, international education-related cultures, and national cultures. All of these cultural conflicts increased their marginalization within the online educational environment. Further research on cultural distance and multiculturalism within distance education is suggested. The study reveals the urgency of recognition of the cultural issues and training for designers, teachers, and administrators of U.S. online distance education courses and programs.