Cultural Diversity Resources

Culture can be defined as...

culture (WAY OF LIFE) noun [C or U] the way of life, especially the general customs and beliefs, of a particular group of people at a particular time:
 * youth/working-class culture
 * She's studying modern Japanese language and culture.


 * (from Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary)

Below is a developing selection of resources relating to cultural diversity.

=Cultural Diversity and Assessment=

Mäori Approaches to Assessment

Seek out the article referenced below:

Rameka, L. (2007). Mäori Approaches to Assessment.Canadian Journal of Native Education. 30 (1); p. 126 - 191.

This is an interesting article by Lesley Rameka. Whilst the focus is on early childhood education there are many principles discussed that are of value to explore in relation to tertiary education.

Cultural Diversity within Hospitality

Seek out the article referenced below:

Hearns. N., Frances Devine, F., & Baum, T. (2007). The implications of contemporary cultural diversity for the hospitality curriculum. Education & Training. 49 (5); p. 350- 363.

An article exploring aspects of internationalisation in relation to developing a hospitality curriculum.

''Findings - The experience across business sectors, such as hospitality, emphasises the need for training that is geared to meet the needs of both international and indigenous employees and that, critically, intercultural issues represent a significant training gap. It is posited that the curriculum response is multifaceted embracing the need to address course content, learning outcomes, assessment methods and the training needs of educators.''

Hofstede’s Cultural Dimensions

Prof. Geert Hofstede (a Dutch researcher) undertook a comprehensive study of how values in the workplace are influenced by culture from that study he identified five dimensions that cultures can be distinguished by.

Power Distance Index (PDI) that is the extent to which the less powerful members of organizations and institutions (like the family) accept and expect that power is distributed unequally. Power and inequality, of course, are extremely fundamental facts of any society and anybody with some international experience will be aware that 'all societies are unequal, but some are more unequal than others'.

Individualism (IDV) on the one side versus its opposite, collectivism, that is the degree to which individuals are inte-grated into groups. On the individualist side we find societies in which the ties between individuals are loose: everyone is expected to look after him/herself and his/her immediate family. On the collectivist side, we find societies in which people from birth onwards are integrated into strong, cohesive in-groups, often extended families (with uncles, aunts and grandparents) which continue protecting them in exchange for unquestioning loyalty.

Masculinity (MAS) versus its opposite, femininity, refers to the distribution of roles between the genders which is another fundamental issue for any society to which a range of solutions are found.

Uncertainty Avoidance Index (UAI) deals with a society's tolerance for uncertainty and ambiguity; it ultimately refers to man's search for Truth. It indicates to what extent a culture programs its members to feel either uncomfortable or comfortable in unstructured situations.

Long-Term Orientation (LTO) versus short-term orientation: It can be said to deal with Virtue regardless of Truth. Values associated with Long Term Orientation are thrift and perseverance; values associated with Short Term Orientation are respect for tradition, fulfilling social obligations, and protecting one's 'face'.

The above material is from Geert Hofstede™ Cultural Dimensions where more detail can be found.

An easy to read interpretation can also be found on wikipedia

Click the following title if you want to go to the main page of Assessing and Evaluating for Learning