How Does culture

Main ideas on how culture affects education

• 1. People from a collectivist society view themselves as part of a group and achieve individual success when the group succeeds.
• 2. Individualist societies produce people who need to stand out in a group and to be seen as distinct.

So individualist and collectivist societies produce people who view themselves in different ways. To see how that affects education, we must first look at how culture influences self perception (a cognitive process).

According to Vygotsky's sociocultural theory, culture affects children's cognitive development in a variety of ways.
(Ormrod, 2014)

1. Culture affects our cognitive development by shaping our view of the world and the way we interact with it.

2. Adults in a society pass along to children cognitive tools that “not only...teach children specific ways of interpreting experience but...that can help children tackle the various tasks and problems they’re apt to face” (Ormrod, 2014, p.37).

It is scientifically supported that culture wires the brain.


"It is quite reasonable to posit that sustained exposure to a set of cultural experiences and behavioral practices will affect neural structure and function. The burgeoning field of cultural psychology has often demonstrated the subtle differences in the way individuals process information—differences that appear to be a product of cultural experiences” (Park and Huang, 2010, abstract)

If culture shapes our cognitive processes and therefore determines how we interact with the world and the thought processes we use, it also influences our self-concept.

Culture affects cognition...so what?

• How we think of ourselves as individuals directly impacts how we behave in groups (ex: the classroom).
• People from different cultures have different self-concepts.
• A classroom with children who view themselves as individuals or as an individual that serves a group will determine how the classroom needs to function in order to achieve student success.

Main Idea #1 - Collectivism

Individuals in a collectivist society view themselves as part of a group and achieve individual success when the group succeeds. Thus, an individual from a collectivist society will perform best when given tasks with goals that serve the group.

Collectivist societies

• People in Eastern collectivist societies tend to be humble, serve others’ wishes over their own and consider their actions in relation to the group while always maintaining “face.” -Kastanakis and Voyer (2014)
• Individuals from collectivist societies use tools like integrating, connecting and compromising, which serve the functions of a group. -Lee and Oyserman (2008)

Main Idea #2 - Individualism

Individualist societies produce people who need to stand out in a group and to be seen as distinct. A person from an individualist society works best when given tasks that promote competition and highlight personal achievement.

Individualist societies

• People from individualist societies see themselves as independent, separate units instead of part of a group. Each person is judged as an individual, not by the success or failure of their group.
• Individualists tend to think about what the group can do for them, not what they can do for the group. Kastanakis and Voyer (2014)

compare and contrast

• People from individualist societies process information differently than collectivists. Individualists focus on objects in a given set of information (analytical approach) whereas collectivists focus on the context (holistic approach).
• Different cognitive approaches to situations will determine what connections a student makes to stimuli (objects, people) and how these connections are categorized according to Kastanakis and Voyer 2014.

what does this mean

culture in the classroom

• How can we as teachers use the knowledge of student self concept based on culture (individualist society vs. collectivist) to our advantage in the classroom?

Culture in the classroom

• Culture is additive, not subtractive. Instead of using a child's culture (ideas, values, ways of functioning in the classroom) as a bridge to conforming her to ultimately think and perform classroom tasks as they are normally done in the United States, base your teaching on the skills the student already possesses and USE them.

How can I determine the way in which my student will work best?

study your students

• Determine if a student approaches situations analytically or holistically using pictures. Does the student analyze the context or the objects first?
• Does your student value the group opinion or her own opinion?
• Does your student place more of an importance on tasks at hand or the relationships associated with the tasks?

culture in the classroom

• Students that see their success based on the group (collectivism) will work best in groups. Make sure those students are always involved in group projects.
• Students that need to stand out as individuals in order to succeed (individualism) will work best when elements of competition are involved in lessons and personal achievement is highlighted. Individualist students can work in groups if they think the group will serve their own goals.
• When praising students, keep in mind that students from collectivist societies measure personal success based on group success. Highlighting personal achievement could embarrass the student.

culture in the classroom

changing the assessment of ells

• One of the many ways in which education fails English Language Learners (ELLs) is the method in which ELLs are assessed.
• Experts say it takes 5-7 years to attain academic proficiency in a language but ELLs in an English as a Second Language (ESL) program in Florida are required to take the state standardized test if they have been in the program for at least one year.
• Why are we forcing students to take an exam in a language that they cannot possibly be proficient in for another five years and then punishing them for not attaining an unattainable goal?

Instead of using understandably poor standardized test results to categorize ELLs as incapable and failing, we should assess them based on Vygotsky's Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD).

Vygotsky's ZPD determines the tasks a student can achieve with the guidance of an adult.

If we assess ELLs based on their range of capability then we will more accurately be able to judge how much progress they will be capable of making academically using the English language. Learning a language is a process (five to seven years to achieve academic proficiency) for which a number on a test is not a sufficient descriptor of progress.

Remember:

Heterogeneity exists within every culture. Before making assumptions about your students, observe how they act in different situations. Learn who your students are so you may effectively serve their individual needs.

Resources

References

• Becker, M., Vignoles, V., Owe, E., Brown, R., Smith, P. Easterbrook, M., … Yamakoğlu, N. (2012). Culture and the distinctiveness motive: Constructing identity in individualistic and collectivistic contexts. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 102 (4), 833-855.
• Fahim, M., Haghani, M. (2012) Sociocultural perspectives on foreign language learning. Journal of Language Teaching and Research, 3 (4), 693-699. Retrieved from http://ojs.academypublisher.com/index.php/jltr/article/view/7492
• Kastanakis, M.N., Voyer, B.G. (2014). The effects of culture on perception and cognition: A conceptual framework. Journal of Business Research, 67 (4), 425-433. doi:10.1016/j.jbusres.2013.03.028
• Lee, S. W. S., Oyserman, D. (2008). Does culture influence how we think? Effects of priming individualism and collectivism. Psychological Bulletin, 134 (2), 311-342. Retrieved from http://eds.b.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.lib.usf.edu/eds/detail/detail?sid=6145d6...
• Matsumoto, D. (1999). Culture and self: An empirical assessment of Markus and Kitayama’s theory of independent and interdependent self-construals. Asian Journal of Social Psychology (2), 289-310. Retrieved from http://davidmatsumoto.com/content/1999%20Culture%20and%20Self.pdf
• Ormrod, J.E. (2014). Educational psychology: Developing learners (8th ed.). Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Merrill.
• Park, D.C., Huang, C.M. (2010) Culture wires the brain: A cognitive neuroscience perspective. Perspectives on Psychological Science 5(4): 391–400. Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3409833/