Understanding Culture Cultural and Learning

East Cumbria GPTP 2015 EthnicityNumber White British22 Nigerian2 Indian1 Pakistan3 Malyasian1

Question 1 Is it reasonable to take time off work to look after a sick child. If so, who should do it?

Question 2 Should families look after their own elderly members, or is it OK to put them in a residential home?

Question 3 Would it be OK for a GP to go to work wearing jeans and trainers?

Question 4 If you were the only witness to an RTA when your friend had knocked over a cyclist, should you tell the police?

Question 5 Is it acceptable to ‘grease the palm’ of someone who has been of assistance to you?

Question 6 Is is Ok for a married woman to wear make up and flirt with a man other than her husband?

What do we mean by ‘culture’

Culture:- An organised set of beliefs, values, customs and behaviours that separate one group from another’

Culture Complex social phenomenon Shared beliefs, values and attitudes that guide behaviour of members Dynamic concept - keeps changing We are all multicultural, but often don’t recognise it

As a trainer have you had a cultural blunder with your trainee? How did this affect the GPR learning?

Cultural acceptance Cultural knowledge Well meaning blunders Bigotry Cultural competence Tendency to stereotype

“Iceberg model” Kreps and Kunimoto (1994) Gender Age Ethnicity Language Skin colour Socio-economic status Occupation Sexual orientation Political ideology Disability and health Cultural beliefs, expectations Sea level

Cultural Line Up

Aspects of cultural differences (i) Identity – Individualist v collectivist Authority – Low v High Power distance Risk – Low v High Uncertainty Avoidance Achievement – Co-operative v Competitive Time – Punctuality v Relationships

Aspects of cultural differences (ii) Communication – Direct v Indirect Lifestyle – Being v Doing Rules – Particularist v Universalist Expressiveness – Neutral v Affective Social norms – Tight v Loose

‘Self actualisation’ or ‘Social harmony’

Universalist (UK) / Particularist (Arab, Indian subcontinent) Universalist Rules more important than relationships A deal is a deal Fairness is treating everyone the same Consistency is valued Particularist Relationships more important than rules Relationships evolve So deals can be modified Treating cases on special merits is valued

Neutral (UK) v Affective (Italy) Neutral Don’t show feelings Little physical contact, strong facial expressions and gestures Coolness admired Subconscious verbal/paraverbal signals important Affective Reveal thoughts and feelings Touching and use of large gestures is common Speak passionately Heated, animated expression admired

Characteristics of Asian and African learning cultures A respect for historical texts, and previously accumulated knowledge A respect for authority figures, including teachers Not being overtly critical of authoritative texts or figures The importance of the ‘correct’ answer Avoidance of making mistakes or losing face Expectations of listening quietly Personal opinions avoided, as perceived arrogant Importance of group harmony over individual interests

Cultural barriers to learning

Issues affecting successful groupwork Degree of experience of participation-based learning Experience of group discussions Potential embarrasment Fear of making a mistake Use of incorrect English Fear of loss of face Wasting others’ time Implying the teacher hasn’t explained this well Reluctance to express personal opinion Showing lack of respect for teachers by asking questions

Issues related to giving feedback If teacher is perceived as a ‘guru’ then feedback is seen as personal Describe the behaviour, not the person Be specific Convey that learner is valued, and that feedback is part of learning process

Key question What should be our approach to different learning cultures? Correcting deficits? Adapting our teaching? ‘Cultural synergy’?

Possible approaches Be explicit about learning and teaching methods from early on Be sensitive to linguistic nuances Allow learner to be comfortable initially (eg by building on ‘book learning’) Small group activities to encourage cultural mixing rather than ghettos

Promoting ‘mutual intercultural learning’ Martin Cortazzi (Leicester University) and Lixian Jin (De Montfort University) 1997 Teachers and students need to understand each others’:-  Academic cultures  Cultures of communication  Culture of learning